Hare hunting at the beginning of winter after the powder is one of the best ways to test your hunting skills: endurance, attentiveness, ability to recognize and read a trail, reaction and accuracy. A hare obtained as a result of tracking is a reward obtained solely thanks to your efforts and hunting skills.
Differences between hare and hare tracks
The hare remains active in winter. It feeds at night, in the pre-dawn hours, and hides during the day, remaining on the so-called “bed”. Powder - the snow that has freshly fallen overnight, sweeps everything away, and the fresh night adventures of the hare read like an interesting, freshly written story.
In our area, there are mainly two species - the white hare and the brown hare. The white hare moves to forested areas, prefers copses, dense bushes, overgrown areas. In winter it feeds by eating twigs and tree bark. The hare prefers open spaces; in winter it stays at the edges, beams, small bushes, and loves areas with good review. Despite the snow, it continues to feed on withered grass and seeds, winter crops, and leftovers from gardens, digging it all out from the snow.
In many regions they live nearby. On good feeding grounds, their feeding zones often intersect, and their tracks overlap and become confused. How to distinguish the tracks of a hare and a hare from each other, since their habits, and therefore the places where they lie and the manner of confusing the tracks, are different.
The main difference between the prints of one and the other hare is that The white hare has wider paws, and the fingers are spread further apart, the hare already has a paw, fingers pressed closer. Therefore, the paw print of a hare in the snow will be almost round, while that of a hare will be elongated, oval. There are additional differences. The hare's track is more confused, and when lying down it goes into the forest and dense thickets, including through deep snow. The hare has a discount, the trailing and racing tracks are longer. Due to its narrow paws, it cannot walk through deep snow like a white hare, so it prefers to move through more open places, including along already trodden paths and roads.
Where to look for a hare in winter.
As already written, the hare goes out to feed at night and finishes it in the morning, at dawn, after which it hides for the whole day. That's why the best time to hunt it is in the morning when he had already settled down and calmed down. You need to choose a fine, mild day with little wind. On such days, the hare easily gets up from lying down, and does not sit there until the last minute, as in bad weather or severe frost. In addition, the noise of the wind will hide your steps.
They look for the trail of a hare, especially a hare, along rural lands, fields, vegetable gardens, meadows and meadows, under stacks and stacks of straw, closer to the middle of winter in gardens. White hare can be looked for in floodplains of rivers overgrown with young willow trees, in young aspen and birch forests, in gardens and summer cottages, where it feasts on the bark of fruit trees.
The process of tracking a hare
The night adventures of the hare are quite monotonous. At the beginning of the night, he emerges from his resting place, first carefully looking around, and then in fairly quick leaps he goes to the feeding areas. In feeding areas, it moves slowly in short leaps, very chaotically (confused). Between feeding areas, its running speeds up and the length of its jumps increases. Sometimes, on bright, quiet nights, hares begin to frolic and race in the snow, then their jumps become especially long.
After having a snack at the end of the night, the hare heads to its daytime bed. In the process he begins to confuse the trail in order to confuse possible hunters. His run either speeds up or slows down, he can retrace his steps and then run on. He can go back a little and make a strong jump to the side and run further. Makes loops, runs out onto established paths and other people's paths, etc. During such a journey, the hare, depending on experience, performs each of these maneuvers from one to three times and only after all this hides in its shelter.
place of fattening The process of unraveling all the nightly adventures of a hare, usually from the place of fattening (feeding) to the very place where it lies, is tracking. They start tracking by walking along the edge of a field or meadow, along forest paths or just along a country road, looking out for a hare's trail. Usually, hare paths lead towards fields and the like in the direction of the bedding area, and from there to thickets and bushes - to the bedding area.
The direction of movement of the hare is indicated to us by its hind paws; their prints are larger, more elongated and located in front of the prints of the front paws. If we are lucky enough to immediately find a trail leading from the feeding areas to the bedding area, go untangle it, otherwise head to the feeding area and start tracking from there.
