The American Beagler Forum

Anybody from Nebraska, Western Iowa, South Dakota, or SW Minnesota
I am getting back into rabbit hunting with beagles after not having a rabbit dog for several years. My 10 year old son just shot his first rabbit this year. He used to like going with me to hunt and run dogs, and shows interest in rabbit hunting with dogs. Would like give him the chance to get hooked before he gets much older.
Used to have UBGF style SPO dogs, but always liked the MidWest style dogs better. Will be going to Iowa next weekend to look at a female that sounds like will fit my needs. Would like to have a couple of females to run together though.
I've been to 12 states and Canada hunting and chasing rabbits with beagles. Used to take annual trips to northern MN to hunt hare, and KS for cottontails. Here in Nebraska I mainly ran cottontails, and very ocassionally whitetail jackrabbits.
Am not much interested in trials, but love to watch and hear good dogs work and shoot a few rabbits.

I'm in Colorado and chase bunnies with my male. I've had a hard time finding people to run with here. Beagles don't seem to be as popular in this part of the country.

Same here.
There is a ARHA beagle club in the Omaha NE area, which is 3 hours southeast of me.
I lived in Trinidad CO for three years while I went to college. We used to jump shoot small rabbits, desert cottontails I guess, east of town in the range country. Also were a few hare west of town at higher elevations in the moutains. Never ran a dog on either though.
Would like to try running some mountain snowshoe hare sometime. Don't know if unacustomed hounds could run the desert cottontails due to all the cactus and sharp rocks. Would take a dog with very tough feet and ran on that type of ground on a regular basis. Lion and cat hounds do it, so I am guessing a beagles feet could be conditioned as well.

BTT

Was hoping to at least run across another beagler or two out my way.
I don't mind running dogs and hunting by myself, but it is always nice to run with other dogs once in a while.
One advantage to being isolated from other beaglers is that I have little worry of most hunting areas being shot out. Few people out this way specifically hunt rabbits, most are shot by pheasant and qual hunters when the opportunity arises.