The American Beagler Forum

Are there any VA Rabbit Hunters on this site or is everyone just trialing and deer hunting? If so let me read a story or two about your rabbit hunts, good, bad and the ugly.

So who has the top gun dogs in the state? Come on fellas, don't be modest or shy, lets hear about those brag hounds.

Tell me about your best chase and the worst one, did you get the rabbit?

I can give you a plenty of stories of bad chases

Ain't got no brag hounds but we've been running them the last two weekends. Going again in the morning. Best chase so far was 3-4 circles and we killed the rabbit.

BJK wrote: So who has the top gun dogs in the state? Come on fellas, don't be modest or shy, lets hear about those brag hounds

I thought you did by reading all your for sale and stud ads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where you located, we've been doing ok, last one that was jumped today was never opened on again, that's been the bad, have no idea what the problem was even with my mouthy dog, lol, must have had scent lock boots on.

I'm just outside of Richmond. I haven't had that banner day where the dogs lock on and run like it's a sight race for the entire chase. Scenting hasn't been optimal but we're getting by.

We have killed a few rabbits. However I think the rabbits are on vacation unless you live in the southeastern part of the state.

Early this week I had 9 dogs down for the day. By lunch they jumped and ran 9 and we had killed 9. We were running college educated rabbits. Regardless of where they were jumped they ended up crossing a creek and going into a huge cutover that was posted. It was as if they knew we couldn't follow them there. Although scenting was tough the dogs did what it took drive them out and back to the guns. After lunch the edge went to the rabbits. The hounds jumped 5 more with 3 going into the bag and 2 being left for next years seed.

As to good dogs Crabtree, I'll say they are just average. My buddies will say different, but I'll say just average.

I have only been one time in va so far with one bunny in the bag. We ran six in five hours but it was hot and I was not going in that thick cut over. The dogs ran ok but not like they should. They circled the bunnies in the cut over but it was not pretty. As for dog power mine is suspect but you can definitely kill a bunny in front of them. I have to wait until after deer season goes out to put a dent in the population.

We kicken a few ol bunnies around in the sw tip of the state !!!

Merry Christmas

if ive only learned one thing from rabbit hunting its not to brag on your dogs beacause when you do they will make a liar out of you every time!

Got into a few rabbits after lunch yesterday. They had a hard time running in the broom straw. Won't be able to hit that spot again until after deer season

Luke,

We canceled Mondays hunt due to relatives coming in town and didn't hunt yesterday. Today we were rained out. But deer season is ending soon! I may get a chance to get out tomorrow. The forecast for Friday and Saturday is more rain. But I'm not complaining we need it!

Me and Ole Cove Creek jumped 27 today. Several went straight to the rocks, but a lot of them ran too.

Well Nate, I had a good day Saturday. I ran only derbies and my 2 jump dogs, they are also my most conservative hounds. I had good, bad and ugly that morning. I had one chase that just blistered, it left the patch I was hunting, crossed a small corn field, went through a sheep pasture with me in tow. I was worring about a big cotton tail or possibly a fox. As I got near them, all but 2 returned, the rabbit went to ground, it scared me.

In the afternoon it was time for the old pros, a Canadian National Champion, Mid-West 13" Female HOY 2006, a little bitch with 2 wins, my fastest hound and my 2 conservative jump dogs. About 20 years ago we happened into the little patch of about 10 acres right behind a house and close to the buildings. That day we killed 17 in about 2 hours. Not much cover, just some tall grass, you could see rabbits sitting everywhere. It was a honey hole for years until it was fenced and filled with hogs. So we hunted it for the first time in a dozen years. It was grown up, lots of trees and not much underneath execpt around the buildings where it was thick. We jumped 13, put 8 in holes lost 1 and bagged 4, but one race was noteworthy. We jumped the rabbit in the lot and ran it accross the back, crossed the creek, up through the bean field, through the fence into the cow pasture. By this time I can't hear the dogs any longer, so I give chase. Two of the hounds are deer proof and the went so it wasn't deer but fox crossed my mind, again. As I neared the top of the hill at the fence between the beans and the cow pasture I could hear the dogs, faintly, way off in the distance. They started coming back, they were pounding in that close cut grass in the cow pasture. Then there was the report of a shot gun and that big running cottontail wasn't going to breed next spring, too bad. He was really something.

Bob

Hey Bob,

It sounds as though those hounds are doing what they've been bred to do. I too am looking forward to those big races that makes one think they're running deer or fox when they're actually running a long winded rabbit.

By the time that deer season ends in 8.5 days and all of its deer hunters have vacated the woods and are out of the way(yes I'm counting the days), I'll be primed and ready to go. I've been nursing a badly sprained ankle(I believe a sprain takes longer to heal than a break).

I'm looking forward to "The Roar." The sound of a pack of hounds as they cry in unison as they run with their heads up, driving that rabbit as if they're looking at him all the way! All of their voices blending together much like a mass choir singing on Sunday. No hitting or missing, just constant crying!