Types of hare trails (maliks)
All hare tracks can be divided into four types: fatty, rutting, end and hare tricks like twos, threes and discounts.
Fat trace
The hare leaves it, moving slowly, in short jumps, usually while feeding or looking around. The distance between the front and hind legs is small, and the track itself in the areas of fat is very tangled, winding, can intersect with the tracks of other hares, and is often accompanied by hare droppings. The fat monograms are usually not untangled, but after going around the fat spot in a circle, they look for the escape trail when the hare goes to bed, and then follow it.
Racing trail
The hare leaves a rutting trail when he gallops at full speed. He can either run away from someone or simply frolic, rushing back and forth. The distances between jumps are large, sometimes up to two meters, the front legs are parallel to each other, the distances between the front and hind legs are greater than during walking. The racing trail at the end is replaced by a small fatty trail or a slower running trail.
Running (end) trail
When the hare goes home from the fattening area to the resting place, its trail from the fattening area moves to a more purposeful, but still leisurely running (trailer). The distances between jumps increase, and the prints of the front paws follow one after another. It is this trail that is the most important, since it leads to the place where he is hiding. Actually, it’s only on him that the hare’s “arts” begin, loops, discounts, twos and threes, with which he tries to confuse you and prevent you from getting to his bed. The walking trail, especially of a hare, can run along well-trodden paths and roads, intertwined with the tracks of other hares and other animals, in this case you need to walk along and look for where the hare has gone to the side.
Twos, threes and loops
Walking along the running trail, you will encounter hare loops, twos and threes. This indicates that you are getting closer to his bed.
A loop appears when the hare, having made a circle, returns to its trail, crossing it or walking back a little along it. Loops usually appear closer to the bed, so when you see it you need to be more careful.
Deuce- this is when a hare, having run forward, returns a little back along its trail, and then abruptly changes direction, making a discount or simply changing the direction of running.
Troika occurs when the hare, having retraced its tracks, nevertheless decides to move further in the original direction and again follows its path. After a three, there is usually no discount and the oblique after it is rarely sent to the prone.
Discounts (estimates)
A jump is a big jump that a hare makes away from its tracks. A discount is usually made after a deuce, and the direction of movement after it usually changes sharply to perpendicular to the previous one. On the way to the shelter, the animal rarely makes more than three discounts or two discounts. Usually after the second it’s time to start turning your head in all directions, looking for the hare.
Unraveling the maliks
So, what does the whole process of tracking a hare look like? Having found its trace (malik), we first determine its direction so as not to come to a previously abandoned bed. You can recognize it by fingerprints or by the position of the front and hind paws and the distance between the tracks, remember that a hare's hind paw prints are in front of the front ones. We head along the small road we found, a little away from it, so as not to trample it. If he led you to the fattening site, we go around this place in a circle in search of a waste trail; you should not waste time untangling the fattening loops.
Having found a departure, we begin to follow it, it will either lead to a new fattening site, or double loops and discounts will begin, which indicates the proximity of the hare's bed. The loops must be completed completely, otherwise there is a chance of getting lost and following the trail of another hare crossing the one you are looking for. If a malik came out onto a path, road or other trail and walked, or even merged with them, walk along this path three hundred to four hundred paces, in one direction and the other, until you find the meeting place. You can identify a fresh print against the background of old ones by lightly pressing it with your finger; the snow on the fresh one will crumple, whereas on the old one it will not.
