Why do snowshoe hare populations cycle so dramatically?

They follow a well-documented roughly 10-year boom-bust cycle tied closely to Canada lynx predation and habitat quality — check regional wildlife agency reports to know whether you're hunting a high or low year.

How is hunting snowshoe hares different from cottontails?

Snowshoes live in denser, colder, snowier habitat, turn white for winter camouflage, and require snow-adapted dogs and hunters equipped for genuine winter conditions rather than a mild fall hunt.

Do I need snowshoes to hunt them?

In deep-snow conifer habitat, yes — without them, moving through two or more feet of snow to keep pace with dogs or access cover is exhausting and inefficient.

What time of year is peak hare season?

December through February generally offers the deepest, most consistent snow cover and the full white winter coat that defines this hunt.

Are snowshoe hares and jackrabbits the same thing?

No — snowshoe hares are a distinct northern conifer-forest species that turns white in winter, while jackrabbits are larger, open-country hares found in the West that don't change color in most regions.

What's the best cover to focus on?

Dense young conifer stands, alder thickets, and regenerating cutover areas that provide both food and thermal cover through harsh winter conditions.

Hunting · Small Game & Birds · Snowshoe Hare

Snowshoe Hare Hunting

A winter-white hare that lives in dense conifer thickets, hunted in deep snow with beagles built for the cold.

Snowshoe hares live in dense conifer swamps, alder thickets, and regenerating boreal forest across the northern U.S. and Canada, and are named for their oversized hind feet that let them travel on top of deep snow that would bog down most predators.

Unlike cottontails, snowshoes turn white in winter, making them exceptionally well camouflaged against snow, and their preferred habitat — thick young conifer and alder cover — is genuinely difficult terrain to hunt through even for experienced beagle handlers.

It's a cold-weather, deep-snow pursuit that demands proper winter clothing and often snowshoes for the hunters themselves, following dogs bred and conditioned specifically to work in harsh northern winter conditions.

Range: Northern U.S. & Canada
Peak season: Dec – Feb
Tag access: Over-the-counter
Live weight: 3–4 lb

Where to hunt snowshoe hare

Snowshoe hare hunting quality follows dense boreal and northern conifer habitat, with the best populations found in the north woods of the Great Lakes states and much of Canada.

Place	Why it's worth your time	How you get a tag
Maine north woods	Extensive dense conifer habitat with a strong hare-hunting tradition	Over-the-counter small-game license
Northern Minnesota & Wisconsin	Large public forest tracts with good hare populations, cycling with the ten-year hare/lynx rhythm	Over-the-counter small-game license
Michigan Upper Peninsula	Dense conifer swamps and alder thickets with solid hare numbers	Over-the-counter small-game license
New Hampshire & Vermont	Classic New England hare hunting in mixed conifer-hardwood forest	Over-the-counter small-game license
Ontario & Quebec	Vast boreal forest with abundant hare populations	Nonresident license required, check provincial regulations

How to hunt snowshoe hare: the repeatable method

Snowshoe hare hunting follows the same beagle-and-circle principle as cottontail hunting, adapted for deep snow and dense conifer cover.

1Hunt dense young conifer stands, alder thickets, and regenerating cutover areas where hares find both food and cover from predators.
2Use beagles or other hounds conditioned for deep snow and cold to trail hares by scent through thick cover.
3Position hunters at likely crossing points in open lanes or trails, since hares circle back toward their home cover just like cottontails.
4Watch carefully against the snow — a hare's white winter coat provides excellent camouflage and requires close attention to spot even when close.
5Move slowly and quietly between drives if hunting without dogs, since hares hold extremely tight in dense cover and flush at close range.
6Use snowshoes or skis in deep-snow terrain to move efficiently and keep pace with dogs working difficult conifer thickets.
7Hunt during daylight hours when hares are more likely to be moving between feeding and resting cover.
8Watch for fresh tracks in snow to identify active areas before committing dogs to a full drive through difficult terrain.

Snowshoe Hare tracks, droppings, and sign

Hare sign is written in snow in the spruce and alder swamps, and it is the entire basis of hunting them behind beagles.

Tracks

Huge hind feet

Enormous, splayed hind prints — 5 inches or more long and nearly as wide — landing ahead of small front prints in the same bounding Y as a cottontail, but at twice the scale. The furred feet leave a soft, fuzzy-edged print.

