Run to catch

[warddog]

I coon hunted with an ole boy every now and again years ago that called his dogs in with such a horn. I NEVER could blow the dang thing to use. LOL He had no trouble and his Red Bone would always come in when he blew it. I always hoped my dog was with his on those nights that they got deep and or we couldn't hear them.

[ericwaddle3]

My dogs are typically between 50-100 yards when hunting. Ada, my best jump dog hunts a little deeper but she covers a lot of ground. Sometimes when I hunt swamp rabbits I wish the others would get out a little farther like her but 95% of the time there are running in thick weed/briar patches chasing cottontails so the need to reach out and find a rabbit isn't needed as much. Only hunted hare once in Michigan about 5 years ago, but would love to do it again. Had the best pack I'd ever had back then though. Not sure how these three would compare to those 4. Ada was just a pup then, only dog I have left from that group. Crank passed two years ago, Jazzy last year, and I made the mistake of selling Pepper, who unfortunately got snake bit this summer down south and was lost. Sure do miss that pack of hounds.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Enjoyed a beautiful day in the Sequatchie Valley of Tennessee today.
The Sequatchie Valley Houndsman's Association held a Large Pack Trial as a benefit to help the Lion's Club raise money to buy Christmas gifts for kids from families in need.
This was the first trial I've run a hound, in probably 10 years. I wanted to support the cause so made the drive over the mountains.
Shady Grove's Samurai Queen took 2'nd place.
Had a great time of running and fellowship with the beaglers.

[Newt]

Congratulations! Few things can match the fun of running good hounds with friends, for a houndsman.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Run by myself 95 % of the time so got to share this with someone.
Had about the best run on a cottontail today that I've ever had. Ran him for 3 hours and I'm not talking bawl and crawl either. The girls kept him running.
I know the guys that run the slower hounds tell me they get 2-3 hour runs but with my hounds the cottontails either go to ground or their fixin to get caught if it goes to the 2 hour mark. This cottontail ran like a hare.
I caught them off as the circles were getting smaller and they were closing the gap. I didn't want them to catch a rabbit that ran this good.
What's ya all's experiences?

[Beagle Huntsman]

Congratulations on such a long run. Your hounds did a lot of work in that time, and maybe saving that rabbit will allow him to pass on his genes for stamina and bravery!

I always run 14-18 hounds and seldom get a long chase. If I
get one to stay above ground over an hour, I consider him to be in trouble. They caught a nice running rabbit last week in about 45 mins, but that is unusual. I don’t think I have ever had a cottontail chase that lasted more than 90 minutes. My longest chases always come in springtime.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Tim
I was very surprised that the run just kept going and going. I get plenty of cottontail runs that go 20-30 minutes and to a dozer pile, rock pile, tiles under the road or a variety of other type holes.
The area I was running was a 60 acre weed and brier field and the cover is thick and that rabbit was using all of it. These rabbits get run a lot and are savvy and I believe stay in top running condition. LOL
There's always the possibility that they weren't on the original rabbit but the circles kept to the same pattern and I saw the rabbit several times and he looked like the same rabbit to me...... LOL
I posted this on the Check Area and asked about other's experiences to length of cottontail runs. Of course most of those fellows say their dogs either hole them or catch them in 1/2 -1 hour. My girls have caught 5 rabbits over the past several months after an hour or 1 1/4 hour runs. Guess I need better dogs.... I'm also running dogs that range in age from 5 to 10 years old. They've always been pretty quick but I'd never call them "windsplitters".
I think a lot of how long a cottontail will stay up depends on the cover he's running in and the cover I've been running is quite thick - lots of briers and weed chocked.
I've had several 2 hour runs lately . Course I'm only running my 4 girls. I just can't imagine what it's like to turn out 18 hounds. You handle them all by yourself?
I agree with you as to the best runs being in the Spring. I have my absolute best running in March and early April when they are breeding and the bucks are travelling.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[steve w]

I would be surprised with a 3 hour run as well and tend to agree that terrain plays a big role as does the dogs ability and speed. Pressure will make a rabbit seek refuge as a general rule, we start to get impressed at anything over an hour. Is the Queen dog in your picture above any relation to Jonah Staten's Samurai dog?

