The American Beagler Forum

Lets have a poll of who likes speed and who likes medium speed with line control in there Beagles...... I am not talking wakie talkies ( line control )

Buckridge Kennels
Greenwood In

Put me down for good line control and all the speed I can get.

BOTH ARE POSSIBLE IWILL TAKE SPEED, NO REASON JUST MY STYLE,BEFORE THE WORD RUFF IS USED AT LEAST 10 TIMES,TRY SOLOING ,I GET TRIED OF THAT WORD THE SAME PEOPLE THAT USE IT USALLY,DROP SEVERAL AT ONCE AND NEVER MAKE OLD FIDO DO HIS INHERRIENT GIG,THEN OLD SO AND SO BREEDING SUCKS .THE GREATEST DOG I PERSONNALY EVER SEEN PURSUE A RABBIT WAS SOLOED ABOUT 80% OF HIS LIFE ,AND WAS TUFF TO BEAT ,SOLO SOLO SOLO SOLO .IT ALWAYS AMAZED ME WHEN I SAW MY FIRST TALLY STICK , WHATS UP WITH THAT? HUNT-SOLO -VICTORY!!!!!!! PROPERLY DONE FAST AND CONTROL CAN INTERACT JIMBO

I wouldn't own a slower dog period unless he crapped gold nuggets.

I like line control and if they have the speed then it is a plus for me. If they have speed and not very good line control then they will be finding their way out of my kennel.

I like a good line control dog with a lot of speed and hunt. The faster the better but got to circle the rabbit back to the gun or the dog is worthless.

Beagleboy

Gotta have line control. If the dog can't keep the line between their front legs, then they're too rough. I don't mean walkie-talkies either, I run med to upper med gundogs and if they can't control the line in a smooth manner and stay tight on checks, then they are gone. A good line control dog can keep a cottontail circling for hours without many long checks. I agree with Jimmie Abshire, soloing is the best way to tap the best ability in a dog. I solo my top male constantly and it shows.

I own and run both But I have A mediam speed male that will find more squatted rabbits then any thing I hunt with. The fast ones that I hunt with give up on the checks to quick. The mediam speed dog will stay in the check area and gear down to what ever speed it takes to work the track from point of loss back to running track. In the main time the faster dogs swing out of the check area and if the rabbit has squatted will continue to swing getting wider all the time untel he gives up or jumps another rabbit
I`ll take the mediam speed dog every time to gun hunt over.

Let's try the question the other way around. Would you rather have a medium speed dog or a fast one with line control?

Roy Pasmore wrote:I own and run both But I have A mediam speed male that will find more squatted rabbits then any thing I hunt with. The fast ones that I hunt with give up on the checks to quick. The faster dogs swing out of the check area and if the rabbit has squatted will continue to swing getting wider all the time untel he gives up or jumps another rabbit
I`ll take the mediam speed dog every time to gun hunt over.

How True, How True. The houndsmen that own that type beagles are the ones that swear that does and young rabbits don't have scent.

Put me in the line running, check working style hound column. I love speed but the faster they are the less likely they can work a check. It's called "over competitive".

The popular phrase "Let's get another rabbit boys" is often heard when running that type hound.

I agree with Roy Pasmore.

Jimmy

What speed is your Junie dog out of Pine Mountain Chester?
Someone told me it won somewhere?
Hearing good things about you both way down here.

I agree, that real fast dogs can run the rabbit as solid as and even better than a slow or medium dog. Fast dogs can run with fewer loses or checks as a rabbit running fast with dogs right on its tail can't pull its tricks so it is easier to run and the scent is stronger and fresher.

Down here, a dog that runs with the track always between its legs is foot scenting and not air scenting, thus slow and one that runs the same rabbit for 2 hours is a slow dog. No rabbit can run ahead of fast dogs for a quarter or half that long without giving out or becoming stiff and being caught.

You guys are mixing speed with other traits. Check work has nothing to do with speed of the dog. Has nothing to do with line control. Has nothing to do with jumping rabbits. Some trait weaknesses may be magnified by speed or hidden by lack of but they are seperate traits.

I good hound can account for thier rabbit time and time again in any conditions. If scenting is good, they should be able to run with great speed and work a check close and fast; if scenting is bad, they should slow down and even work a check more carefully because the scent is harder to pick up. You can't fault a hound for being too fast if he is under control and accounting for the rabbit and you can't reward a hound for just being fast if he is out of control. A GREAT hound can adjust to conditions and do this while running with the pressure of a pack of strange hounds.

I myself have never seen a dog run fast and accurate (on cottontail) on bad scenting days.

Since I only hunt in the winter and I live in michigan where we have bad scenting almost all winter. Speed does nothing to get the rabbit back around. Because you cannot pound a rabbit across frozen snow or bare ice. At least non of the beagles I have seen can.

So speed is not really an issue to me. Now over competitivness is an issue.


Things like firing out of check or fighting for the front or really driving a rabbit. Those all have there place. But they have nothing to do with killing cottontail rabbits when the wind is howling and it is 10 degrees out side in the middle of a frozen swamp.

Killing rabbits at that time of year takes patience, a level head, big nose, honest mouth, good clean pack work, slotting up, staying close to the checks slowing down and stopping the second you loose scent.

Those are the kinda dogs I look for and like to hunt with.