The American Beagler Forum

I got one of my males back from wisc and he had been up there for about a year,i have had him back now for i would say about 4 months and today is the first day he has been able to solo a rabbit for more than a minute.He soloed this one for about an hour and 15 minutes.I hope he is startin to figure out this run a rabbit thing.Im gonna bring him in and let him watch the video thats posted on here tonight so maybe he will pick up some pointers,man those dogs did a good job runnin that rabbit!!!!

Lamar,
It took me about the same time to reeeeeeeeeeel back in on ky rabbits.Went to ny a few years back and ran in a trial on hare.Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Haw gosh oh mighty that was best running i have ever seen in my life........They will come back just not quick. as we would like.

I personally don't understand why it would have a difficult time running cottontail just because it had run hare if it had ran cottontail previously. I know of guys who's hounds run both with no problems.

I OWNED A MALE OFF BIRCH LAKE TEXAS T A COUPLE YEARS BACK THAT HAD TWO WINS UP NORTH,MYSELF AND TWO OTHER GUYS PUT TONS OF COTONTAILS IN FRONT OF HIM,HE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN BELOW AVERAGE ON COTONTAIL,BUT A TERROR ON HARE......

I switch them back and forth quite regularly.. I have no issues with hounds that were started on cottontail, then used on hare. However, there is a learning curve for a hare to cottontail hound. BIG difference....I'd say if your hound has ran hare for a year, then he is use to running a smelly 10" wide track that pretty much runs straight, to a 4-5" wide track that dodging and diving...I've had a few look pretty stupid for a week or two after an extended period on hare..
Good luck!

Mike Crabtree took 1st and 2nd only one day after returning from a hare trip.

Most dogs adjust quickly.

Good luck

Guess its my culls........Seems like it took a good week to make the transitions

I bought a female from a guy in the UP of Michigan that had been ran in LP hare trials. I brought her home and the first time out she ran a cottontail like she had been doing so all her life. I don't know how many times her and my pup circled that rabbit. By the way that was the first rabbit my pup started on and he started on cottontails in the wild with a hare dog.

Mapel Valley Kennels LLC. wrote:Guess its my culls........Seems like it took a good week to make the transitions

THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YA RUN JUNK HOUNDS JIMBO,LOL, ................

JUST SEND JUNIE AND ABBIE UP HERE WHEN YA GET TIRED OF THEM,I WOULD HATE TO BE SEEN RUNNIN DOGS LIKE THEM,BUT,SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT

I use my dogs on both and they do ok on either, but I never ran just Cottobtail or Snowshoe when they were learning. Have trouble if they run Jacks too much. They are very wild and crazy acting if Jacks are run more than a time or two in row. But if you are going to run a Jack tight they must get their head out of their butt and the mind off of Cottontail

Bought a dog from Vermont never ran a cottontail before. Took her out 2 days after I got her ran a cottontail for a bout a hour done a good job on her frist one. Have had hare dogs from other places [ Michigan and New York ] They did a good job on cottontails just took them a few days to get use to the cover we run in [reclaimed strip mines] Have seen them that it will take a while to change over. Couple of friends go to Maine every year takes there dogs a week to get back to doing a good job when they get back. But have seen cottontail dogs have trouble running in the thick cover on our ky strip mines when they are not use to them.

Go to Michigan for a week to run hare. Dogs do alright when we get back.Takes me a month to adjust.

I run mostly hare, but this time of year I run cottontails some. I like to start dogs on cottontails. If they are rough it realy shows when you run those little rabbits, but rough running also kills the race on hare in the dead of winter. No smelly 10" wide tracks then

The biggest adjustment is in how hard they hunt. I like my dogs to get out and go hunting and cover a lot of ground when I turn them loose. Most of our hare hunting is in big blocks of timber. Our cottontails live in small patches. It doesn't work so good when you see your dog crossing the road a half mile down and going up by some houses looking for a rabbit

This might hurt a little!
I believe its whats between the ears that makes the adjustment from one to the other
dont believe the is a "10 in wide trail of scent "theory on HARE
Try running that so called 10 in wide scent trail on a dry day summer or winter!
Been There done that!
John O

more than likely i would say that time put on him period has more to do with him doing better now than before now that i start thinkin about it.I just dont think he has ever had solo time before.