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Steve w.
Yes she is. Her sire is a dog I got from Jonah that I named Shady Grove's Bombay Slam. Bomber is out of Jonah's Blue Samurai and his Matinee female. Matti is line bred Jiggs and Showtime bred.
I bred Bomber to my Shady Grove's Tn. High Test and Queen is the pup I kept. Tess is a Greenwell's Reggie grand daughter on her top side and a Turbo Charged Thunder Blue [ Reggie's brother ] grand daughter on her bottom side. Nice hound.

[jerwane]

I've got an almost five year old male who has Reggie as grand sire on bottom and Thunder Blue as grand sire on top. In my opinion a pretty fair hound.

[steve w]

I got one from Jonah a couple of years ago that I really liked but unfortunately she got hit while running a rabbit. Here is the pedigree https://gundogcentral.com/view_pedigree ... erations=4
I was lucky to get her brother from the guy that bought him as a pup and he is a solid dog as well, I would have another female from Jonah about now but the pregnancy was false. Hopefully next year I will be able to get another, he certainly got my attention. I get why you like your dogs and stay close to the line you have.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Steve W
The Sissy female whose pedigree you showed and her brother that you now have would be litter mates to Bomber.
I was up at Jonah's running dogs with him for 4-5 days about 6-7 years ago. He had 3 littermate males out of that cross - 2 bluetick and one red and white.
When I got ready to head back to Tn. Jonah asked me which one I wanted to take back with me. I told him I didn't want any of them as I had enough hounds and don't usually keep any males. He kept telling me to pick one. They were 4 months old and I asked him which one had he been liking as I knew he was thinking of Samurai's replacement in his breeding program. He said it didn't make any difference just pick one.
Against my better judgement I took one of the blueticks. As a hound I liked Bomber real well and as a young dog he showed he had ALL the tools to be a rabbit running machine. But boy did he try my patience and reinforce the reason that over many years of keeping the hounds both tree hounds and beagles why I don't care for the males. He was a bonehead and it took some work to get him squared away. But once he was, he made a super nice hound.
After I bred Tess to him I was up at Jonah's running for several days. Jonah said after one morning's run. " You said he was good, you didn't tell me he was this good".
I asked Jonah if he wanted him back. He asked me why. I told him I had a litter out of him, had enough dogs to run rabbits with, didn't really want to keep a mixed sex kennel and wasn't planning to be in the stud dog business.
Last I knew Jonah had let an Ohio State Trooper have him and the guy loves him.

[steve w]

Bomber and Sissy are litter mates correct? The dogs I have so far are out of Sissy, which makes your Queen a cousin I think. The two I had were so different for being litter mates, the male is to big and the female was to small. But she was a powerhouse that could run with anything and excel. Broke my heart to lose that one. She started first time in the woods. The male was running at 3 months and three weeks old when he was with the guy that bought him from Jonah. Jonah gave me his contact info along with two other's prior to me buying from him. We kept in touch mainly because he came to buy the female that I got but took the male instead because of size and a stub tail. Eventually he decided if I would take the male he would part with him,if not he would keep him. I agreed to to take him and he's a solid hound that handles well that is not going anywhere, at just over two he's way ahead of most. Jonah is going to repeat that cross next year and hopefully I'll get another female as that little dog kind of converted me from a big male fan to a female fan. I definitely see why you would keep girls!

[Shady Grove Beagles]

So who needs a shotgun ? Run to catch. Haven't carried the shotgun since mid November.
The girls caught one yesterday after an hour of pounding and picked this one up today at the 45 minute mark.
I wouldn't trade 1, hour long run and catch rabbit, for 5 shot by someone 10 minutes in to the race.
The dogs are running about as good as I could want.
Merry Christmas ya all

[Beagle Huntsman]

I agree with you, Dana. Anyone can shoot a rabbit, but it takes good hounds to wear one down and catch it. How do you keep them from eating the rabbit? Mine make lunch of them!