It has been said that good things come in small packages. With deer hunting season in the rearview mirror for another year, hunting small game is the next best option.
Fortunately, Maine is blessed with a variety of smaller critters that can be challenging and fun to hunt, and the hunting seasons and bag limits on most are generous. So as winter knocks on the door, there’s no need to sit idle and keep the wood stove stoked. Plenty of hunting opportunities remain.
Snowshoe hare
I have an old book on my man cave bookshelf with an article on Maine rabbits. It says interest in hunting rabbits is exceeded only by that for deer and partridge. The article adds that the annual total of rabbits shot by hunters exceeds that of all other game species, with a 10-year average of 196,000. No other species came close.
Those figures are decades old, and I’m not sure they hold up today. When I was a kid growing up in rural southern Maine, snowshoe hares were everywhere. I cut my hunting teeth on hares. I still enjoy hunting them, but it’s getting tougher. There just don’t seem to be as many in my neck of the woods these days, likely because of habitat loss and coyotes that have moved into the area.
You can still find hares in dense fir and brush thickets along lowland swamps, swamp edges and near river and creek bottoms in southern Maine. Hunting is easier before snow flies and the hares turn white, but the best hunting is probably in western, central, eastern and northern regions where prime habitat is still available.
Now that deer and other big game seasons have ended, several guide services offer guided snowshoe hare hunts, most with beagles, which is the best way to hunt them. Some packages include lodging, ground transportation and a cookout lunch.
The hare season is open now through March 31 except on Vinalhaven Island, where it ends Feb. 28. The daily limit is four.
Gray squirrels
My property in Lyman is covered primarily with oaks, beech and other hard mast-producing hardwoods, which probably explains why we don’t see many hares. But we do see and hunt a lot of gray squirrels. I have to shoo them out of my bird feeders several times a day.
I like hunting squirrels for several reasons. Though I have no scientific data to prove it, I think they’re smart, or at least cagey. Once they realize they’re being targeted — which usually doesn’t take long — they inevitably end up on the far side of an oak or so high up that no shot is possible until things settle down.
I’ve hunted gray squirrels with pellet guns, .22s and small-bore shotguns, so whatever you have will work. I also like still hunting them by spot-and-stalk, which is more fun to me than ambushing. Either way, they require patience, stealth and a steady shot — all skills that have made me a better hunter. Early morning and early evening seem best, although squirrels often wait for things to warm up before leaving their nests.
Finally, I like hunting squirrels because they’re tasty. To me, the meat is reminiscent of chicken, slightly tougher and darker, but more fully flavored. Like snowshoe hare, squirrel meat makes a wonderful stew or pot pie.
Gray squirrel season ends Jan. 31 and the daily limit is four.
Bobcat, fox and coyote
If you’ve ever wanted to hunt predators or canines in Maine, now is the time. From now until the respective seasons end, furs will be in their best condition.
With snow on the ground and more cold to come, bobcat, fox and coyote are highly active in search of food. They often respond well to a variety of artificial game calls. If that’s not your cup of tea, many outfitters offer guided hunts — particularly bobcat or coyote with hounds or over bait, some full-service.
The bobcat season runs through Feb. 21 and fox through Feb. 28. There is no limit on either. Coyote hunting has no closed season during daylight hours, but nighttime hunting opened in mid-December and closes Aug. 31. There is no limit on coyotes, but a special nighttime permit is required.
Crows
Grouse hunting is one of my favorite outdoor activities. Some friends and I used to travel north for several days, rambling back roads and gunning grouse in early October. I recall those trips with fond memories.
The journeys north for grouse have grown less frequent, but close to home, there are still crows. I’ve never eaten one, though some claim they’re tasty if prepared properly. I’ll stick with grouse. But what crows may lack in table fare, they make up for in hunting challenge.
If gray squirrels are smart, crows are brilliant. You won’t consistently gun crows successfully unless fully camouflaged head to toe and you know as much about them as you do about whitetails and other game.
Crows change their flying and feeding habits often, sometimes daily. Once you think you have them figured out, everything changes. Regular scouting is important. If you can discover where they feed, roost and the fly routes they use, you can get in on some fast, furious gunning.
Crows can be called with mouth or electronic calls and often respond to decoys, especially on calm mornings as they leave roosts to feed. Late afternoons can be good too. As food becomes scarce, harvested corn and other grain fields usually draw crows. If there are farm fields nearby, it may pay to knock on a few doors.
The crow season opens Feb. 2 and ends April 16 in WMDs 1-6. In WMDs 7-29, it opens Jan. 17 and closes March 31. There is no limit.