Remember places where you can get lost, trail intersections, etc. you may have to go back there. Usually after the first loops threes, twos and discounts begin. You should be wary after the first two at a discount, and after the second you need to look around in all directions and be ready to shoot. Experienced hunters say that when tracking a hare you should never stop. Even if you need to look around carefully, walk in place; your stop may provoke the oblique to rush out of the shelter. If you cannot specifically determine the location of the bedding, begin carefully, walking in a circle around the intended area of its placement, looking in the direction of the track
Lying place
How to find a resting place? You need to pay attention to those places where the hare likes to hide. The hare prefers to hide in places with a good view, in bushes scattered across the field, in the roots or near the trunks of trees on hills, at the base of snowdrifts and sediments, in ruts, hollows, near shelters such as barns, old huts or fences. During the early snow, the white hare can hide in the bushes near fields and on the edges, in heavy snow in the forest, deeper, in spruce forests, dense thickets, at turns, near windbreaks, sometimes along the edges of forest clearings.
hare lying down The resting place can be determined by a pile of snow, often different in color, with lumps of earth, which the animal scattered while digging a hole for itself. But it is worth considering that, in search of a good bed, he can sketch several such slides in different places.
When you notice a hare lying down, do not look directly at him, this will provoke him to jerk, watch out of the corner of your eye, and do not approach directly, but passing a little to the side. When you get to the place where it lies, try to shoot it on the spot. If you pick up a hare, you need to shoot after him. After the shot, watch the hare carefully. If he continues to run but behaved strangely, follow his trail, he may well be wounded and, without even leaving a drop of blood, he will collapse after running 300 - 400 meters. If you still miss, you don’t need to immediately track down the runaway hare, you still won’t keep up with him, and he will lead you until the evening. It’s better to hide and wait, he may well, after cutting a few circles, return to lying down or simply calm down and lie down in another place, then drag him out again.
Equipment and weapons
When hunting by tracking in winter, two things are important: camouflage and the ability to walk for a long time, including in deep snow. This determines the selection of equipment and equipment for such a hunt.
In equipment, external camouflage, clothing, noiselessness, and the absence of strong odors are also important, so try to adhere to the following rules:
- The camouflage coat must correspond not only to the season, but also to the external environment. So in the first snow, when not everything is covered with it, the camouflage coat should have dark spots, but after heavy snowfalls it should be pure white.
- Clothing and equipment should not rustle loudly, squeak or jingle, avoid squeaky leather or loudly rustling synthetics.
- Shoes should be wearable, comfortable, but not squeak in the snow; rubber shoes, for example, are guilty of this. Felt boots or high boots are well suited for such hunting.
- It is quite difficult to scare off a hare by smell, but avoid strong odors; clothing should be clean, preferably specially designed for hunting.
- If good shoes are enough in the first snow, then in winter it is better to ski in deep snow. The skis used are wide, they also should not rustle loudly, and the bindings should not creak.
- To hunt a hare, they usually use smooth-bore guns, preferably machine guns, so that they can quickly fire several shots in a row. Accuracy is of great importance, so the barrel is taken with a choke or a payload. They shoot cartridges from No. 3 to No. 0 with a sharp shot.
- It’s better not to take a dog for tracking; it will most likely scare away the hare, raising it ahead of time, when you are not yet ready to shoot.
Hare tracks that mark the entire path of a hare in the snow during the night, starting from its den, where it spent the day, to the fat, i.e., the place where it fed, and back to its resting place, is called a malik. Hare tracks, which are very diverse in nature, must be able to recognize, which has a very great importance, since for most rifle hunters, tracking hares, mainly hare, is the main, and sometimes the only affordable way winter hunting.
First of all, it should be noted that tracking white hare is very difficult, and therefore they “trace” almost exclusively hare. The white fur of the hare, which differs very little from the snow surface, the intricacy of the hare's tracks and the usually strong place for the den, are the reasons that allow the hare to almost always escape unnoticed. In addition, the descent of the white hare is always tiresome, because the hare extremely confuses its passages, clogs up the paths, runs into fats and into the paths of other whites, circles, swords loops, and generally confuses the hare's tracks so much that even the most experienced hunter spends a lot of time on search for white hare. Therefore, in areas where both hare and hare are found, it is very important to be able to distinguish their hare tracks, which is achieved very quickly.
