Accounting for the rabbit

[RiverBottom]

How often do you expect your hounds to account for the rabbit they are running?

I don't think anyone will argue that a good rabbit dog should account for it's game, but just what does that mean? Is it running the rabbit until it is shot or goes in a hole? If the hound is picked up running did it account for the rabbit? Wouldn't one of those walkie talkie brace beagles accout for it's game every time under that definition?

What if the hound runs the rabbit to a hole and then finds another rabbit to run, did that hound accout for the rabbit?

Snowshoe hare don't very often hole when chased. How do the hare dogs account for their game?

Just trying to get some discussion going

[BriarCreekBeagles]

I guess my thought would be "accounting" meaning to produce or push a rabbit to show itself. When I run my hounds I expect them run a hot one and push it till it shows up and I have seen the rabbit and I know that is what they are runnin, which my older more experinced hounds better not "account" for anything but a bunny or their gonna get lit up. Needless to say thats all they ever run but after writing this I'll probably have a deer race on my hands thank God for Tri-Tronics

[drifter22no1]

I see accounting for the rabbit in two different ways. In a trial a judge will score your dog without ever having seen a rabbit whether it be on drive or check work etc., so its possible to have a dog account for its game in a trial without ever having seen the game at all (all my experience is in AKC not ARHA or UKC not so sure about those formats, and if the dog gets score for anything then I consider this accounting for the game or the judge shouldnt be giving the dog any benefit at all). The other way is the only important one to me,and thats hunting. for a dog to account for the game in the field, I have to see the rabbit!

A man that I have a lot of respect for told me we should always judge a dog as if it is the soul resource for putting food on the table to feed your family. In my opinion if a dog cannot put the game in the sight of the hunter, what good is it?

I've had plenty of races that went on for hours and seen the rabbit more than once that I did'nt kill, in that case the dog accounted for the game. once the game has been in my sight if I miss it or don't get in position to kill it on the next pass then that's my fault not the dogs (I've had this happen more than once).

[RiverBottom]

Those are good answers. Here is a different perspective. In Ireland and England beagles are expected to catch their hare. Here is how they see it:

there is zero crossover between what we call hunting(Hounds) and shooting. shooting a Hare in front of hounds would be absolutely seen as shocking.
Hares are held in very high regard and have a big place in Irish mythology,folklore and seen by houndsmen as the ultimate animal to hunt with hounds. to kill one by any means other than fair would bring hell on your pack.

That gives acountability a whole new meaning. Of course they are hunting different game in different country. I don't know how well that view would work here. Still, it gives you something to think about.

[Nor' Easter]

If Hare are held in High regard, why ( not too many). I think death by hounds to be quite harsh compared to gun. In East coast canada the larger hound 17" or so that can catch Hare easier(thetype you use I expect) would have too hard a time getting through the heavy brush of evergreens etc. and would tear themselves apart much more than the 15" and under variety. Ours do catch some, but it takes a big pack and we have too many hare in small areas, it could end up being a feeding frenzy at times and you'd better hope all the hounds were taught to retrieve or else you would have dinner for the hounds and none for yourself.

[marty kelly]

the judge should not score a dog on a line or a check if he saw no rabbit. that is why FC means so little to so many.

[S.R.Patch]

If Hare are held in High regard, why ( not too many). I think death by hounds to be quite harsh compared to gun. In East coast canada the larger hound 17" or so that can catch Hare easier(thetype you use I expect) would have too hard a time getting through the heavy brush of evergreens etc. and would tear themselves apart much more than the 15" and under variety. Ours do catch some, but it takes a big pack and we have too many hare in small areas, it could end up being a feeding frenzy at times and you'd better hope all the hounds were taught to retrieve or else you would have dinner for the hounds and none for yourself.

A simple que from hunting lore...
"Hounds smell, we stink. Hounds hunt, we follow".

In Brit. hunting is sport in it's purest sense, a all or nothing game.
For us, some run hounds for sport only, some run hounds to fill the larder.
To them, hunting is with hounds only, anything to do with the gun is sportshooting not called hunting, There are many words and terms that mean different things between here and there.

Their belief on death being more gracious by hound than gun is, hounds never wound a hare, it 's always over in a "chomp".

Hounds need not be 17" to catch their hare, size has only part to do with speed and to catch a hare requires many more qualities in a top hunting pack than speed only. The goal of the sport is not how fast you can catch your hare but the "sport" ie...(houndwork) that it involves.
I have record of the Aldershot, a 14" pack killing 22 brace of hare one season.

It has been debated which is the greater curse, to many or to few hares in a country...

[NorWester]

I agree. When a pack closes on it's game it's over as quick if not quicker than than gun shot. Hounds don't miss at that range I think it's relative to what one's been conditioned to accept. Over there, as I understand it, anything other than actual run to catch just isn't fair chase and is considered disrespectful to the quarry and the hounds. Over here shooting is considered fair chase and more accurately the only practical method of taking game.

[Nor' Easter]

Our hounds need to stay on the same hare for as long as possible. They need to work hard checks long enough to find the Hare and if needed reach out to find it's scent before it fades away, if the Hare is a long ways ahead or scenting is not great.
The Hound should stay on the Hare it starts as long as possible not switching to another hares scent that it may have come across,as this leads to what I call chain hunting. If the dog does not try hard to stay with the hare it starts it can soon be a mile away from where you want to hunt. The hound Accounts for IT'S hare. We will bag more if it does.
The hounds will usually stay with the same hare for an hour or so, then the hare usually starts pulling many more tricks like road running, back tracking, river crossing etc. Also it will head off to different areas trying to loose the hounds by running through other hares territory. That is when you need the dog to account for that hare and not switch up or the day may be all waliking no bagging. Most hounds run this way and some(Exellent ones) seem to be able to lock on the particular hare for hours on end.The ones that switch seem to have no brains or are ones with less experience or time in the field. We will not take these hounds hunting or keep them.
They must be able to tell the difference in scent from one hare to another as the Hare itself does when marking it's territory.
If the hound accounts for it's hare the hunter will account for his by bagging it.
The more hare around the more likely switching may happen. As you know most hare run particular circles, different hare run quite different patterns. You can tell when a dog switches around here and sooner or later it may get back on the original hare and be running the same circles again.
When hunting you will soon have to move a fair distance to find more hare once you've bagged the local ones.

[chapkosbeagles]

i had a hound bring one down a road in a sight chase and snached it up it was dead on the first bite the guys i was hunting with had never seen a dog catch a hair in there 20 years of beaglein

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

I think a hound has accounted for the rabbit when its in my fryer.....period... If I miss it or he don't run it tll it drops then the bunny goes away unaccounted for....

THus, sadly, my hounds hardly ever account for their game...

[drifter22no1]

I think a hound has accounted for the rabbit when its in my fryer.....period... If I miss it or he don't run it tll it drops then the bunny goes away unaccounted for....

THus, sadly, my hounds hardly ever account for their game...

ha ha, now there is an honest answer lol, I love it

[BriarCreekBeagles]

I'd have to agree with Mo. Beagler 5000. Ain't never heard it put that way...... But I Like It

[DIXIEDOG]

I think a hound has accounted for the rabbit when its in my fryer.....period... If I miss it or he don't run it tll it drops then the bunny goes away unaccounted for....

THus, sadly, my hounds hardly ever account for their game...

Must be awful hard to account for game in the off-season