Droppings

Large pellets

Round fibrous pellets noticeably larger than a cottontail's, scattered heavily along runways in conifer swamps.

Runways

Packed highways

Hard-packed trails in deep snow through alder, spruce, and cedar, worn down by repeated use. Hares run these runways in circles when pushed, which is why beagles work.

Browse & bark

Winter feeding

Clean 45-degree clipped conifer and alder twigs and gnawed bark at snow height, sometimes several feet up on top of deep snowpack.

Forms

Under cover

Melted-out hollows under low spruce boughs and blowdowns, often with hair and droppings.

Tags, licenses, and seasons

Snowshoe hare tags require only a basic small-game license — the challenge is access to dense northern conifer habitat and cold-weather preparedness rather than any licensing complexity.

1Buy a small-game hunting license online from the relevant state or provincial wildlife agency.
2Confirm season dates, which typically run through the coldest winter months when snow is deepest.
3Check whether your state's hare population is in a cycle high or low year, since snowshoe hares follow a roughly 10-year boom-bust cycle tied to lynx predation.
4Identify dense young conifer and alder cover on public forest land using state forestry management maps.
5Prepare cold-weather and deep-snow gear in advance, since this hunt happens in genuinely harsh winter conditions.

What the hunt is actually like

A snowshoe hare hunt is a genuine winter wilderness experience — deep snow, bitter cold, and dense conifer cover that makes every step a workout even before the dogs strike a trail.

The visual challenge is unique: a hare in full winter white against fresh snow can be nearly invisible until it moves, testing a hunter's eye as much as any calling or scent-based skill in other small-game hunting.

It rewards hunters who genuinely enjoy hard winter conditions — the payoff is a quiet, snow-covered forest, the distant bay of hounds working difficult cover, and a hunt that few others are willing to brave.

Unknown photographer / Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons

Gear that decides the outcome

Not a shopping list — the handful of items that change whether you fill the tag and whether the meat gets home in good condition.

12- or 20-gauge with improved cylinder choke

Close, quick shots

Similar to cottontail hunting, an open choke with 6 shot handles the typical close-range shot through dense cover.

Cold-conditioned beagles or hounds

Deep snow work

Dogs bred and conditioned for northern winter conditions handle deep snow and bitter cold far better than standard beagle lines.

Snowshoes

Deep-snow mobility

Essential for keeping pace with dogs and moving efficiently through conifer swamps with two feet or more of snow.

Serious cold-weather layering

Genuine winter conditions

This hunt happens in real winter cold; insulated boots, base layers, and a windproof outer shell are not optional.

Blaze orange over white camo

Safety and concealment

Balancing visibility to hunting partners with concealment from wary hares against snow is a real consideration in this hunt.

How to harvest and field dress snowshoe hare

Hares run a big circle and come back. The shot comes when you stand still and let the dogs work.

1Post at a runway junction or an opening in the alders and wait — a pushed hare will circle back to where it was jumped.
2Identify your target completely before shooting; in winter a white hare against snow is easy to misjudge, and shooting toward dogs is unforgivable.
3Mark the fall in the snow, which is fortunately easy.
4Dispatch cripples immediately.
5Glove up: hares carry tularemia and are handled the same way as rabbits.
6Field dress within the hour and check the liver for white lesions.
7Hang the carcass in the cold with airflow rather than bagging it warm.

Safety and legal notice

This is general educational information, not legal advice and not a substitute for hunter education. Hunting law is set by the state, province, territory, tribal nation, or country you are standing in, and it changes every year.

Confirm the current season dates, legal hours, weapon and ammunition restrictions, tagging, and transport rules with the governing wildlife agency before you hunt.
Public-land, tribal, refuge, and private-property rules can differ from statewide regulations — verify the rules for the exact unit you are hunting.
Complete a certified hunter-education course and follow firearm and archery safety rules at all times; identify your target and what is beyond it before you release a shot.
Knife work on a downed animal causes most non-firearm hunting injuries. Cut away from your body, use cut-resistant gloves, and never work a blade toward a partner.
Recovering game in remote terrain, cold water, steep ground, or bear country carries real risk. Carry communication, tell someone your plan, and be willing to leave an animal rather than get hurt.

