The American Beagler Forum

How many of you guys run your hounds of a night and do you have many problems with coyotes and stuff. i used to train alot of pups of the night but the coyotes got really bad here actually killed 2 of my hounds. some local coon hunters tell me there not bad anymore but im kinda scared to try again.

I run at night in the summers just b/c the daytimes are too hot. In fact, many summer nights are too hot, but it never hurts to take the dogs out for a quick run. Right now I only run in the daytime. I ran today, 2nd time in 2 weeks, need to get back into the swing of things...

you must not be runin around casey co ky, coyotes are bad here at nite i run bells on my dogs and pack a 45 shot in the air they will leave for the rest of the nite

I had my little Maggie Blue (6 months old) out last month soloing, mid day. She never opened on anything or made a sound other then her bell jingling away when all of a suden she went ape s--- barking and growling!!! We had 2 yotes behind us watching our every move and by the time I got my 6904 out and into play brush shots is all I got off at them!!! 13 9mm rounds down range later and we ain't seen em for a month, so I'm sure if you bust their balls a little they get scared of us... On the brighter side Maggie ain't gun shy!!!!!!!!!

Crew Chief

PS I do believe had she been away from me we'd a had a bad day,, kinnda scary!!!!

I've been running beagles since I was 14 years old and I'll be 56 next month. I've always run at night year round. I also ran coonhounds for 21 of those years.
Now I know that there are alot of guys that have had trouble with coyotes as I've read about them on these boards and talked with others about their experiences.I can honestly say that I don't worry about the coyotes too much. In over 40 years of running hounds I've only had two experiences that made me nervous about the coyotes. One was with the coonhounds. I was running a coon on a dairy farm in New Hampshire with a pair of 75 Lb. Blueticks when all of a sudden a half dozen coyotes opened up REAL CLOSE to me and the dogs. The dogs shut right up and came slinking in to me with their tails tucked between their legs. I found out later the farmer was dumping dead calfs back there in the woods.
The other time was out in west Tn. when one of my beagles got away from the rest of the pack and we could not find her. That night while riding the roads and looking we heard coyotes howling and the next morning when I did find her she had several bite marks on her back????
Being a working man and a day shift job if I didn't run at night I'd not be able to get the time in on my hounds that they need.Maybe I've just been lucky or just maybe our coyotes around here are a wimpy variety but I just don't worry about them that much.
And as far as night running-----any body that knows will tell you that rabbits move more at night,scenting is better and rabbits will run longer. We have some absolute burners after dark!!!!!

We have started running at night here more often mostly due to the time change and it gets dark an hour after we get home from work, lately as well because of firearm deer season, now muzzleloading season. We have had some real nice runs with no coyotes yet.

I've hunted about everything there is to hunt with hounds and in my opinion, for pure hound music there is nothing that can beat listening to about 10 or 12 fast, loud mouthed beagles running a hare at night. Went last night and it sounded like a fox chase only the dogs never got out of hearing. When they come screaming past you it is enough to send chills down the spine of any houndsman.

so is there any tips you guys would reccomend to reduce my chances of haveing to many run ins with them. let me tell you how bad they are. a guy got drawed for the elk hunt he killed one about 2 miles from my house well the culdn't find it and left it over nigt the next day when the found it the coyotes had it half eaten. 10 yrs ago if you said there where coyotes here id laughed in your face now well there bad but in the past few years ive only once had a run in with them in the mornings hunting and it was a lone coyote he jumped one of my females. Id love to be able to night hunt my dogs again then it would give the the freedom to hunting them 4 or 5 times a week instead of 1 or 2 if im lucky.

jboomer
I always run bells on my beagles day or night. Not saying that a bell will definetly protect your dogs from coyotes but I do believe they help. They are an un-natural sound in the coyotes world as his normal prey do not come equiped with these sound effects. I believe the bells can have an un-nerving effect on the coyoter decesion to pursue your hound.
When running at night I never solo a dog! I always run a pack of 4-5 and I think this "safety in numbers" helps also.
And last suggestion is to always try and stay up with your dogs as much as you can. Sitting back on the tailgate and listening while your hounds are back in the woods you are not in a position to help them should the coyotes get too bold. I believe your presence helps as the coyotes know you're in the woods and this probably makes them keep their distance a little better.
Don't know if any of this will guarranty your dogs safety but I've been NIGHT RUNNING for alot of years and not had a real problem------YET. Will keep my fingers crossed!!!!!

Plus, at night you can't see the stupid mistakes they are making and it always sounds SO much better than it really is....

yea i know what you mean larry but id rather be getting them out a few night a week and work on the faults the best i can on my days off work. gets hard sometime to run theses hounds when your working long hours

I run hounds all year long, but never run at night. I think your hounds will learn to search harder, especially this time of year, if you hunt them during the day. In the heat of summer, I simply get up and go at daybreak and can always get a few hours in. Since I run a big pack, I want my hounds to be biddable, and running at night tends to make them headstrong. I also agree that numbers keep the coyotoes away, since we have lots of coyotes but I've never had a problem with them.

Huntsman i know what you mean when i workd 3rd shift i ran my dogs every morning but now i work 1st and i drive and hour to and from work so i don't have much daylight right now about 20 mins when i get home to feed and bond with my dogs.

I thought there was safety in numbers. July 22nd, had 7 running. Heard one of the dogs yelp a little like a thorn slap at an ear. Then the dogs quit running and started barking. I headed for them thinking maybe a snake. Had no idea.. It was dusk and I could see 2 dogs in the edge of a pasture 250 yds. away. As I got closer, my little gyp pup started screaming in the creek close to me. I hollered for her but she didn't show. Headed on to the other dogs but the barking was coming from the edge of the woods a little to the right of the pasture where I was seeing the 2 "dogs". As I got a little closer, the 2 dogs turned and I saw they were coyotes. They took off. 4 of my dogs that were barking were appx 25 yards from where the 'yotes had been standing. Pulled them out and went back to house. My 2 oldest dogs were MIA and no sign of the little pup either. Yotes were having a howling convention down in that creek area. I grab a gun and flashlight and started back to the area that the pup had screamed. I noticed a couple of the dogs over by the barn would bark at the yote howling and then sniff at something on the ground. Went over there and the little pup was there in shock. She had made it most the way back. When I would pick her up, she would go psycho, screaming and act like she was going to bite me. Her neck was so swollen I had a hard time getting her collar off. Pretty bloody also.
Hated to leave for the vet with 2 dogs unaccounted for but had to get her somewhere quick. She spent 3 days at the clinic with a punctured lung and various gashes. When I got back, I went out and looking for oldest dog and bitch with no luck. I drove the truck into the pasture and drove back to the area I had seen the coyotes. Nothing. As I turned the truck around, the headlights hit a half-grown yote mousing in the field, oblivious to me and the truck.. I stepped out and lit him up. Threw him in the back and when I turned back toward the creek, there was a litter mate that had come from the creek checking out the commotion, I guess... Lit him up..
Hunted several days for my dogs.. never did see them again. Did find another litter of yote pups about 300-400 yards further down the creek and shot one of them.
Best I can figure, dogs ran into some young 'yotes and the adults reacted

As Dana said, the night running is better. This is true more so in the summer time. Start at dark, or shortly after, and run past dawn. No better conditioning will do. I LOVE IT!! Dana I miss those nights at Mikes. Wish I could get back down there,& run with Jughead some more.

Tommy