A - hare track; B - hare track on crust; B - the trail of a hare; G - the trail of a hare on the crust.
A hare living in the forest, where the snow is looser than in the field, has comparatively wider and rounder paws, or rather, has widely spreading toes, so that it leaves hare tracks in the snow, approaching the outline of a circle; the hare's paw is narrower and less widened, and its footprint is oval, elliptical.
When the snow is not very loose, with the so-called printing powder, prints of individual fingers will appear, but the hare's hind paw prints of the hare will still be much wider than those of the hare. More elongated and parallel to each other and slightly ahead of each other, the hare's tracks belong to the hind legs, and those approaching the circle in outline and following one after the other, in one line, belong to the front legs.
A sitting hare leaves hare tracks of a completely different type: the prints of the front paws are almost together, and the hind paws lose somewhat of their mutual parallelism, and since the hare, while sitting, bends its hind paws to the first joint, then on the footprint, in addition to the paws, the entire paw is imprinted. With the exception of this case, i.e., sitting, the hare's hind paw prints always remain parallel, and if on the loose snow tracks are noticed in which the larger hind leg prints go apart - clubbing, then these are not the tracks of a hare, but of a dog or cat or foxes when they gallop. The same can be said about a track in which one hind paw is much ahead of the other.
From left to right: end tracks, end tracks with discount marks, fat tracks, racing tracks, racing tracks with jumps.
The normal running of a hare is large jumps, and he carries out his hind legs almost or completely simultaneously, and places his front legs sequentially one after the other. Only with very large jumps does the hare put its front legs almost together.
Ordinary hare tracks are called terminal tracks, since with such medium jumps he goes to the fats and returns from them.
Fat hare tracks differ from end tracks in that the paw prints are very close to each other and the individual tracks almost merge. These hare marks are called fat tracks because hares make them where they feed, slowly moving from place to place, often sitting down.
Discount or sweep hare tracks are left by the largest jumps made at an angle to the original direction of the track. The hare tries to hide with them, to cut off his trail, before he plans to lie down. The number of discount jumps is usually one, two, three, rarely four, after which there are again ordinary, terminal hare tracks. For the most part, before a discount, the hare doubles its footprint. Discount hare tracks differ from end tracks in the distance between the tracks and in the fact that the prints of the front paws are located together. Rushing or restless hare tracks are made by the hare when he is frightened from his den - and he walks in big leaps. These hare tracks are very similar to either the discount ones or the end ones, but in the opposite direction, because the prints of the front paws are closer to the prints of the hind paws of the previous, and not the same jump.
Schematic plan of the hare's path to the bed (indicated by a red cross):
- a loop;
- a loop;
- savvy;
- a loop;
- savvy.
From the den in which the hare sat until dusk, the malik begins with fatty tracks, soon turning into terminal hare tracks, sometimes leading directly to feeding, that is, to the winter, to the garden, threshing floor, or to a well-used road. On fats, the hare always feeds with small, very continuous movements, often stopping and sitting down. Having had a good snack, he sometimes runs and plays, and here the hounds come across hare tracks. After running, he either starts eating again, or already at dawn he sets off with the fat in trailing hare tracks to a new den.
Before choosing a reliable shelter for the day, the hare begins to make loops, that is, round off its course, again crossing its previous hare tracks. These loops sometimes occupy large areas, so that at point A it is quite rare to say with certainty, without turning the loops, whether the crossing hare tracks belong to the descending hare or whether another hare has passed here. More than two loops are rarely seen. Soon after them, twos and threes begin to occur, i.e., doubling or lining up a track, and hare tracks are superimposed on one another, so skill is needed to distinguish a double track from an ordinary one. After a deuce, the hare usually makes an allowance to the side, but after a three, which happens relatively rarely, for the most part there are no marks and the hare goes further a considerable distance. Most often, double and triple hare tracks of a hare are noticed along roads or along the ridges of ravines, where there is almost always little snow, and at the beginning of winter - in hollows, meadows and on newly frozen streams and rivers.
