The American Beagler Forum

Running has been pretty poor for us these past couple weekends. Really cold and windy out. Dogs have been doing a little cold trailing with the frosty and frozen ground which is fustrating but they have jumped a few. When they do get one going it is very rough and slow going. To a point which the rabbit tricks them and the dogs just lose the scent.

Another thing I notice is rabbits have been harder to find in this cold weather. I hunted some Army Corps of Engineer Land for the first time this past Saturday. The place was just perfect for rabbit. It was thick had a couple mowed paths and the place was just covered with rabbit droppings. I mean their was so much rabbit dropping that you could have used it for fertilizer. I am not over exaggerating. The small tree saplings were also all ate up from the bottom up to where the rabbit couldn't reach anymore. So I know there are rabbits in this field but we couldn't jump any. The dogs barely jumped two and when they did, it was rough running again. I started to stomp around on every small brush I could find and not a thing came out.

Just wondering if others are having the same problems.

Hopefully things will turn around. It just needs to warm up a little.

been purty tough here when it gets in 20s and below rabbits not stirin much ones that are
sittin tight go straight to hole. some they can run some they cant.
seem to do better later in the day.i blame it on temps

on them cold frosty mornings sleep in an extra hour let some of the frost burn off, on windy days theres not much you can do except move to a more sheltered area. finding rabbits here no problem they are everywhere on good days we run 6 to 8 hours non stop. It might take us 2 hours to stop the rabbit in these briars and cutovers but its all about the race anyway. We finally got enough rain so the woods are holding water and these marsh rabbits know how to use it to lose a pack of hounds, sometimes for a few minutes into a check. Its tough hunting but the races are great and we do get enough rabbits for the pot and have plenty left over for seed next year, happy hunting.

been awlful here
they can jump a few rabbits and half way run them to untill the first check and its over
makes a good dog look bad

It`s been pretty poor for me,the rabbits are sticking pretty close to there holes.when they do get on one they don`t run very far.I went to one of my training spots (that I don`t gun) and found the coyotes pretty much cleaned up the rabbits.I set abunch of snares and caught 3 coyotes in less than a week.

Must be the same everywhere rabbits don't want to run. If track does last having tough time in the checks. slow going I found if you just run one or 2 they do alot better and leave the young got to go to the front dogs home just to full of go to settle down and walk one out unless ther by themselves. Other day took 4 experienced hounds out and it was real hit and miss (alot more miss than hit) turned a young 16 month old pup loose solo when I got home and she did a really nice job ran on for a bout 45 minutes. wasn't super pretty but she kept the track alive. She ran 4 rabbits total in 2.5 hours and was runnin most of the time.

Been off since last Thursday and my pups have been kinda struggling.Yesterday they ran great but other than that they've had it tough this week.The rabbits are starting to hit the holes here(something they hadn't been doing earlier).I think the weedpatches are starting to beat down and thin causing the rabbits to move to other areas.Also the coyotes are starting to pair up now and hunting pairs are more efficient in catching prey.

Its been cold and frosty up here in northern Missouri. The wind has been the biggest problem. For some reason our dogs our doing a great job in this weather. I sold a lemon female to a guy on that cold day that it was 1 degree and she jumped and circle the rabbit two times by herself. We are beginning to find more rabbits around here then we did earlier in the season. Jump up around 20 the other day on this one farm and dogs did a great job in running them. some of us was using 22's and the rest was using bows. I can tell you most of them are still there. Most of the rabbits we are killing are bucks. went out the other day in a 5 to 10 acre patch and jumped up 6 rabbits. Dogs ran for around 3 hrs on those rabbits. I thought earlier in the season we lost most of are rabbits but there is some up here. I still don't think we have as many like we use to. I think the predators are getting worse up here.

The last 2 weeks have been pretty tough on this junk i`ve been trying to run thought it was the dogs but the more peopl I talk to and the more I read these boards I am finding out that a lot of people are having the same problems .Rabbits either go straight to hole or dogs can`t smell them.

Joeyman...What Corps ground did you run. I work for the Corp here in KY and was just wondering. I am a little familiar with some of the Corp ground up that way.

Running's been fairly good down here in SW Mo despite the windy and colder than normal weather. Thursday I went to the nearby Ft. Crowder CA and ran for a little over 4 hours. It was windy and cold but the dogs were finding rabbits in more open areas on south facing slopes. Guess they were out there for the sunshine. They would jump and head for the creek bottom and stay circling around there in the thick cover. I went back out there yesterday in a different area and again expected poor running because the wind was gusting to 25 mph+. The rabbits were sitting tight but the dogs got up 6 rabbits and and ran for over 4 hours. Two of those were running together. With the sleet stinging my face I about froze out but the hounds didn't want to quit.
Sounds like you found a real honey hole on that Corps land. When you see droppings and all the bark chewed off the sumac and box elder sprouts like you described, they are there. Check it out again and see if they're out of the holes the next trip out there.

it has been hit and miss up here we ran them awesom the other day had sight races up the yahzoo but today it was hard to jump a rabbit couldent find one this afternoon but had a good run tonight i was glad i went back out

It's been spotty for me too. Monday I went out and thought it would be tough and wouldn't you know it the dogs had a couple of short runs early on then ran one rabbit for almost and hour straight. Went out tonight and they jumped one right away and ran it pretty good then nothing except one other short chase to a hole towards the end. It's starting to get a little old but what do ya do. It's better than being stuck at work right.

Joey where did you go West Alton Dresser Island about a mile down the road I know of couple more spots I was telling you we could hit them all in one day if you wanted to. had Reggie out really had to work it hard never seen him work it so slow before,Saddie/Mickey/Minnie when took them out they did good had some break downs but alwalys kept it going.I haven't had time to get the others out to run if I let my pack out they will catch the rabbit almost ever time and that many dogs they will find a rabbit 10 m/f

U guys are lucky we just got dumped 5 feet of snow the last week and cannot run unless I firure a way to hook a snorkel system up to the dogs. Need some warmer weather like above freezing to pack the snow some.average temps lately have been 15f to 20f day time high and under 10f to 0f at night.