The American Beagler Forum

The older I get the less I can take of the real cold. My dogs have not been out all week and it does not look like next week will be any better until maybe the weekend!! Dogs are getting fat like me but the difference is they will run it off in just a couple times back out, not so easy for me . Oh well stay warm my friends and have a great NEW YEAR 2018.

Ive had some decent running during this cold snap. Im not getting any younger but still enjoy being out in the winter woods ! 4 or 5 hrs and im done ! HAPPY NEW YEARS !!!

I hear ya Ron.My son and I had a real good hunt yesterday with temps.in mid 30's.Dogs ran super.
I used to go hunting in New Hampshire on snow shoes when the temps. were around zero.No more.
Nowadays when it gets below 25 degrees I don't care much about being out in the field.Tennessee's average winter temp is 46 degrees so most days I don't have to worry about it.
Happy New Year.

-10 this morning to cold for me .I remember running at -18 I cant handle the cold like i use to it will feel like spring when it hits low 30s hope to get the dogs out soon .

-5 this first day of 2018 with wind chill -15 burr!!! I too can remember loading the dogs up about 30 years ago and it was -3 degrees out , hunted for probably 5 to 6 hours and it never got to 5 degrees on about 6 inches of snow, love to hear the dogs but will have to wait for a warmer day for sure.Stay warm my friends

Been hoping I could get upstate to the Adirondacks for some running. Just checked the weather where I go up there and it's -25 without the wind chill at 9:30am. It was -1 here at home this morning with -11 wind chill. I think I'll just put another log on the fire and hunker down today. I could handle these conditions here, but yes I'm getting a bit soft with more age on me. Ran here near home Sat., it was 9 when I started and 14 when I caught the dogs with about 4" of snow. Like a heat wave compared to recent temps. Probably had one too many dogs for the scent conditions to run well as my inexperienced one kept pushing ahead and blowing it up. The other two had to repeatedly work the track back up. They did circle the same hare for over 2 hours, but by that time it was so tracked up they were struggling. Last pass I saw the hare and headed off the dogs and called it a day. It wasn't pretty with plenty of checks, but they continually worked it out and circled it around. The only way to get experience on a dog is to run them, but sometimes the inexperienced ones can cause some frustration. It's all just part of this game we play though. Can't wait for the temps to get back near normal. This cold snap has gone on too long already with the weatherman calling for another week of the same. Try to keep warm everyone and Happy New Year!

15 degree, add the wind chill , almost zero. 3 in of dry powdery snow,out for 6 hrs, my one dog from Dan Lang stock ny, excels in this stuff, the other dogs it was hit or miss. End up with 2 rabbits ,

- 20 wind chill here this morning. I'm waiting for above 20 temps before I take the dogs out again. I just hope we don't get too much more snow. Looks like it is coming ,like it or not.

Got tired of being a wuss and braved the elements today. It was -10 on a camp thermometer on a tree near where we went. Wind was gusting probably 25-30 mph. I would imagine wind chill was at least -30. Dogs ran, but it wasn't anything to write home about. They struggled, but kept getting the hare back up. They get an A for effort and a D for running. Bundled up with barely any skin exposed, it was bearable. So far this winter it seems if we wait for warmer weather, we won't be getting out much. Got to suck it up and deal with it!!!!! Temps are supposed to get a little better in a few days. Finally!!!! Guys in the furthest north country where this (and much worse) is normal are laughing at many of us complaining about these temps. Layer up, don't keep bare skin exposed long, stay hydrated and don't overexert yourself and get all sweated up and I think you will find you can bare it better than you think. Keep em running!!!

Got the hounds out a few times this past week. -0’s , to high of 12 on the few trips. We ran several to hole. Plenty of game out. Never more than one circle on the wind chisled snow. Running was prob the best it could have been considering conditions. Putting the hounds up for a week in favor of some coyote / fox trapping. Past two nights with this noreaster they have been on the move. Snared 4 Coyote and 7 mixed fox from some favorite rabbit spots. Hopefully it pays some dividends on rabbit population. Have several sets out for over this wknd.

John, sent you a PM about trapping. Would appreciate your input.

-5 this morning with windchill of -16!! Tomorrow is supposed to get to 30 degrees and in the mid 50's by the middle of the week , looks like we will be back in action , I am so ready!!! My wife is ready for me to get back out too, lol