The length of twos, both in the same malik and in different ones, can be very variable and varies from 5 to 150 steps. These hare tracks undoubtedly indicate the proximity of the den, and if the hare goes a considerable distance after the deuce with a discount, exchanging discount jumps for the end hare tracks, then this is already an exceptional case. Threes usually do not reach a significant length and the direction after them does not change and very rarely a discount follows them. The discount is almost always made at right angles to the direction of travel; after several discount jumps, several end jumps follow and again a second deuce with discounts. Often hare tracks are limited to two twos, but there are hare tracks with eight or even more twos.
This information will primarily be of interest to novice hunters. If you can offer better and more informative photographs, as well as add photos of winter tracks of animals that are not in this article, publish them in the appropriate section of the photo gallery (indicating the name of the animal) and leave a link here. Detailed comments are welcome
Animal tracks in the snow, photos with names
Below you will find several photographs of animal tracks in the snow, which were added by site users to the Pathfinder section of the gallery, and schematic images of tracks of a hare, wolf, fox, bear, wild boar and other animals.
Moose trail
It is difficult for an experienced hunter to confuse the tracks of an elk with the tracks of other animals. Of course, they are very similar to the hoof prints of a large cattle and some wild elk relatives, but they are significantly larger in size. The hooves of a male elk, even if of average build, are always larger than the hooves of the largest domestic bull. In general, the elk walks heavily and sinks deep into the loose snow, down to the ground. The stride length is usually about 80 cm. When trotting, the stride is wider - up to 150 cm, and when galloping, jumps can reach 3 meters. The width of the print, excluding the lateral toes, is about 10 cm for moose cows and 14 cm for bulls, and the length is 14 cm and 17 cm for females and males, respectively.
Photo of moose tracks in the snow added by user z.a.v.77. in 2017.
More photos of elk tracks:
hare trail
Hares leave two long hind paw prints in front and two shorter front paw prints behind them. In the snow, the length of the footprint of the front paws is about 8 cm with a width of 5 cm, and the length of the hind paws is up to 17 cm, with a width of about 8 cm. Due to their specificity, the tracks of the oblique are not difficult to determine, as is the direction of its movement. Hiding from pursuit, a hare can make jumps of up to 2 meters, and in a “calm environment” the length of the jump is about 1.2 - 1.7 meters.
A photo of hare tracks in the snow was added by Laichatnik in 2015.
More photos of hare tracks:
Fox trail
Fox tracks allow an experienced hunter to determine the nature of its movement. A fox paw print is typically about 6.5 cm long and 5 cm wide. The step length is from 30 to 40 cm. However, during a hunt or when escaping pursuit, the fox makes fairly long (up to 3 m) jumps and throws forward, to the right or left - at right angles to the direction of movement.
Photo of fox tracks in the snow added by user kubazoud in 2016.
More photos of fox tracks:
Bear tracks
Footprints brown bear It is quite easy to recognize among the tracks of other animals. This heavyweight (on average his weight is about 350 kg) cannot pass through snow and mud unnoticed. The prints of the animal's front paws are about 25 cm long, up to 17 cm wide, and the hind paws are about 25-30 cm long and about 15 cm wide. The claws on the front paws are almost twice as long as those on the hind paws.
Photo of bear tracks in the snow added by user willi in 2016.
More photos of bear tracks:
Wolf tracks
The tracks of wolves are very similar to the paw prints of large dogs. However, there are also differences. The front toes of a wolf are more forward and are separated from the hind toes by the width of a match, while in dogs, the toes are gathered together and such a gap is no longer observed. Experienced hunters can distinguish from the scent what kind of gait the animal moved at a walk, trot, gallop or gallop.
Photo of wolf tracks in the snow added by user Sibiriak in 2014.