How to skin and process snowshoe hare

Hare is darker and stronger than cottontail and it wants a long, wet cook.

1Field dress the snowshoe hare within the hour. Slit the belly from vent to sternum with a shallow blade, sweep the entrails out, and keep the heart and liver if they look clean.
2Check the liver: pale spots, cysts, or a mushy texture mean discard the whole animal. Also check for warbles (bot-fly larvae) under the hide, which are harmless once removed but unappetizing.
3Wear nitrile gloves. Rabbits, hares, and rodents can carry tularemia, which transmits through cuts on your hands — cold weather reduces but does not eliminate risk.
4Skin by pinching the loose hide at the mid-back, cutting a small slit, and pulling in both directions like peeling a glove. In winter the hide comes off easily and cleanly.
5Cut the head, feet, and tail off with shears. Rinse the carcass, then let it soak in cold salted water for an hour to draw remaining blood.
6Quarter it into two front legs, two hind legs, and the saddle. The hind legs and saddle are the prime cuts; the fronts are braise meat.
7Pick out shot, trim bloodshot tissue, and dry the pieces well before bagging. Freeze in water-filled containers or vacuum bags to prevent freezer burn.
8Cook everything low and slow, or brine and fry. These are lean, active-muscle animals — a hot fast cook turns them into leather.

Safety, health, and legal notice

Skinning and processing steps here are educational only. Food-safety outcomes depend on your handling, temperatures, and local health and wildlife rules.

Wear gloves and eye protection; wild game can carry brucellosis, tularemia, rabies, trichinella, and other zoonotic disease. Wash hands, blades, and surfaces thoroughly.
Follow your agency's chronic wasting disease, avian influenza, and carcass-transport rules, including mandatory testing and restrictions on moving intact heads or spinal columns across boundaries.
Chill meat below 40°F quickly and cook wild game to the USDA-recommended internal temperature — 165°F for game birds and 160°F for ground meat.
Do not eat meat from an animal that looked or behaved sick, and contact your wildlife agency if you find anything abnormal.
Selling, bartering, donating, or shipping wild game meat is restricted or prohibited in many jurisdictions. Check before you give any of it away.

Meat care and what you take home

Snowshoe hare yields lean, dark meat, slightly gamier than cottontail, typically around 1-1.5 pounds per animal.

Best slow-braised given the firmer texture compared to cottontail, often in a hearty winter stew with root vegetables.

As with all wild rabbits and hares, cook thoroughly given the tularemia risk, and handle carcasses with gloves during field dressing.

Snowshoe Hare photo gallery(5 photos · tap to zoom)

Official sources and further reading

Seasons, bag limits, and shell restrictions change every year — especially for migratory birds. Confirm with these agencies before you hunt.

Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Hare population data and northern forest hunting access information.
National Beagle Club of America
Cold-weather beagle training and hare-hunting tradition information.
USDA Forest Service — find a forest
Locate national forest land with dense conifer habitat open to public hunting.
USFWS — Hunting
Federal hunting resources and public land access information.

Keep going

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Questions

Frequently asked

Why do snowshoe hare populations cycle so dramatically?: They follow a well-documented roughly 10-year boom-bust cycle tied closely to Canada lynx predation and habitat quality — check regional wildlife agency reports to know whether you're hunting a high or low year.
How is hunting snowshoe hares different from cottontails?: Snowshoes live in denser, colder, snowier habitat, turn white for winter camouflage, and require snow-adapted dogs and hunters equipped for genuine winter conditions rather than a mild fall hunt.
Do I need snowshoes to hunt them?: In deep-snow conifer habitat, yes — without them, moving through two or more feet of snow to keep pace with dogs or access cover is exhausting and inefficient.
What time of year is peak hare season?: December through February generally offers the deepest, most consistent snow cover and the full white winter coat that defines this hunt.
Are snowshoe hares and jackrabbits the same thing?: No — snowshoe hares are a distinct northern conifer-forest species that turns white in winter, while jackrabbits are larger, open-country hares found in the West that don't change color in most regions.
What's the best cover to focus on?: Dense young conifer stands, alder thickets, and regenerating cutover areas that provide both food and thermal cover through harsh winter conditions.

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