The American Beagler Forum

i never have got the point of this, ive heard that some people run dear with hounds and why would you wanna do that, or more specific, how is it done? do you just run them till they fall over from eggsaucetion or however you spell that

Deer hunting with hounds is still legal and very popular in my county. I don't do it any more, but I am a member of a club that does. It is pretty exciting when the dogs lock on to a deer and get after him full cry. Most of the hunters post up at crossings and when the gets into another block they drive ahead of the race and cut them off somewhere else. The guys here communicate with radios and carry shot guns for shots at running deer. I have never seen a healthy deer get tired enough to get caught. The dogs they use are mostly big Walkers, Plotts,and July hounds, but some use big Beagles. One guy I know says he uses the Beagles when the scenting is tough. As I said before it can be exciting. It seems to be on the way out with big tracts of land being bought and sold to curious out of towners and more people out bid the locals for leases of property to stand hunt on. Some of the guys gave it a bad name by littering, trespassing, drinking, and shooting where they should not have. More land owners are reluctant to permit dog running clubs to use their land because somebody drove across a field or littered in the past. Around here the clubs kill alot of deer and we have so many I hate to see it go away, but I have friends that are land owners that hate deer clubs that run dogs.

Dog driving deer is a blast! I grew up doing it, and it was some of the most fun I ever had. I wouldn't be rabbit hunting with beagles, if it weren't for my love of running deer dogs. I couldn't understand why people ran rabbits with dogs as a youngerster. I killed a many rabbits, by walking along the hedgerows and into the back yards of the neighbors. When I moved to Columbia, I had to give up my deer dogs, and later I got into rabbit hounds. Both of them are exciting!

Dog drives on deer is different from rabbit hunting. The huntmaster always gives the directions for the drive. The standers (people who are participating in the hunt) are led into the woods to take their stands as directed by the huntmaster. The goal is to get to your stand with out disturbing the deer. When everybody is in place, the dogs are dropped. Some houndsmen (aka drivers) prefer to drive their dogs (that means to go along with the dogs into the woods in search of deer) while others simply turn theirs out.

Now if you think rabbits and foxes are the only tricky animals in the woods, then you are in for a surprise. I can't tell you how many times the big bucks got away. Or how the big bucks laid down when all the other deer jumped. We have this one spot where the bucks run through these giant pipes under the highway to escape. Another one where they head for the bottom of the swamp and cross the Savannah River into Ga.

Beagles are great to run deer with. They don't push the deer as hard as the walkers, plotts, redbones, black and tans, blueticks, etc... However, they had better be in shape. We've picked up dogs as far as 50 miles away. We've left many running all day Saturday, and found them burning a deer up on Sunday morning.

Like rabbit hunters, deer hunters have characteristics they like and dislike in their dogs too. Most rabbit hunters think any old dog can make a good deer dog, but that is not true. When you get a dog that will only run bucks, then you've got a good one. Or one that knows when mutliple deer have been jumped and runs the deer that have decided to double back to lay down. I like the ones who just know where the deer are bedded, and the ones who go back to where other deer got out of the run. Often times these deer will go and lay down.

Most deer hunters don't like cold nosed dogs; Unless it is used for tracking wounded game the next morning or something. Nothing is more annoying than to have a dog open on a cold deer track, or on one that has already been killed on the drive. We also like broke dogs. To us anything other than a deer is trash.

The most exciting part about it all is the missing and the lies. OH YEAH, we've been known to tell a few. It is a dying sport, and some of that is to our blame. We took for granted the privilages we had and misused it. If rabbit hunters aren't careful, the same thing can and will began to happen to us. Give it a try. Like any other form of hunting; If you get with the right group of guys, you'll have fun.

BeagleRun

ive never done it but it sounds like a blast i think i would want to be right there with the dogs instead of the shooters... never been coon hunting either would love to do that to

I belonged to a club that had 2400 acres in the middle of IP Timber, surrounded by other clubs that ran hounds. We did not have any, yet benefited by the other clubs... Loved it... were not too many dull long drawn out mornings where you would fall asleep in the stand. Had to be on your toes and ready. If we took a deer in from of the hounds... we would offer the handler a hind qtr or a shoulder. Most of the time they would refuse... but it was honorable to offer. One morn I took a buck and a doe at the same time that the dogs brought to me... I gave the runner the doe... the next morn he and his hounds brought my second buck to me... as you can tell it is action packed.

One of my rabbit hunting buddies tried it for the 1st time a few years ago. The area of SC where he lives doesn't allow dog drives. He said he wasn't expecting much. He thought the idea was pretty boring, until a big 12 pointer came his way! When he looked up and saw that deer running wide open with its rack tilted back he was shocked beyond belief. This wasn't the deer the dogs were running and he assumed he was just out of the hunt. He bagged the deer, and was even more pleased when he counted the 12 points dressed in velvet. In his portion of the state the velvet has fallen off by the time the season starts. He still talks about that hunt today. Go to his house, and you'll see that buck hanging on the wall with the others.

BeagleRun

Beaglerun You have me fired up to go hunt some deer

You and me both. I'm itching for August 15th. I took out one of my rifles last week just to look at it.

I don't know if I'll get a chance to hear some good ole thunder rolling deer races this year. I sure hope so. It is pure pleasure. I've heard packs so loud, that you couldn't even hear the gunfire. The trees start to shake, the leaves starts to rattle, and the rocks get to rolling when the canine choir gets to singing.

All I need now is a couple slices of bologna, a honey bun, a pack of peanuts, and a pepsi! Somebody stop me before I hurt myself!


BeagleRun

I meet a man a hunting show a few years ago named Ray Hayden originally from Lexington Ky, but now lives in Virgina. He owns and runs a hunting club with 60+ beagles. He would break them into 2 packs of 30. He basicly begged me not to break any deer runners off deer just bring them down to him. He invited me down, it sounded like alot of fun, I wouldn't want someone to run dogs around my neck of the woods, but i have considered running down there to hunt with him. IT has to be unreal to here all of the beagles light up at one time.