The American Beagler Forum

I went hunting with a friend this morning and took the dog along to run some rabbits. We got out to the field and she wouldn't hunt. I couldn't believe it, she has never not wanted to hunt before. Now granted, we were in some pretty nasty stuff, but that has never stopped her before. After we realized that it was worthless to try and hunt, we sat by a pond and let my friend's son do some target practicing with the .22 and would you believe that the dog just sat there like a lab would do at a duck blind? I didn't know what to say. I just opened my mouth and inserted my foot. I wonder if anyone else has had this happen to them???

Thanks,
Emery

Been there, done that (hid the tee-shirt so no one would know!). Emery, if anyone says they have not had something like that happen, they haven't been a beagler very long or they are not being honest! Better luck next time! I try not to brag too much before hand when taking out new partners - that seems to make what happened to you a sure thing! If we are going on their property, I cut them off if they start telling me before hand how many rabbits are there as that is another sure way to jinx a hunt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes I think they know when you're trying to sell them to someone, too. Something was different about the day for her - she smelled a rat and wasn't going anywhere, lol! (she could be due to come in, too. I've seen them do that) Aren't her pups about 4 months old? That would be about right.

You never know what a female will do, lol. Bev may be on to something about harmones, My female beagle just went out of season and I was showing her to a guy to sell her, she did about like your hound and would bearly go out into the cover. She is a hard hunting dog most of the time.

Beagles are something aren't they. Next time she'll be back to normal. It happens to all of us sooner or later.

I have learned one thing about hounds that is certain, they will make a liar out of you.

ive never had that exact thing happen but i think that hounds were born to do stuff like that... and if you try to make them do something in front of somebody -----forget it.. my best handling dog left me and harked in with some other hounds about a mile saturday.... pete

No bragging ws involved, it was just like any other day. We just went out to go hunting. Also, there are no puppies involved either. Bev that lemon pup was an addition to the "family" from KS.

It was just like she wouldn't hunt. I would send her in to a thicket and she would sniff around and come right back out. She didn't even try to work it at all. The other thing was her sitting all perched up like a lab when we were target practicing. It was just like she was in a duck blind waiting to be told to go retrieve. (There are times that I wish I could trust her to sit by me when we are sitting around the camp fire...) She didn't seem sluggish when playing with the kids, I just don't know. One thing I do know is that I hope it is a very long time before that happens again...


Emery

I went out one time and the dog wouldn't hunt. Very unusual for him. I figured maybe he just didn't feel good or something so I gave up and went back to the house. I tied him up on his dog box, turned around to walk into the house and heard a pack of coyotes open up back in the woods we just came from. It dawned on me that he probably knew they were there and was just sticking close to us for safety.

my lab,,, a couple of years ago when she was just a puppy,,, she was 11 months old,, had just come back from lab school,, she is my first retriever and i have wanted one for a real long time,,, i was all fired up about having a retriever and we were out on her first duck hunt,,, well,, i knocked a bird down and she went and got it,,, there i was proud as a peacock,,, did it again,,,, no sweat,,, then i shot one but it didn't die,,, my girl swims out to it,, picks it up,, and proceeds to get bitten or pecked or whatever a coot (in this case) does to defend itself,,, you would have thought that my dog had been hit with a 10,000 volt charge,, she flung the duck and swam for shore like her life was in mortal danger, looking back over her shoulder as if the coot was going to swim after her and attack her. coot floats off. next duck comes,,, i drop it,,, she looks at me like,,, you want me to what,,,, i command "back",,, she swims out to the duck,, looks at it,,, looks at me,,, decides to swim back. i am upset,,, i tell her back again,,,she swims out,,, grabs a decoy,,, and comes back. i send her out again,,,, she is by now very upset,,, her owner is apoplectic,, she can sense it,, but she is by now very afraid of the deader than dead duck,, so she swims out,, finds a floating shell casing,, and returns that to me. here i am,,, my wonderful retriever,, fresh back from retriever school, which by the way,, is not inexpensive,,, one of my old hunting buddies,,, doubled up in laughter,,, and my pride and joy is now afraid of ducks,,, a labrador retriever who is afraid of ducks is not a good thing.
it is amazing what these dogs will do to us,, especially at what we consider to be the worst of times. these incredible moments never seem to happen when we are alone with our dog,,, no,, they save them for when they have an audience.

