snowshoe hunting...

[cnycharles]

... in the Great White North of the Adirondacks. New Year's Day, my former co-worker from the greenhouses invited me to come up to his place to go bunny hunting behind his house, and later for dinner with his visiting family. We've had around 20" of snow down in the valley, and more up in the hills where he lives so it was necessary to use snowshoes. Phil often goes out hunting for rabbits and grouse, but this year the game has been pretty scarce. On that day we only saw some tracks for maybe a porcupine, a squirrel and a tiny rodent like a mouse or vole. We were out for a few hours, so that's a pretty thin track find list for that area.

phil breaking trail

our backtrail through the woods

phils' wood and leather snowshoes (I was wearing a pair of his father's
aluminum and plastic shoes)

me; I wasn't actually planning on shooting any bunnies, so I carried
his single-shot 20 gauge (which was a lot lighter than his 12 gauge).
now if a bear came after us, I might have been interested in doing some
shooting but only at eyes, since birdshot wouldn't have much effect on
anything else...

phil and some woods scenery

it was a really nice day for being out in the woods, even if there weren't any tracks and even few birds. it was cold enough to keep from really sweating (if you had dressed properly), and there was just enough sun, very little wind or new snow coming down

 

[Clark]

I don't see a hunting license on the other fellows back.
Personally, would wear a orange vest and hat.

35 years ago, there were tons of grouse the next town over. Tha's a tough shot with the type of shotgun you are holding(I assume the safety is the manually cocking of the hammer). Now that area is being planned for residential developement.

I love rabbit and roasted red potato.
yum

 

[Ruth]

oke:

now if a bear came after us

I have to say this "most bears hibernate in the winter"

 

[cnycharles]

I don't see a hunting license on the other fellows back.
Personally, would wear a orange vest and hat.

35 years ago, there were tons of grouse the next town over. Tha's a tough shot with the type of shotgun you are holding(I assume the safety is the manually cocking of the hammer). Now that area is being planned for residential developement.

I love rabbit and roasted red potato.
yum

yes, normally you need to have licenses displayed and safety clothing, but in the northern zone at least for deer hunting, no license need be displayed, and assuming that this is the case also for small game hunting. ...and there are so few people hunting in that area that for small game hunting you are safer hunting than near a snowmobile trail (where you may get run over ). nobody wants to be out in that deep snow unless it's on a motorized sled. where he lives, there are a few houses along the road, but then beyond their property is wilderness area and state land of innumerable acreage, so there is very little chance of somebody being there this time of year

I wasn't planning on shooting anything so picked the lightest gun. phil had a 12 gauge with a full choke and if he had a good shot could aim at just the head of the rabbit or grouse (but who ever gets a shot at a still grouse and have time to do anything other than point wildly in the general direction?). where I grew up I was always getting heart attacks from grouse taking off just after I had walked past them, and with all the brush and trees they would zip and zoom up and down, and you would need a cannon to get through all the tree/bush stuff; I only ever got a grouse when it was sleeping underneath a blueberry bush that was covered with new snow. it woke up and tried to fly out through the opening in the snow, which happened to be directly at me (or else I would to this day never have shot one....). when I would hunt at my uncle's, heading up to a deer spot or walking, often would see lots of grouse, no deer. if I were to go out with birdshot, would see no birds but only deer. actually the years I hunted at my uncle's, I could have jumped on top of turkeys that were walking by me while I was deer hunting, and often I would be tracking deer and walking up to them, and there would be a flock of turkeys between me and them, with the turkeys within 20 yds of the deer. once, deer that I was trying to get close to ran through a clump of turkeys on it's way away from me, and the turkeys had been all around the deer. the turkeys just flapped their wings a little and moved out of the way of the trotting deer. this year I even was sitting inside one of the small feeder streams heading into the gorge that is above his house, and a flock of turkeys had been jumping up and down on a fallen tree so that they could get a better look at me, and eventually they walked above me and then down below me, and were feeding maybe 30 yds just below me for a while and they scattered when I got up (great alarm system for protecting the deer)

yes, his single shot 20 required the hammer being pulled back, and actually had another safety feature that was nice where the hammer on an uncocked gun didn't rest on the firing pin, it had to be pulled back before the slide would drop

oke:
I have to say this "most bears hibernate in the winter"

tell that to the bears! where you are in or near mountains where the cold weather is more predictable, they may be in full hibernation this time of year, but the bear hunting season is the same time here as the deer hunting season, and it just ended a few weeks ago. often we have warm weather through most of december and they don't hibernate until they need to.... sometimes if it is warm they don't start very early. I also heard last year that with very mild weather there were many animals that were not hibernating because the weather was too warm; we *just* got our snow and a bunch of it, but it was relatively warm until that point. I was more joking about the bear, actually , but it is still possible to have them wandering around in a warm season, at least here

 

[NYEric]

Shhhhhhhh. We're hunting.

What're you hunting bub?

Hehehehhheh; wabbits!!

 

[goldenrose]

.....
tell that to the bears! where you are in or near mountains where the cold weather is more predictable, they may be in full hibernation this time of year, but the bear hunting season is the same time here as the deer hunting season, and it just ended a few weeks ago. often we have warm weather through most of december and they don't hibernate until they need to.... sometimes if it is warm they don't start very early. I also heard last year that with very mild weather there were many animals that were not hibernating because the weather was too warm; we *just* got our snow and a bunch of it, but it was relatively warm until that point. I was more joking about the bear, actually , but it is still possible to have them wandering around in a warm season, at least here

I did laugh at Ruth's comment but better safe than sorry. This reminded me when my hubby went up to Canada in October, a spot they knew well. Went to an island for deer, so had deer appropriate guns, left my husband off on one end & went to the other end figuring they'd drive the deer towards him. Didn't drive one single deer but I bet you can guess what they did drive?! He was sitting on a log & just had this eerie feeling, spun around & a bear charged him, lucky shot right between the eyes otherwise he would have been toast!

