The American Beagler Forum

i tell you what sometimes i could just throw my hands up in the air and give up. I wish i could have my Pistol dog back. He's the big tri-male in my sig picture. since he passed almost a year ago. i've got my hands on two males. raised and trained them. but its just not the same. actually i'm considering selling them and just stick with an all female pack.

I said way back when pistol passed that if I was going to keep another big male in the pack again that he'd be everything I expected him to be or he goes!

a part of me says to wait but another part of me says get rid of them. But then I think if I do what will I replace them with. thats the hard part.

I'm just a little fustrated right now and just venting. cause i know some of you have been in my shoes before.

I miss the days of sight chases. Pistol could bed jump a rabbit and sight chase I knew his bark on a sight chase. I still remember one of the last hunts late oct 2009 at one of my secret spots I know. I watched pistol jump and sight chase more than 5 rabbits. it was a freakin thrill to watch. he would go nuts. But he was never able to actually catch one. that is one thing that never happened. the one time he came close was he bit its tail off at the bed jump.

another thing was if i wounded a rabbit and couldn't catch it cause it ran thru thick brush i could send him in and he'd catch it for me and bring it over. never tearing the rabbit never trying to wolf down rabbit. he'd bring him over for me.


NOT WITH MY NEW MALES> saturday i wounded a rabbit i ran after it in the brush. little thing could scoot with his front legs. I called my team over and sure enough all hell broke loose. had thunder and who knows who tearing that rabbit to shreads. thunder was trying to eat the rabbit whole. i'm not kidding you. he was trying to swollow it with out chewing the thing. and this hasn't been the first time. and its really Pi**'ng me off! Thunder is the cause of it almost everytime. even if another dogs grabs it before him he'll still come over and bulldoze the dog that has it. he is just a big tank of a dog and making me mad when he does this.

in the past i've nver had to deal with crap like this. had nothing but rabbit dogs on the ground. if their was a wounded rabbit the dog would go get it for me and bring it back unharmed or torn up. now those days are over.

sunday morning i was so P O'd at them they stayed home! ran the females and it was so smooth. i had fun. didn't have to worry about not getting the rabbit before the dogs do.

the one good thing about thunder. He can jump rabbits by himself. not a whole lot but he has and does often. he's only a year old. i've got to break him on destroying my rabbits. whats the point of shooting it if he is just going to tear them up. and good luck trying to get it from him. he puts a lock jaw like no other. i've already hung a few rabbits in the tree cause of him! and i hate doing that. i hate it!


ok so i'm going back in time get my pistol back and get rid of my two males that i have now.

WHEN HE WONT TURN LOOSE JUST GRAB HIM BY THE INNER THIGH UP BY THE HIP AND SQUEEZE WITH YOU FOREFINGER AND THUMB. I PROMISE HE WILL LET GO . MY SQUIRREL DOG DOES THE SAME THING.

but i want him to stop all together. never do this crap again. I shouldn't have to deal with this non sense. its bullcrap!

the other male i speak of. Well i have yet to see him jump a rabbit. and I'm trying to figure out his strong points. which i don't know yet. he is in the races and he's barking plenty and he can run the track good. i see him out front on many runs. i want to see him jump rabbits. I don't see it yet. it might be cause I am running a larger pack and he don't get the chance to but he could of jumped a few with no help from other dogs by now

maybe i'm jumping the gun

its just that i know the other dogs well and i can tell you their strong points and their weakness's. Him i can't just yet. has me wondering still. I'll need more time for a better judgement

Joey it's tough any time you bring in a new dog in a gun pack much less trying to bring in several at once. It takes a lot of hard work on your part but if you hang in it will pay off in the long run. It's so easy to take a good gun pack for granted. I have one good broke gun dog and about 5 rookies to contend with this year. I don't have any more room for gray hair, I imagine I will just start pulling it out. I don't think we are going to have to worry about it here if we don't get a drought breaking rain pretty soon. I have gone to field trials the last 3 weeks in 2 different states and I have not seen one single rabbit race. It seems like they jump plenty of rabbits but they are lucky if it lasts for 2 checks.

Feel lucky you only have one that tries to eat the rabbit. all but a couple of mine won't destroy a rabbit in the pack. But I guess they are bred to run to over take there quarry so it is in them to kill and instictive to eat. alot of my dogs will not devour one if they are running solo but they will all crunch him a little, I never looked at it as a fault just went along with hounds running to catch. I just do my best to shoot straight and get them picked up before the dogs do. I have only had one dog over the yrs that consistently retrieved rabbits if she was alone but to much competition in a pack .
I have seen young dogs run down and catch cripples and it will really wind them up and have seen some that after there first catch of a wild rabbit complete change there attitude and there desire.
What happens if your dogs run down and catch one on there own thta is not shot do they retreive it or try to eat it?
I would say if you like everything about him but this I would overlook it.

my leah has caught several rabbits last season and she brought every single one of them to me not eat it. and thats how it should be PERIOD! thats my opinion....... what the heck is the point if he is ging to try and swallow everyone of them whole. I'm a meat hunter. I don't need my rabbits eaten by the dogs. so thats why it upsets me and ticks me off.

I can't even get to watch my leah retrieve anymore cause of him. she stays clear out the way when thunder comes crashing in. heck i would to if i was her.

I'm about to Number 6 him with the TT. what do you guys think about that?

i know and apprieate him wanting the rabbit so bad but its called rabbit hunting not rabbit eating contest. i should of filmed him on the last rabbit. he was trying to swallow it whole from the rear. probably choke to death if he would of continued. CRAZY DOG

and it was a bear to get it out of his mouth.

surrouded by a pack of dogs got a shot gun in my hands a dog trying to eat the rabbit. its just a giant mess that I don't need.


sometimes you cant get to the rabbit before the dogs do. thats just how it is

I've got one dog that will actually guard the rabbit and will growl and bark if anyone gets near. i'd rather have that over one that will try eat it whole.

Joey, I feel your pain brother, I too have lost the best dog I have ever had, she was stolen from me, and was more than my hunting dog, she was my hunting partner, there is a big difference. Your pistol dog was your partner and it is tough to let go and move on. It is tough when you try to compare a new one to one that you miss so dearly, I have that same problem, and maybe it is not fair on another dog. That being said, if any dog is disruptive to the rest of the team, as it seems like that male is that, I would sell him. You are lucky that Leah retrieves and if another dog gets in her way than he is interfering with the her ability and eating your rabbits is interfering with your overall hunt. I am kinda picky with my dogs and when one starts to pee me off, it snowballs and makes it even worse. I would agree with you on zapping him, BUT if you do decide to sell him you do not want him to be rabbit shy, and some people do not mind if their dogs eat the rabbit or not, but it does bother you. As far as the other male, he might just be a me too type of male, or maybe just needs to be taken out solo a few time to develop, so would give him a chance and see what he can do, if does not suite you, than sell him as such, again to somebody else , he might be fine. This is justy my opinion Joey, follow what your heart tells you to do, as the mind sometimes tries to make sense of things, maybe too much!!!
Anthony

What I don't understand Joey is if you are gun hunting why aren't the rabbits far enough ahead of the dogs that you all can get to them before the dogs do after the shot. I have had several dogs that will retrieve but I have never had the other dogs to wait on them so they could retrieve.

the days of leah retrieving every rabbit killed are over cause of the new dogs in the mix. I hate to say it but its true. I miss watching her work. she can still do it but when or if she can get ahold of it it will be torn away from her.

as of recent i hurry up and get the rabbit before the dogs get a chance. before i'd just stand there and have leah bring them to me.