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Alaska hare

Scientific name: Lepus othus

Field notes

Appearance

Alaska hares are large hares with long hind feet and ears; they display a whitish or pale brown coat year-round in northern populations, with darker brown coloring in some southern populations, and lack the black ear tips of some congeners.

Size and weight

Adults typically weigh 2.5–3.5 kg (females slightly larger than males) and measure 50–60 cm in body length.

Habitat

Alaska hares inhabit open tundra, alpine meadows, and shrubby areas in subarctic and arctic regions, typically at higher elevations or northern latitudes where vegetation is sparse to low-growing.

Distribution

Alaska hares range across northern and western Alaska, the Yukon, and northwestern British Columbia, preferring open tundra and subalpine terrain above or north of the treeline.

Diet

Alaska hares feed on low vegetation including willow, birch, sedges, and grasses in summer; in winter they browse woody shrubs and cached vegetation.

Behaviour

They are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, solitary or loosely grouped, and use well-worn trails and forms (shallow depressions) in snow or vegetation; they rely on speed and long-distance running to evade predators.

Hunting tips

Look for tracks in snow (large, elongated prints with distinctive spacing from the long hind legs) and dark pellet droppings along established hare runs and near willow patches. Approach open terrain slowly during dawn or dusk when hares are active, using available cover and terrain undulation. Stalking is most effective in snow where movement is visible at distance; flush hares from their forms by working likely cover methodically.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.

Names in other languages

Current language: en

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.