More photos of wolf tracks:
Wolverine tracks
It is difficult to confuse wolverine tracks with anyone else's. The front and hind feet have five toes. The length of the front paw print is about 10 cm, the width is 7-9 cm. The hind paw is slightly smaller. The snow is often imprinted with a horseshoe-shaped metacarpal callus and a carpal callus located directly behind it. The first shortest toe of the front and hind paws may not be imprinted on the snow.
Photo of wolverine tracks in the snow added by user Tundravik in 2014.
Boar tracks
It is not difficult to distinguish the footprint of an adult wild boar from the traces of other ungulates, because in addition to the imprint of the hoof itself, a trace of stepson fingers located on the side remains on the snow or ground. It is interesting that in young piglets in the first months of life these fingers are not supporting, and therefore do not leave a mark.
Photo of wild boar tracks in the snow added by user Hanter57 in 2014.
More photos:
Roe deer trail
Based on the footprint of a roe deer, one can judge the speed of its movement. During running and jumping, the hooves move apart and, along with the front toes, the lateral toes serve as support. When the animal moves at a pace, the print looks different.
Photo of roe deer tracks in the snow added by user Albertovich in 2016.
More photos of roe deer tracks:
It is the most colorful and emotional, thanks to the ability to follow the tracks of a hare and even without the help of a hound dog.
Snow, by which one can determine the hare’s feeding areas, its rutting or walking tracks, excites the hearts of hunters even more. It’s hard to imagine hare hunting, which has become so beloved by many hunters as hare hunting in winter.
Going hunting in the first powder is the dream of all hunters. This opportunity is awaited with great impatience, since it is during this period that it is easiest to find a hare lying on the scent.
Differs from hare hunting along the black trail, since it is carried out mainly when the surface of the earth is covered with snow, which simplifies hunting in terms of finding the animal, but still the basic principles remain unchanged.
WHERE TO FIND A HARE?
The hare chooses its sleeping place first of all, guided by natural climatic conditions surrounding natural environment. It will be damp or dry, the wind will blow or the weather will be calm, it will snow or drizzle.
All this affects the habits of this furry animal, so you need to pay attention to the weather right away, because the success of your future hunt may depend on it.
Usually, hare hunting in winter is accompanied by the presence of snow, so special attention should be paid to searching for a hare by its tracks, because its complex and sometimes so intricate tracks are simply impossible to untangle and understand.
You should not go hunting for a hare early in the morning, since the hare may not have time to lie down yet, and you will only scare it away ahead of time, and then it will be very difficult to do without the help of a hound dog.
The best start for hare hunting in winter is the period around 8 o'clock in the morning. You need to go to fields with arable land or winter wheat, but this is when there is not much snow.
In the fields of winter wheat, the hare mainly fattens, so it is possible to raise it in such places, but only at a distance of about 300-500 meters from the fattening site.
With the appearance of deep snow, the hare comes and lies down near human settlements, so hunters rural areas They shoot the hare literally in their gardens or very close to them.
HOW TO UNTELL THE TRACES OF A HARE?
The ability to untangle the tracks of a hare while hunting is simply necessary for a hunter. The hare is an excellent skill at confusing its tracks, and not every hunter can deftly and quickly untangle its tracks.
If you come to the place of the fattening, then you should not even try to untangle the tracks of the hare in this place. Find the exit trail and then start chasing the animal along this trail.
The location of the fat is very easy to determine. It is simply a huge number of mixed up tracks that are impossible to untangle even for the most skilled hunter. In addition, in such places there is dusty snow and grass scattered in places.
Jumping away from your main footprint is called a discount. Thus, the hare tries to confuse his pursuer.
The hare knows how to make a loop out of its tracks. If you take an ordinary rope and make a loop out of it, then imagine that the rope itself is the tracks of a hare. This is what a hare's loop looks like.
The first discount of a hare is an alarming signal that the hare may already lie down, so be prepared for the hare to be lifted from its bed.