KJOHNS, your post brings up a very good point. I brought the dog and the new pup inside the cabin the previous night because there were tons of coyotes heard outside as we were sitting around the fire. We did find what would have been that night's 'yote poop on the road coming into the cabin later in the morning as we were sighting in the deer rifles. I would guess it to be a good possibility that she was smelling the 'yotes from the night before and wanted nothing of it.


Thanks,
Emery

Dont feel bad, my male embarrassed me on Sat. He is a fairly nice hound just a slow starter. Took him to the little world and the first five or so minutes he ran up and down the path. A dog opened and you would have thought he was an unstarted pup. Other dogs came out on the path and he was jumping at them wanting to play. Talk about embarrassed. Time to get out and kill bunnies over him. lol After last hunting season you would have swore he was four years old. Hunted hard from the time i took him out till I put him up. I am hoping he will get with it after this year again. But he is a dog and they will do what they want to.

I've had this happen, but luckily the only one with me was my son. We went out to our "honey hole" to hunt. You guys probably have one too...you know, the place where you just know you can run rabbits all day long. Well, I drove all the way there, got her outta the truck, and she wouldn't leave my side. I'd send her into the woods, and she'd come right back out. I even yelled at her, which made things worse. Hanna usually doesn't need coaxing, but I could NOT make her hunt. I was so mad I was steaming. I even remember saying "that's it...she's getting sold". I would NEVER sell her, and she has never done that again. I figure it like this....we sometimes have one of "those" days where we just don't want to go to work, school, ect. Why shouldn't we expect that there will be days when the dogs just won't want to hunt? I remember the hunt at Linton on Sept 20th. My friend Paul asked me to handle his dog Angel.
Now Angel isn't the best hunting dog I've ever seen, but she holds her own. She's very methodical on her approach, and will find the trail a lot
of times when the younger dogs are running around her. I took her out at that field trial, and she wanted nothing to do with the other dogs. They hit a rabbit, and she stood in the field and just watched. I felt bad for her,
because I knew she had more hunt than that. Sometimes, it's just the way it is.

Went out Sat.it's hunting season here in Pa.I'm working with 2 packs of dogs 4/pack. match up real well 2 different speeds.Friday pack A bust the brush,jump there own rabbits hunt and run like demons makes a man smile from ear to ear.Now mind you all dogs are doing excellent each in both packs all have been solo and are impressive.Pac 2 Sat.drop the gate to the woods they scratch and stand in the road like their waiting for me to hit the bushes I coax them in they stick their heads in look at me like I don't see nothing.One of the males is hunting the path like all the rabbit are standing in the road.My white spotted female which is a good jump dog is doing the same.Now i'm thinking i'm getting rid of 2 of the 4,Bell and Nimbo because a guy wants them anyway this is between 8-10am.around 10 am. i can see and attitude change their started to hunt finally all of them hit this big multiflorosa swamp about 10 acres w/pines and hardwoods and pond on the lower side rose bushes all around it.They was real scattered everyone searching Gunner and White opened up all harked in and the heat was on 1 hr with very little pumping the brakes I was glad I was by myself I didn't want to shoot this rabbit the music was sweet.Finally he made a run for the hills made a cicle in the field and down into a heavily blowndown woods and at the end of my 20ga. and the dogs were rewarded w/fur in mouth,the rest of the day they were beast guess i won't be selling them till the next time they make me mad but for now I feel like all the training was worth it.-----PS when I respond and post do i write too long seems like I'm always going off in a tangent i just won't to share my hi's and low's but i may have to learn how to condense it.I can take constructive criticism. Gbowers

Gbowers and the rest of you, hows this for constructive criticism?

If I wanted to read only the short version cold facts, I would be on one of the trade journals sites pertaining to my work.

But, I'm here!

I personally come to these boards for relaxing and reading good stories, (long or short, but embelished just the same) and interesting observations from all over.

KEEP IT UP!!!