Snowshoe Hare Hunt

 It was time to once again strap on the snowshoes and head out for the elusive snowshoe hares that have been evading me thus far this season.

 It was a great day because I finally got to see that thing in the sky that is bright and gives warmth...I forgot what it's called though.

I can't quite tell if I'm hunting rabbits or "The Thing"? Either way, I took my short barreled Remington 597 along for the ride today.

Today's kicks: 1970's era USGI magnesium framed snowshoes (Michigan style of course!) In my opinion these are the best bang for the buck in snowshoes you can buy. My area averages 200 plus inches of snow a year and I have used over 8 different kinds of snowshoes in my time so far, and these offer the most for the cash you'll shell out by far. I snagged these unissued, for $25 on sale about 6 years ago. If you can currently find them in the $40 range they are still a steal. Snag then up while you can. They have coated stainless steel cable for webbing and I have only cracked off the tips of the "I" beam tails, These shoes are about as rugged as you can get. A cool bonus benefit is that fact that you scrape shavings from the frame and light them to start a fire if you really need the help from the magnesium shavings. How cool is that?

I didn't care for the GI bindings so I swapped them out for this version that Faber makes. The toe stirrup is made of kydex and the nylon webbing is suburb. So far the heavy duty plastic quick release buckles have held up.

Right off the bat I can into some coyote tracks. I have some .223 rounds I need to send his way.

Crossing the marsh to get the swamp edge.

Something else had the same idea.

Today's gear load out.

The Ontario 499 PSK (aka "The bolt knife") This is my modified version of the famous USAF pilot survival knife. It's a rugged, no nonsense blade. I've been carrying it for all of my outings so far this winter, and I've been impressed by it's utility. This is an unusual version of Ontario 499 the knife. It lacks the fuller and sharpened swedge on the clip that the standard models have. The absence of the swedge grind makes for a stronger tip in my opinion. The obtuse factory grind has been re profiled into a convex grind with a scary sharp edge.

Me pretending to do what I wish I was really doing...shooting at game.

Walking through some tag alder jungle goodness. But where are all the rabbits? Probably laughing at me, unseen from 20 feet away.

I seen one grouse, a hairy wood pecker, nuthatches, chickadees, and one red tree rat. For racks I seen grouse, fox, coyote, snowshoe hare, and squirrel. All in all it was a slow day devoid of almost all game. But that's okay because I enjoyed the time out and the fresh air did me good. I still can't believe I haven't shot a rabbit yet this year and thought for sure I'd get at least one today, but My time is coming. That's why they call it hunting and not shooting!

Thanks for looking!