Never stop while tracking a hare, as he may rise from his bed ahead of time. It is extremely rare to notice him in such a situation.
You should not rush to shoot the hare. It's better to aim well and pull the trigger.
You can watch even more about hunting not only for hare on the channel “Amateur Hunter”. I recommend watching this presentation video.
Hunting is a favorite pastime for many men. But to become a really good hunter, you need to know some secrets and features. This article will allow you to learn about the main secrets of hare hunting. Before you go hunting, you need to study all the habits of hares, since these animals are very shy, and catching them is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
Hunting is a favorite pastime for many men. But to become a really good hunter, you need to know some secrets and features. This article will allow you to learn about the main secrets. Before you go hunting, you need to study all the habits of hares, since these animals are very shy, and catching them is not as easy as it might seem at first glance.
Hares are very cowardly and cautious animals, and also very fast. Due to the fact that they have rather large ears, they are able to hear any, even the slightest rustle in the forest.
In addition, hares can easily confuse their own tracks so that a novice hunter is unlikely to be able to track the animal the first time. Even experienced hunters cannot always quickly untangle hare loops.
The favorite habitat of hares is forests, as well as open areas with complex terrain, with thick and tall grass and small ravines. Animals like to arrange their roosts in such places, and hunters are able to find prey faster by preying on such places. As a rule, the hare hunt begins. This period is the most successful and there is a high probability of quickly finding the animal.
A little about hares
There are two breeds of hares - hare and hare. Only experienced professional hunters are able to distinguish the tracks of a hare from a hare. The hare's paw is more elongated, while the hare's, spoiled, is rounded.
Traces: on the left of a hare, on the right and below – of a hare
It is also worth considering the fact that while running, hares extend their hind legs higher than their front legs, which is why they manage to confuse the tracks and lead the hunter in a completely different direction.
You can meet brown hares mainly in fields, steppes, and meadows. They love mostly flat terrain. White hares, on the contrary, are more willing to settle in forests where there is a lot of vegetation and they can easily camouflage themselves. These two types of hares still have one general feature– they are able to completely bury themselves in the snow, so that only their nose is visible.
Hunters prefer to hunt hare, since it is much more difficult to catch hare; it confuses its tracks more thoroughly.
For a hare hunt to be successful, the hunter must be patient. This activity is suitable for hardy people who are ready to spend several hours on their feet. In case you are just a novice hunter, before heading into the forest.
It is imperative to have warm and comfortable clothes with you, which should also be functional.
If you don't manage to catch the hare the first time, don't be upset. Enjoy the hunting process itself, gain experience and skills.
Features of winter hare hunting
Winter means searching for an animal using a fresh footprint left in the snow. This hunting process is most effective when the first snow falls, on which the hare's tracks are best visible. If you find fresh tracks (clear and not crushed by snow), then with a high probability you can find where the animal has settled down. During the search, the most important thing is not to scare off the hare. If you find a nest, it is important to know how to approach it correctly. Hares usually sit with their muzzles turned towards the wind so that it does not blow against their fur.
Therefore, you need to approach the bed against the wind so that the animal does not see you and run away.
Tracking a hare is not so easy, and when running it can reach speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour. So, having missed the animal once, you are unlikely to be able to catch it again.
Types of hare hunting
Collective. Before you go hunting with friends, you should study the area and decide on a direction. The distance between hunters should be between fifteen and thirty meters. Thus, a hare can be detected faster, since it can get up from its prone position and give itself away. usually before dusk.
Hunting with a dog. Purpose this method hunting appears and lead him towards the hunters. This method of catching a hare is not so common, since you have to run a lot through forests and fields and it is not a fact that you will be able to make a successful shot and return home with the prey.
Hunting with tracking. We have already mentioned this method. The main thing here is to untangle the hare's tracks and discover the place of the bedding. This method, it is worth noting, is quite fascinating. Sometimes the hare confuses its tracks so much that it is impossible to find the animal’s location. This method of hunting is suitable for experienced hunters who, over many years of practice, have acquired the necessary skills and knowledge.
