MARIENVILLE, Pa. — The second annual Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast was held in the Shamrock Room at the Kelly Hotel in historic downtown Marienville on March 18.

(Photo and article courtesy of Solomon’s Words for the Wise)

Article by Joe Ewing

Hare hunters from as far away as Tampa, FL, and Buffalo, NY, were in attendance. Fellowship and camaraderie over good food and good conversation were enjoyed by the 26 members attending. After breakfast, the group moved to a secret location on the Allegheny High Plateau known for harboring the elusive varying hare or snowshoe hare.

A long convoy of pickup trucks conveyed the hunters to hare habitats in the Allegheny National Forest. Before launching the pack of beagles, the hunters gathered to listen to two special guest speakers who spoke to the members about game lands and game animals.

Mr. Lane Potts, a wildlife health technician from the Wildlife Futures Program, spoke of the health of Pennsylvania’s game animals, including snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbits, Appalachian cottontails, and ruffed grouse.

Lane, an honorary member, discussed Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) and the proactive measures the PGC is taking to mitigate that threat. In September 2022, the Game Commission established Pennsylvania’s first RHD—Disease Management Area (DMA) that covers roughly a five-mile radius of where RHD was detected in a domestic rabbit facility.

The Wildlife Futures Program, started in 2019, is a science-based wildlife health partnership between the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, designed to strengthen the resilience of Pennsylvania’s 480 species of birds and mammals.

Mr. Scott Wolbert, Northwest Regional Forester for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, spoke on the health of Pennsylvania’s forests and the programs the PGC is undertaking to keep our forests healthy. Managing Pennsylvania’s Game Land forests for the benefit of game animals, namely snowshoe hare, was discussed.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny understand that grouse and hare habitats go hand in hand. The Grouse Priority Area Siting Tool (G-PAST), which identifies locations where ruffed grouse can quickly take advantage of habitat creation based on landscape variables and nearby source populations, was discussed, and a question-and-answer period followed each presentation.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny, headquartered in Lucinda, PA, is Pennsylvania’s premier snowshoe hare conservation organization. The members meet annually to advance their knowledge concerning snowshoe hare, rabbit habitat, and beagling by hearing from the experts.

The members take the opportunity to renew friendships and promote fellowship.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny remain dedicated to preserving snowshoe hare and beagling on the Allegheny Plateau and throughout Pennsylvania.