rabbits and beagles
Question:
writes: >In fact if the dog runs correctly, the >rabbit will enjoy playing out in front of it, and will stay out of the >holes, and usually will circle around and come back within gunshot >range of where it started.
So *that’s* the reason beagles have short legs ! ! 8>} Bill Van Houten (USA Ret) "No matter how hard you try, you can’t throw a potato chip very far." "Linus" Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Rob, the rabbits will not generally hole up unless it’s either extremely cold or your dog pushes them too hard. In any case they will not all hole up. Every once in awhile one will hole up right in front of you even when it isn’t pushed extremely hard. For the most part the rabbit will enjoy going on a good chase with a beagle in pursuit. They seem to get a kick out of it. You will enjoy the hunting ten times better with a dog. Most of the enjoyment to me is watching and listening to my dogs run a rabbit. You will especially appreciate not having to bust brush much cause your dog will do the work. Bill
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> for several years now i (and my legs) have been kicking around the > thought of getting a beagle to help me on my rabbit hunting ventures. i > have a 54 acre farm that has a good supply of rabbits and is rarely > hunted, 3-4 times per year at most. the ground cover differs yearly, but > lately the briars have been getting unmanageable for the average human. > thus the thought of getting a beagle… now the only thing that stops > me is the thought that although there is a good supply of rabbits, there > is an even greater supply of woodchucks and their doggone burrows. one > hole every ten yards would be a good estimate, often times right in a > brush pile. now theres times when i can go there and only see a rabbit > or two, then the next day, i’m breaking a sweat from reloading so much. > so of course they utilize these burrows for escaping from danger…. > i’d like to ask if anyone has seen similar situations, and if the use of > a dog, in their opinion, has helped or hampered the hunting. it wouldnt > do me any good to buy and train a beagle, drive 120 miles only to have > every rabbit within earshot dive into the nearest hole at the first > bark, nor would it be fair to the dog to have every rabbit he runs end > up in a hole. > thanks for any replies, > rob in PA > Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: > http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
>thus the thought of getting a beagle… now the only thing that stops >me is the thought that although there is a good supply of rabbits, there >is an even greater supply of woodchucks and their doggone burrows. one >hole every ten yards would be a good estimate, often times right in a >brush pile. now theres times when i can go there and only see a rabbit >or two, then the next day, i’m breaking a sweat from reloading so much. >so of course they utilize these burrows for escaping from danger….
Man, you’ve got the best of all worlds. See if you can find a varmint hunter in your area to cull out a lot of those woodchucks for you. Just visit a local rifle range and find some guy shooting at a target that you can’t even see at 100 yds. Bill Van Houten (USA Ret) "No matter how hard you try, you can’t throw a potato chip very far." "Linus" Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
: for several years now i (and my legs) have been kicking around the : thought of getting a beagle to help me on my rabbit hunting ventures. i : have a 54 acre farm that has a good supply of rabbits and is rarely : hunted, 3-4 times per year at most. the ground cover differs yearly, but : lately the briars have been getting unmanageable for the average human. : thus the thought of getting a beagle… now the only thing that stops : me is the thought that although there is a good supply of rabbits, there : is an even greater supply of woodchucks and their doggone burrows. one : hole every ten yards would be a good estimate, often times right in a : brush pile. now theres times when i can go there and only see a rabbit : or two, then the next day, i’m breaking a sweat from reloading so much. : so of course they utilize these burrows for escaping from danger…. : i’d like to ask if anyone has seen similar situations, and if the use of : a dog, in their opinion, has helped or hampered the hunting. it wouldnt : do me any good to buy and train a beagle, drive 120 miles only to have : every rabbit within earshot dive into the nearest hole at the first : bark, nor would it be fair to the dog to have every rabbit he runs end : up in a hole. : thanks for any replies, : rob in PA My wife’s late grandfather raised beagles for hunting for over 60 years, and for the last 20 years of his life I had the pleasure of hunting with him and the hounds. A good hunting beagle will "run" slow enough that the rabbit will not feel it is in impending peril, and will not jump into the next available hole. In fact if the dog runs correctly, the rabbit will enjoy playing out in front of it, and will stay out of the holes, and usually will circle around and come back within gunshot range of where it started. samg Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
