Snowshoe hare

Lepus_americanus_5459.JPG: Walter Siegmund (talk) derivative work: Wsiegmund · Source

Small GameQuebec provincial

Snowshoe hare

A boreal hare whose brown summer coat turns white in winter.

Field guide

A boreal hare whose brown summer coat turns white in winter.

Identification

Shared features

Very large hind feet, long ears with dark tips, and seasonal coat color.

Male

Both sexes have oversized hind feet and dark-tipped ears; the coat is brown in summer and usually white in winter. Males are not reliably distinguished by coat or size.

Female

Females share the same seasonal coat and broad feet and may average slightly larger. Molt timing varies with latitude and weather; a lone hare is difficult to sex visually.

Habitat

Young conifer and mixed forest with dense understory, alder and willow.

Where to look during the day

Morning

At dawn, check feeding trails beside dense young growth.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, hares usually rest beneath low branches or thick brush.

Evening

At dusk, watch openings close to cover as browsing increases.

Sounds

Usually quiet; a captured or frightened hare may give a piercing scream.

A verified, reusable recording is not available yet for this species.

Natural history source: Read the source

Bag limits

Bag and possession summaries.

-Cottontail rabbits and hares: bag limit of five per day in zone 8, and bag limit of 2 hares per day on Île du Havre Aubert (Îles de la Madeleine, zone 21). There is no daily bag limit for these two species in other hunting zones. Snaring of eastern cottontail rabbits and hares is prohibited in zone 8, on Île d'Orléans (zone 27) and in the Îles de la Madeleine (zone 21).

Official bag-limit source