 

[cnycharles]

yikes! glad he had very quick reflexes and a good shot. I wasn't really worried at all since though the amount of time in and near the woods I have still yet to see a bear here (though I see no reason to press my luck for that one first and last time ) so for one reason or another they aren't where I am, at least in sight of me

 

[Clark]

where I grew up I was always getting heart attacks from grouse taking off

I know the felling well.


Was that a Harrington&Richardson you were sporting?

 

[cnycharles]

I know I looked or phil told me, but it seems like there was a little circle with some letters inside it, stamped near the breech; will have to ask phil

 

[wjs2nd]

Great photos. I've seen a few bears hunting. Turkey hunting can be the worst time for bears.

 

[Ruth]

I was more joking about the bear

I was joking too

 

[Erythrone]

Are you really worry about black bears in Eastern USA?

 

[cnycharles]

was that a Harrington&Richardson you were sporting?

yes

Are you really worry about black bears in Eastern USA?

there are definitely bears all around the adirondack park, there are more and more in the lower fingerlakes region near pennsylvania (in new york state), there are definitely bears in the northern nj region, i'm assuming that they are in the mountainous regions of pennsylvania because some of them are moving north into new york state; there must be some in the catskills of southeastern ny, and I'm assuming that in other mountainous regions of the east coast there are also some bears. also assuming that there are some in the mountainous regions of vermont, new hampshire and maine

I'm not sure if I would qualify it as 'worry' where I live and a bit north; places in the large parks have more bears and they hang around garbage dumps so are more 'bold', and if you are out in wilderness areas you can come upon animals that are not expecting you to be sticking your nose into their living room or baby nursery, and can react unexpectedly (see rose's post). wherever they are, you need to be aware and know what to expect and what not to do; if you do most of these things and be aware, then most of the time there is no need for 'worry'

 

[NYEric]

We had bears at our country house in The Catskills. Definitely, there be bear in them hills!

 

[Clark]

yes

When I was 10, found one under the Christmas wrapping.




http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/20/n...tches-infant-from-stroller-and-kills-her.html

There were a handful of times, I thought I was the food.
Most of the time, they runaway at first sight.

 

[SlipperFan]

Horrible.

 

[Erythrone]

yes



there are definitely bears all around the adirondack park, there are more and more in the lower fingerlakes region near pennsylvania (in new york state), there are definitely bears in the northern nj region, i'm assuming that they are in the mountainous regions of pennsylvania because some of them are moving north into new york state; there must be some in the catskills of southeastern ny, and I'm assuming that in other mountainous regions of the east coast there are also some bears. also assuming that there are some in the mountainous regions of vermont, new hampshire and maine

I'm not sure if I would qualify it as 'worry' where I live and a bit north; places in the large parks have more bears and they hang around garbage dumps so are more 'bold', and if you are out in wilderness areas you can come upon animals that are not expecting you to be sticking your nose into their living room or baby nursery, and can react unexpectedly (see rose's post). wherever they are, you need to be aware and know what to expect and what not to do; if you do most of these things and be aware, then most of the time there is no need for 'worry'

Yes, I am sure there are many black bears in Eastern USA. That species is also "common" here, in Eastern Canda.

We live in a montainous region, near New England. 75 % of the region (Estrie) is covered by forest. Our house is near the amercian border and we are surrounded by forest. From our village we can see the White Mountains (New Hampshire I think??). Sure there are bears around us. Actually, the bears population is supposed to be rather high (but maybe not as high as in USA?). But we don't have a lot of trouble with them. They are rather shy. So shy that I've never saw one in our woodlot. And I often take a ride alone on the woodlot (except in deer hunting season where it is very dangerous, not because of wildlife but because of bad hunters that like to shoot on everything. Hunter are sometimes very territorial here even if the hunt in someone else woodlot.We disturb THEIR BUCKS!!!!!). I know that bears are around here because I saw scars on the bark of beech, because someone told us he saw one on their garden, etc.

But of course, they sometimes can be dangerous. Some people had been killed by bears in Eastern Canada. But a lot more had been hurt or even killed by hiting a moose or a dear with their car.

At my office, some people must inspect woodlots. They bring red pepper spray deterrant with them. One of them also use a whistle while he is walking, because he wants to say to the bear "Eh, I am here... You have enough time go away". And I must say that I have been affraid a few times when I saw footprints of adults and babies when I was inspecting woodlots myself many years ago. Red pepper was ready to shoot. But I almost hit mooses 2 times since 2003, 3 times for cattles (electric fence failure!!! ), and several times a year for dears, or course.

 

[NYEric]

I remember that event.
anyway, did you hear about the restaurant in UK serving a curry made with 20 Naga chillis!?

 

[Clark]

When I did the hunter/gatherer thing along the Delaware River, every 6 hrs. I would have a sighting of black bear, whether it was a mother/cub, or solo animal.
Thank the maker for the recent hunting season on bear in New Jersey.
We were infested.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I remember that story of the bear in the Catskills. I'm very thankful that I never ran into one. My college roommate was camping by himself in the Adirondacks. He was by a lake...he had gone off for a bit, came back to find a bear checking out his campsite. He tried to chase it off, and picked up a log to threaten it with....unfortunately, the log had a hornets nest in it. He found himself being chased by a bear and a bunch of stinging hornets. He ran into the lake and stayed there for awhile with just his nose and eyes above the water until he was sure the bear was gone. It trashed his campsite....he still has the cooking pot with the holes made by the bear's teeth. But nothing beats the Timothy Treadwell story for...well, ...idiocy. I love Grizzly Man!