Stalking bears in a stand of nut-rich beech trees half way up a mountain on a crisp October afternoon is one of hunting's most exciting challenges. The reward in terms of harvested meat is also great. When properly prepared, bear meat compares favorably to pork.

About a dozen employe es of the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes national forests have joined their Western count erparts in states including Idaho and California, said Ethan Ready, a spokesman for the Green Mountain National Forest, based in Rutland.

Ready said the national wildfire preparedness level was recently raised from Level 4 to Level 5, the highest level, an indication that the wildfires and other incidents that Ready said could exhaust the Forest Service’s resources during a time of significant fire potential.

 

COTTONTAIL RABBITS

Cottontail rabbits are primarily found in the Southwestern Foothills and Champlain Valley, including the Champlain Islands. They favor the varied habitat in agricultural lowlands, and are commonly encountered in brushy hedgerows, overgrown fields, briar thickets, and shrub-filled creek bottoms. Kicking up cottontails on a crisp fall day is an excellent challenge, whether hunters elect to chase them with a dog and shotgun or stalk them with a .22 rifle.

SNOWSHOE HARE

Snowshoe or Varying Hare are found statewide, but are most abundant in areas with active forest management, particularly in the Green Mountains and Northeast Kingdom. The greatest concentrations of are found in areas with dense, low-growing softwood stands, such as cedar swamps, spruce bogs, and cut-over areas with thickets of young spruce and fir. Snowshoes have seasonally white coats and large hind feet, adaptions that let them remain active throughout the winter. They are a favorite of hunters with hounds because they prefer to run a hard race rather than hole-up, as cottontails often do when hard pressed.

GRAY SQUIRREL

Squirrels are Vermont's most over-looked game animal. "Bushytails" can be found wherever mature stands of oak, hickory, and beech trees provide them with abundant nuts, especially in the Southwestern Foothills, Champlain Valley, and along the Connecticut River in the Eastern Foothills. Although lightly hunted in Vermont, squirrels are a real challenge when stalked with a .22 rifle, and their delicate meat compares favorably with rabbit.