While snowshoeing in the afternoon following a morning snowstorm, I knew if I came across any animal tracks, they would be fresh. And sure enough, I soon came to the tracks of a snowshoe hare. The tracks started from a cozy spot where the hare had undoubtedly hunkered down during the storm.
I began to follow the tracks as they zigzagged through a dense growth of conifers. As I pushed my way through low-hanging, snow-covered branches, the snow fell on my head and down my neck, but I kept on the hare's trail. I was constantly looking ahead through the underbrush, hoping to get a glimpse of the snowshoeing forest dweller, but the only signs I saw of the hare were its tracks.
Snowshoe hares are so named because their hind feet act like snowshoes in deep snow. Even the soles of their feet are fur-covered. When you see the tracks of a snowshoe hare, you will notice that the prints of the hind feet are actually ahead of the front feet.
In winter, the coat of the snowshoe hare is white and in summer, a rusty brown. The complete change of clothes takes about ten weeks, which makes excellent camouflage. Mainly active at night, snowshoe hares do not hibernate. In the winter they eat bark and buds of trees.
The female snowshoe hare can have several litters each summer. In fact, she can become pregnant with the second litter before giving birth to the first. Unlike rabbits, young hares, called leverets, are fully furred and open-eyed at birth and within a day can hop about. It is estimated that only 30 percent will live to celebrate their first birthday, as predators like coyotes, owls, and bobcats love to dine on them.
The population of snowshoe hares peaks and crashes about every ten years in a regular cycle which, in turn, has an impact on the animals dependent on them for food. In New Hampshire, snowshoe hares can be hunted from October to March.
With their strong hind legs, snowshoe hares have been known to leap a distance of 12 feet. As I followed the tracks of my snowshoe hare, it was fun to see the route he took through the deep snow and thick underbrush, but I gave up hoping to get close enough to see him. My snowshoes were no match for his.
