By John Perkovich, for the Redoubt Reporter
Photos courtesy of John Perkovich. Colt McDonald, left, and Travis Perkovich show off two hares from a successful hunting trip in the Swanson River area.
It was a cool fall morning as we piled into my vehicle and headed to Swanson River to hunt snowshoe hare.
Yes, they look like a rabbit but they are not. Their large back feet are similar to snowshoes and keep them from sinking down in deep snow. Unlike a rabbit, they are born with fur and their eyes open, are larger than the cottontail but smaller than the jackrabbit. They have large ears, which enable them to hear danger approaching from a long way off, and an excellent sense of smell.
My hunting partners for the day were my sons — Travis, Colt and Harley. As we drove down the road we discussed hunter safety and things to do and not to do. I assured the boys that the best hunting trip in the world could very quickly turn into the worst with one mistake. I also told them that, no matter what we accomplished that day, if we couldn’t be absolutely, positively sure that what we were going to do was safe, don’t do it!
I was carrying my.22 Magnum rifle with a 3-by-9 scope. Colt and Travis were carrying their .22 rifles with open sights. Harley, being the youngest and not yet through the hunter safety program, was carrying his pump-up Remington BB gun. I explained the importance of making good shots and not ruining a lot of meat by making poor ones.
As we drove down Swanson River Road we spotted one snowshoe along the road, so I stopped and sent the three boys after it. I drove on down the road so I could park in a safer spot and not just over the crest of a hill. When I turned around and picked the boys up they were proudly carrying two hares that were both shot cleanly with hardly any meat ruined. We drove to our hunting spot, where we dressed out the first two hares before continuing our hunt.
I like to clean my game as quickly as possible to help get the meat cooled down faster and ensure better quality meat for the table. I also like having it cleaned when I get home at night and am tired after a day of hunting. After arriving home, I like to wash them in cold water and put them in a crock with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of salt and one-quarter cup vinegar per gallon of water. Soaking them in this mixture for at least 12 hours helps pull out any remaining blood, and many of the hairs that you may have missed float to the top.
We walked in four miles that day and I sent the boys into a fairly thick patch of spruce and willow along the Swanson River. I decided to walk on and see how many rabbits ran out ahead of them and crossed the road heading into the next section. I figured that if I stood on the intersection of the two roads I could watch both ways and yet not be in their line of fire.
I was barely there when I spotted three hares moving at high speed crossing the road about 80 yards from me. The first two were moving so fast they were nothing but a white blur. The last one was traveling slower, but my quick shot never touched him as he disappeared into the brush.
I still could not hear the boys, which proved to me how good these hares can hear as they were coming out at least 100 yards ahead of them. I finally did hear a couple more shots and, once again, the boys came out carrying two hares. With new excitement we headed on to the next section, where we once again saw a few more hares, but were not successful in bagging any of them.
Harley Perkovich holds evidence of one of the more impressive shots of the day — made with a BB gun.
I walked in on one extremely thick patch of spruce and stood next to a hare trail and waited, while the boys were meandering around through the woods. Sure enough, one hare stopped about 20 feet from me. Because I was looking into the sun I could not find him in my scope. I could have pulled my .44 Mag pistol and used that, but I temporarily forgot I even had it with me.
I had several other chances to get hares, but for some reason my scope was out of adjustment and I could not hit anything that day. The boys were all doing well and we headed out with seven cleaned hares tucked away in the game back in the backpack. A nice supply of meat for a day’s work and plenty of exercise for everyone — and the next day my legs let me know it, too.
As we trudged up the road Harley said, “There is one!” We all looked to see a hare crouched down waiting for us to go past him. I told Harley to shoot. He pulled and shot once and his first-ever snowshoe hare toppled over. To me, getting a hare with a BB gun is like shooting a bear with a .22.
At the end of the day, Harley, Colt and Travis all had rabbits (I mean hares) and I — well, I had none. However, you can bet that prior to going back out the next time, my gun will be sighted in again.
To make me feel worse, Colt and Travis went into the woods by our home the next day and came out with two more hares. Guess I better get used to eating peanut butter sandwiches or learn how to shoot.
John Perkovich is an outdoor enthusiast and longtime central Kenai Peninsula resident.
