The American Beagler Forum

Do you think a dog that runs hare would have a hard time running swampers? People say that hare dogs have a hard time running cottontails because there smaller but swampers are big like hare. Is the nose there to run a swamper like they do a hare.

Newman,
It`s a myth, they will not have trouble running swampers. Swampers run similar to Hare and it seems they smell pretty good to my hounds. I run mine on hare then come back to Ga and run in the swamps after swampers. Mine some times have trouble running cottontails because they run them to fast, but it`s something I can live with. Watch the first few minutes of my video I posted on here, Beaver Pond, you will see a big Swamper running for his life. Hare do the same thing on Drummond Island. My hounds run them heads up and a heads up hound is hard to run with. They leave the track runnin dogs behind.
Come Run

I live here in east Tn. ansd run cottontails 95% of the time.I make trips up to northern Maine and northern New Hampshire to run hare and try to get out to west Tn. once a season to run swampers.
My dogs are able to give a good account of themselves on all three types of rabbit and terrain.Their breeding goes back to northern hare breeding and often they can look better on the hard running hare and swampers than on a dodging,twisting,squating,doubling cottontail.
The only problem I've had with running swampers is that my hounds don't get to run them enough to be real quick to figure it out when they hit swimming water.Many times we've found swampers in dry woods or a low bottom with only a couple of inches of water and dry islands and the hounds blistered them.Other times we've gotten into bottoms with lots of swimming water and canals and wide slews where the rabbits were hitting the water quickly after being jumped and gave the dogs fits.
Ran with a guy out in west Tn. that was all his dogs had ever run and they had that water all figured out.Couple of days of running in it and you could see the dogs getting it together.

Look at the size of a hare vs cotton tail. Then look at a swamper vs cotton tail. Hares and swampers are similar in size, swampers might be a little bigger. Cotton tails are smaller holding less scent than a hare or swamper. If a dog can run hares, they shouldn't have any issues on swampers. I've never hunted hare so my opinion is only worth 02 cents.

Good replies guys. Look as though your hounds have it pretty well together and you do know what you are talking about.
Come Run

Tsa la gi,
Sure enjoyed your dogs running. Good ones and with good mouths too.
Love that type of speed in the swamps too.
Thanks for posting it for us to enjoy!!!
Wado,
John

wa do Alabama John.
Come Run

casey
swampers are bigger than hares? i've never seen a swamper so i don't know. just ask'n

adirondackjoe wrote:casey
swampers are bigger than hares? i've never seen a swamper so i don't know. just ask'n

I don't know how big hares can weight, but I shot a swamper last year that looked five pounds or more.

i have seen swampers bigger than the hare i seen this season on drummond..

my dogs run cottontails mostly ,they have the brains to slow down and runb the track and keep it going ..swampers have never been a problem for them exxcept in lots of water... i dont run innwater alot so they dont get alot of experience at that. they ran hare just fine .. when we ran dogs that culd run together 3 of us went . when ole chuck turned loose his 20 inch rabbit dogs lol., they could flat burn that hare up..but of course my dogs wanted to run track looked like we had 2 races there..lol/ but to each his own ..as always feed what u like ,run what u like. thats all that matters anyhow.

AMEN PREACHER,
How was the trip?

Haven't had the opportunity to run either yet, but would sure like too. Especially swampers, after hearing the stories my grandpa used to tell me about them.

There is a open invite to come here. I can put you on Swampers. I`ve had folks from, Maryland Kentucky, Tenn, NC, Va and Mo.
Come Run

hare are bigger than swampers all we have here are swamp rabbits and hare get alot bigger.

trip was great chuck ..had a wonderful time hatai and jamaica were nice to see... funny i kept looking to se if i seen any rabbits never did lol. seens some good looking places tho.

the swampers i run in alabama are bigger than the hare i ran in michigan for sure. tennesee swampers dont seem to be as big ..