At the beginning of winter, it is best to hunt a hare with a dog. The reason for this is the low level of snow cover, which perfectly absorbs the odors of various animals. and lead you to the hare's lying area.
When hunting with a dog, be extremely careful not to accidentally shoot it.
If you decide to go hunting with your friends, then the main rule in this case is. Do not come within one meter of another person. Also be extremely careful when shooting. To lure the animal, you can use various treats in the form of carrots, cabbage leaves, clover and many other goodies.
It is important to know that at dawn hares like to go out to feed without much fear. Therefore, if you decide to spy on an animal, then it is better to do it at such an early time. Don't forget to take care of yours appearance. Try to be as invisible as possible. If you find an animal, try to be motionless, if possible, hide behind a tree, large bush or any other secluded place so as not to scare off the hare.
Sunny and calm weather is not best time when you can go hare hunting. And the most unfavorable weather for such activities is rainy weather, since it is at such times that hares become more cautious and timid, and it is almost impossible to make an accurate shot during the rain.
If you nevertheless decide to hunt a hare in rainy weather, then we recommend that you look for the animal in the plowed land. It feels great in wet stubble.
The most good time To make a shot, this is when the hare stands on its hind legs. It is important for the hunter to have time to shoot at this moment. The main thing is not to scare off the animal, especially if you are hunting in creaky snow. Any careless movement - and all surveillance will be in vain, the hare will run away upon hearing the slightest rustle.
How to untangle hare tracks
As a rule, hares come out to feed at night or early in the morning, so it is advisable to start hunting them at this time. IN daytime Hares usually sleep, but before they climb into their bed, they carefully confuse their tracks.
To discover the location of a hare, you do not need to follow all the tracks, but look for a fork. Experienced trappers are able to quickly untangle hare tracks, despite the many loops.
Hares confuse their tracks in different ways, but the entrance to the nest is not so difficult to detect. As a rule, the tracks leading to the hare's habitat look like uniform dents, not chaotic. If you find tracks that repeat every three meters, then you are probably on the right track.
In frosty weather, catching a hare is quite difficult. During this period, the animal practically does not let anyone near it. Also, a windy day will not be very successful for hunting, since the snow may simply cover up the hare’s tracks and it will be difficult for you to discover where the animal is hiding.
If you managed to lift the hare, but accidentally scared him away and were unable to fire a shot, then next time we advise you to return to the same place. There is a high probability of finding this slant again, since hares very rarely change their roosting places.
How to target a hare
In the case of a group hunt, it is important to choose the right location. Remember that the hare always runs diagonally from the field and leaves the territory only through a corner.
That is why try to stand on the corner of the field to be able to catch the hare.
If you are in a lying position, and the hare is running straight towards you, you should not stand up suddenly and scare the animal. Let him get as close to you as possible. When the hare sees you, it will run in the opposite direction, and then you can shoot after you, it is important not to miss.
If a hare runs away from you, aim for its ears, and if the animal runs straight at you, aim for its front paws.
Before you go hunting, carefully study the area where eared animals live. Learn to recognize hare burrows - they have special edges.
If you decide to go hunting in the fall, then in this case it is better to use. Remember that during this period of the year it can be quite difficult to detect the animal, since it has a gray-brown color and blends in with the surrounding foliage. When approach hunting, you should carefully study those places that hares usually love very much - these are various areas with dense vegetation, small ravines, open areas with difficult terrain.
Use our tips and you can return. Learn the hare's habits, learn how to shoot accurately, and be patient before you go hunting.
The hare hunting season begins in November and lasts until early January. The hare is a very cunning and fast animal, so for a successful hunt you should gain experience, because this animal is capable of deceiving even experienced, professional hunters.
Video: Hunting a hare in winter
Video about Hare Hunting with hounds
Video about winter hare hunting