The American Beagler Forum

On the lines with accountability, What have you seen a hare or rabbit pull to out smart the pack?

Climb up on a downed tree, a large, long tree, and run the whole length of it....then jump off at a 90 degree to it...lol.

This tree went up to about 4-5 off the ground...it was puzzling for the dogs but fun to watch!

Same thing as BC, rabbit ran up a leaning tree, and bailed off the other end.

We ran this swamper for such a long time. He decided it was time to bail, so he took across a small frozen pond. There was a small log that sat on top of the water. The rabbit sat there and then decided to try and make it back across. That day the pond was thawing out. He got up on the ice and he fell through. He would always retreat back to his log. He tried over and over until he got to far out and finally drowned.

I usually catch them stopping and licking their feet to get away from my dogs!!!!

Had a rabbit swim across a creek dammed up by beavers that was about 30 feet wide. Came out on the other side and I shot it. The pack of dogs arrived at the water and stopped. We were going to cross a dam and heard my oldest male of the pack jump in the water swim across and pick up the rabbit! It was about ten degrees out! Dried the dog with my sweatshirt as best I could and he continued hunting the rest of the day! Was prob 15 years ago and probably the best dog I ever had! Rabbits will do whatever it takes to survive! Good running!!

run up leaning pines and be 6 feet off the ground

I've had them run up the tree like others, and bounce of a tree in the other direction but the best one was several times the dogs would loose the rabbit in a wet swamp in the same place, finally one day they stayed at the base of a tree trying to dig in to it. There was a hole in the tree just big enough for the rabbit to get in but he did better than that, he went up the tree about a foot. I could see his hair thru a knothole.

Years ago I would run this spot about three times a week. It had a decent size creek that ran through the middle of it. One particular rabbit took full advantage of the creek. One day running dogs, I saw him come down the edge on one side. He then jumped down on about the only rock he could find to stay dry. He jumped on one more rock going in the direction he came from and sat there. When the dogs started coming his way, he leaped to the bank and went in the direction the dogs were coming, he was now on the other side though. That rabbit did that almost every time the dogs ran him. When the creek was somewhat dry, he would use the creek instead of the other bank. Had to be the same rabbit.

Have seen a rabbit do the same things that was meanchan on here by some of these fellows.
Had seen a rabbit run the length of a down log and jump off the other end.
Had seen a rabbit run into a hole a the bottom of a tree and go up inside of the hollow tree and wait.
And I think that a rabbit cross a good size stream to the other side to get away from my hounds ? Because I can't say I seen it actually but the dogs stop right at the edge of the water but they couldn't pick the scent up any where else. But they did another time run 1 into the water and I called them off because it was to deep for me to cross, and they swam back across some good size ripples in the water that day I thought that I could have lost a hound it that water !!!

Ran a rabbit once that got into the crotch of a big tree. There was just enough snow for a ramp. He sat there for over a half hour before I jumped him out. Ran one into the basement of an old barn and had him come out on the top floor. Still don't know how he got up there. Have also had them run up the limbs of a downed tree.

Caught this cottontail swimming across a shallow cove on a pond to try to fool my pup. http://youtu.be/o4y2OilO0pY

Saw a snowshoe hare try to hide in Hounddogs pocket once. No kidding. Guess you had to be there, and no we weren't drinking.

Last year saw a big swamper running full speed toward flooded creek. Jumped off the creek bank full speed and splashed into the middle of the stream. Swam/floated down well over 100 yards before getting out and shaking off on the opposite bank. Then turned around and sat down and watched upstream to see the action.

Wild grape vines don't know if you all have them or not. They grow all over up here and sometimes they grow into these huge mounds. When I would go run at my uncles place we would walk to the back yard and cut the dogs loose. One of these mounds about 15 yards wide and a good 30 yards long was just inside the woods where we turn out. The dogs always jumped a rabbit near there within a minute or two of searching and they would take the rabbit out and circle him back. We never shoot unless they bring it around twice so we would watch the rabbit run up under those vines.

Now the first couple times they spun him around under there with out much problem then after a while he would go under the vines and they couldn't bring him out (it was dry out). Now this went on for a month with the same outcome because I hunted there twice a week, I started to notice when it was snowing or raining they could bring him out of those vines but it took forever for them to do it. The dogs would take him out on a smoking big circle and bring him back to those vines.

I really never tried to shoot the darn rabbit and he would eventually go under an old chassis in the weeds with holes around it. But he would always give them 3 circles. When they got under those vines they would drive hard to nearly the end and then it was hit and miss peck, peck, peck coming back. I told uncle Jim something isn't right and I needed to figure it out.

The next time I was there they jumped quick and were gone. I ran around the back side and got between the vines and the chassis, I leaned up against a tree and waited. They brought him back and under the vines he went, so I waited.These vines where probably 8 feet high or so and covered with a few inches of powdered snow. That rabbit came to within a couple feet of the end of the vines, stopped and climbed out and up on top of the mound and slowly headed back the way he came. As he was moving I could see that powdery snow was falling thru to the ground in places and that's why they were so hit and miss. The rabbit would get to the end he came in on jump down, take a break and when the dogs finally came out he would take them on a circle and do it again.

I called my Uncle Jim over and watched it again when they came back, Uncle Jim said I needed to kill that rabbit. I never took the shot and watched the same trick several times that season. It was a long time ago...Man I miss my Uncle and I sure miss that rabbit.