Harder to run, Snowshoe or cottontail ?

[RunninHard]

I have heard it is harder to run a cottontail then a snowshoe/hair due to the zig/zag of a cottontail and a snowshoe/hair runs a straighter line (lines out) ?
I have never ran snowshoe/hair, What are your thoughts, for the ones who have ran both

[gwyoung]

runninhard, The more twists, Turns, and Doubles in a line the harder it becomes to run. Hare generally do not put nearly as many twists, turns, and doubles in a run as do cottontails, but I have ran Hare that would make you think you were running Cottontail, with all of the turns, and Doubles in the run. In my opinion the biggest factor which make Hare easier to run is the scent, Not only more of it but a little stronger different smelling scent in my opinion. Not necessarily a part of the answer but, I have seen dead broke, great cottontail hounds that would not run hare, I believe to them the scent was different enough that the Hare were considered to be off-game.

[Jack]

I find that a Cottontail makea hound grind a little more than a Hare. Ithink young hounds learn more running Cottontail than they do runing Hare. Altho I would rather listen my dogs run Hare , I feel young dog makes better dog faster to run both if you train on both. But a Hare will show you much bottom a hound has quicker/

[Tsa la gi]

Runninhard, been my experience that runnin a cotton tail is harder for my hounds. My hounds look like a million bucks to me on a hare or a swamper. They are pretty rough on a cotton tail , they aren`t real pretty and smooth on a check like some guys want but they can make one scat.

[bluerunner43]

ive always felt the dogs have a lot easier time on hare than on cottontail. hare runs are typically longer with less checks then cottontail in my opinion, and hare dont hole up like cottontail. in my opinion hare are a lot more fun to run than cottontail also.

[Budd]

Just wondering what kind of terrain you fellas are running the hare in?? I ran cottontail for 15-20 in Indiana's multi flora bush's and now I've been running nothing but hare up here in Northern Minnesota's ceder and hazel nut brush, and grass swamps for about 4 years and I can NEVER remember cottontail being as hard to run as these hare. I beleave it don't have anything to do with body odor but more with the gate difference between the hare and cottontail. I was running in -0 temps the other day in 12 inchs of powder that was all tracked up from the day before's run and the hounds were having a tough time keeping a track going. The last hare they jumped ran by me and somehow or another I KNICKED him in the hind foot with my 22 rifle, not even enough to really make him bleed, BUT, it did change his gate from a big long hop to more of the cottontails scoot run and the dogs pounded that hare for the next 45 minutes in that same tracked up area they couldn't move a hare in not 10 minutes before. Every time I seen that hare he was running, not makeing big bounds as normal for hare. I strongly beleave a cottontail is easier to run than hare if both were being ran in the same kind of terrain and weather conditions that I'm accustomed to running both in.

[HAREHOUND]

i have both on my property behind my house and can go from running a cottontail to running a hare 5 minutes later. i have done this many different days in all kinds of conditions and have never noticed this big difference that people always talk about.

[gwyoung]

Budd, You knicked a hare in the foot but didn't bring blood but you did manage to pretty much turn him into a cottontail as far as running style is concerned , you also managed to throw some tracked up ground into the story, All of this to prove how easier cottontails are to run than hare and how tracked up ground doesn't make as much difference with cottontails as it does with hares. Also I can't believe you had this hare dragging around and your dogs pounded him for 45 minutes while he was fumbling around like a cottontail. Oh, and another thing you did manage to knick one just in time for this post! Anyone who believes your story still believes in the Tooth Fairy.

[ohlinger]

same day same conditions cottontail is harder in my opinion..cottontails are smaller and assumingly don't leave as much scent as hare, and hare dont do the same stunts a cottontail does zig zag etc...hare is more fun!!!!!

[NorWester1]

How big are the hare in your area as compared to the cottontails?

[ohlinger]

there are no hare in my area norwester.....average cottontail weighs maybe 2 1/2 - 3lbs. I've killed hare that almost double that...

[Budd]

Budd, You knicked a hare in the foot but didn't bring blood but you did manage to pretty much turn him into a cottontail as far as running style is concerned , you also managed to throw some tracked up ground into the story, All of this to prove how easier cottontails are to run than hare and how tracked up ground doesn't make as much difference with cottontails as it does with hares. Also I can't believe you had this hare dragging around and your dogs pounded him for 45 minutes while he was fumbling around like a cottontail. Oh, and another thing you did manage to knick one just in time for this post! Anyone who believes your story still believes in the Tooth Fairy.

gwyoung, sorry for posting what I saw and theorizing on it. And your rite I don't even hunt up here, who in their rite mind would try and run in the cold and deep snow up here. Sorry gwyoung, you preach on all your knowledge on this subject and I'll go back to staying in the house were it's warm .

[gwyoung]

Budd, I didn't say you didn't hunt. You must be theorizing on that too! Budd, not trying to start an argument , and I apologize for my prior harsh comments.

[RunninHard]

I am planning a trip to see what mine will do on a snowshoe this year, I have a good feeling they wont just take to them right away, will take a little time to "adjust" and same for when they go back to cottontail, well at least that is what Im told

[fulcount]

0hlinger
where did you kill the 5to6pound hare?
That is big for an average hare most might hit the 3 pound mark some big ones go to 4to 41/2 and that is big, there are a Few that might go over the 5 pound mark but not a lot
they look a lot heavier than they are