The American Beagler Forum

living in tenn mostly we have to deal with frost i got one male that an idiot when it comes to frost ,,never ran with dogs on snow,, and i would think ice would be even worse .. i'd like to hear from someone that has ran all 3 ...!

The mouthy idiot will not bark as much on snow as he does on frost. Ain't much of nuthin that I have seen, that will run on fresh ice storm. I don't know if they can't smell, or if the rabbits are in the hole.

Here in Michigan we run on all three and ice and frost are real tough to run on. MERV

I live in Ontario. Running on ice is hazardous. End up with paws and legs all sliced up. Snow is harder to scent, the colder it gets. My hounds don't do well on snow but we have fun. Just back from chasing an injured doe around the bush- the CO didn't follow me ( a woman) so I saw her twice more and he saw her not at all. Guess she was hit by a car. The beagles flushed her the first time I saw her but ran a rabbit instead- good beagles! The things I do because of my hounds! NOw she'll die a slow painful death and waste the meat! Carolyn

my experiance with hunting on snow,ice and frost is you need a big nose AND the brains to slow sown to a crawl if you have to.We have already started picking up dogs until there was only one on the ground that could consistantly circle a rabbit.My motto on a good snow dog is "I would rather make excuses for how bad my dog looked circling the rabbit than make excuses for why my dog could NOT circle the rabbit."I have seen some of the craziest things on snow and ice and the fickle changes that scenting can bring.In my opinion snow brings out the best in a hound and very quickly the worst.

Up here in Northeast Ohio you get to run on all three. The dogs do well on snow and frosty mornings, not too well on ice. Of course Im not real excited about running when its real icy. The worst I see my dogs do is on melting snow, kind of slushy. Thats just my observation of my dogs, Its interesting to see how everyones dogs perform in different climates!

Nothing is harder than a hot dried afternoon. We have all kind of conditions up here and my dogs perform worst when it is 90 degrees and very dried.

Beagleboy

Hey bunnyjumper,where in the NE are you?I agree that the snow you described,if it is old and granulated,is the worst to run on.More so if the sun is out and the barometer is rising.It seems to trap the scent and can be very frusterating.

Buckeye Bob, I'm about as far northeast as you can get and still be in Ohio. North Kingsville, right on Lake Erie shoreline.

i do 90% of my running on snow- - i really only care how my dogs run on snow because thats when i hunt--white rabbits on snow is real rabbit hunting to me- conditions can change daily --hourly- -never know how it will be til u turn loose- cant add much to what buckeye bob said---pretty much sums it up--good ones are hard to find- im always looking for a good snow dog or pup-- and im talking bout season long-not dogs that can occasionaly run great on snow-- if u have snow 5-6 months of the year and have or know of some real consistant all winter snow dogs id like to hear about them---especilly interested in young dogs --pups that can do it-(naturals) rather then dogs that can do it after tons of experience- another point is that almost every dog thats hunted solo alot on snow will improve- the average beagle that i see does not have the nose i need to run here in the winter- that dog that can run when its 90 and dry is likely to do well when its cold and dry-- anyways - think we need to breed beagles that can do a fair job on a tough day rather than the ones that can do perfect job on a perfect day-- pete

Hey preacher mine has more trouble on snow, ice, sleet, wet ground and dry ground. They also have trouble running by theirself and with other dogs.Other then that they are ok.

hey i thought for a sec u were talking about my dogs tn lol!

Either last season or the year before we had an ice storm here in N Ga if you remeber.. Well I beleive we killed 4 that morning and had some pretty good races. Have to watch those pine limbs loaded with ice though.. never know when there gonna break...


Jason

I think that running on snow and frost is easier than running on dead leaves. My hounds pound all winter, but have a little trouble in heavy leaves. You notice it when the rabbit circles out into a field and then back into the woods and they have a check.
Also with snow the dogs can see the tracks!
I agree with Buckeye....nose,gears,brains

dress warm,
Lone Pine Beagles

(here in michigan we've got 2" right now)

I am down to one hound in my kennel that fits my motto. I counted last month and in the last 3 years I have gone through over 30 beagles. The one I have left is having some difficulty with his brain when it gets tough and wont slow down .So I am soloing him a LOT.If he doesn't make the connection soon between his brain and nose we will have to break our relationship,which involves me feeding him and giving him lots of funtime in the field and him CONSISTANTLY jumping and circling a cottontail rabbit to the gun and then doing it all over again.