not an anti-shooter, but

[Joeyman]

I fed the front legs shoulder neck area last season to the big males I use to own. That front part still had the heart in it and whatever else is in that area. The dogs got worms. So I stopped feeding it to them.

They did enjoy it though.

[dirtypondbeagles]

kill 29 rabbits in 1 weekend? Doesn't seem ethical, to each their own but I would never do that.

[Robbie F.]

There is nothing unethical about killing a legal number of any game animal. I would kill 129 in a weekend if I had the time and the hunting grounds. Rabbits are such vulnerable prey for almost any predator that I would be willing to bet 75% of the ones you guys let go for another time are killed by some other creature before season is out.

[bill huttozac]

I can certainly relate to those with very few rabbits and a good day's running is hard to come by. No doubt, we can all remember super good years with lots of rabbits and when great gun dogs were easily trained. Like all other wildlife the population tends to rise and fall. We just have "suck it up" and try to rebuild the bunny population. Some folks are quick to blame the gun for few rabbits and ingore the house cats and other predators roaming the area. Take into consideration the loss of habitat, parasites and desease that decimates the population. After all, rabbit populations are said to cycle about every 5 years with the average life span of a cottontail being about 1 year. According to game Biologist, only 1 out of 4 bunnys will survive the first year.
Let us not kick the Houndsman that is fortunate to have rabbits, enjoy a good hunt, a daily bag limit and own a nice pack of dogs.

[gunslinger]

I have only been looking at forums for a short time and I cant believe what I am seeing over and over again. It seems like all hunters like to do is pick at each other and fight, when we ought to be banding together tighter than ever. Unless Joey was obviously doing something illegal then there is no reason to bash him, at least he didnt jump on here and continue the fight. I dont know Joey but I think he showed a lot of wisdom and maturity in an obvious attempt to start a fight.

[Househounds]

10ACbeagles wrote

Who Cares??? Is he on or near your land taking the rabbits you would otherwise be after?Is it taking food off you and your familys plate?I agree w/mybeagles if the rabbits thats bein shot are the ones bein circled then so be it,it must be nice to get that many! Who knows maybe in 5-10 years you guys will get the satisfaction of bein right when theres no more MO rabbits for him to run I just dont see why you care.Keep huntin Joeyman cause Im sure about anyone on this board would join you on a hunt to line the tailgate up if you invited them.

Well said

Keep the pics and videos coming Joeyman, I am jealous

By the way when I deep fry my rabbits the font legs are the best part. The dogs do some scraps but not the parts I like.

[Joeyman]

the guys that hunt swampers know. The front legs on a swamper are the size of the rear legs of a missouri cottontail. All kinds of meat on a swamp rabbit. Can't wait to hunt them again later this season.

[warddog]

I never saw the Original poster, Jerwane, mention any names or even insinuate anything but rather asked some questions and then told what he did. I agree with him 100% and when I was young trying to become the great hunter taking the legal limit was what I strived for each and every time out. Now, I'm way past that legal limit and really don't care if I kill a rabbit or not. My enjoyment is from being out there and listening/watching the dogs do their thing. Yes, I occassionally take one to put fur in their mouth but not every one nor do I feel the need to fill the tail gate or the freezer with rabbits, deer, squirrels or any other game. I like to eat it all but I sure don't want to eat it every night or even every week. Yes, one rabbit or squirrel is a meal for me but my wife will have to eat a PB&J sandwich as it's just enough for me. If she wants it, which she likes it as well, I have to cut back and eat more mashed potatos and gravy so she can have a leg. By the way, I eat it all including the front legs and the rib section as there is several bites of good meat on the back of the rib section and the neck has some as well.

[Bunnyblaster]

Jerwane, I just realized I never actually answered your original question either.

I never base the success of any of my hunts on how many rabbits I/we kill. If I did most of my hunts would have to be considered failures. I pay more attention to how my dogs are doing and in more cases than not I spend most of my time b.s.'ing with the other guys that are there with me or teaching my kids what it's all about. I don't know many guys that own beagles that care only about how many rabbits they kill..............in fact most of them could generally seem to care less. Let's face it, cost wise it's less expensive to go to the store and buy chicken. The few I run into that do only care about the kill I don't generally spend a whole lot of time with and again most of those guys don't even own dogs. They usually wanna tag along and shoot every rabbit they see whether the dogs are running it or they just jumped it themselves and I'm not into that. But guys that post, and just for example we'll say Joeyman , most of them post the good and the bad because they just wanna share their experience. It may sometimes come across as bragging but it only takes a little time to get to know them so you can figure out if they're really greedy braggers or just happy to run dogs and share their stories with the rest of us. Because the other thing that will happen is eventually they'll quit sharing if all they ever get is a hard time when they do. Again, not that anyone was referring to Joeyman, I just thought I'd use him as an example.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

For me the amount of rabbits I kill is totally dependant on the grounds I am running on.I'm first and foremost all about the dogs and their running rabbits as I run year round.That being said I also love to be carrying a shotgun and trying to intercept a streaking cottontail,hare or swamper.
I'm fairly new to my present home here in east Tn. so consquently I haven't got many gunning spots established yet.Most of the places are public land that get pounded pretty hard and after season's been open several weeks the rabbits come pretty hard.I don't kill more than one or two in those places as I know that plenty have already been taken out of their and I like to run those places in the off season too.I have a couple of places of private land that aren't all that big and honestly aren't that great a rabbitat but I can usually get a couple up.Again,I only take 3-4 out of those places a season as they just aren't there in any kind of numbers.
I live in the country but only own 6 acres but have a 100+ acres adjoining me.My yard and the thicket along my driveway is eat up with rabbits! Many times this summer at dusk I could count a dozen rabbits in my yard,driveway,etc.feeding.I don't shoot any of these rabbits as it's my training ground for pups as they can start just by opening their pen gate.
On the countrary, I go up to Aroostock County ,Maine where I have a good friend that lives out in the middle of nowhere and he puts us in places where the hare are thick and we shoot until the cows come home.The country is so vast and the woods so big that there is no such thing as hunting pressure.I doubt very much that the hare we shoot had ever been run by a dog before.You could shoot all the hare you wanted in that country and never come close to hurting the over-all population. Yes you could concievably hunt out one particular swamp or hillside spot if you kept pounding it day after day but with so much space there is no need to.
For years now I've been making trips out to west Tn. and the Mississippi Delta to hunt swampers.Where we hunt out there is like Maine in the fact that the bottoms we hunt are huge with thousands of acres to hunt and alot of it inaccessable swampland.The game [swamp rabbits ] have all the advantages.Populations have been thick and in spots like those we enjoy as much good shooting and harvesting as we can.I don't believe in those bottoms that hunting pressure could ever really adversely affect populations there.Too thick,alot of water and it takes exceptional dog work to line your tailgate.My hats off to the truely good beagles on swampers!
After saying all of the above, all I'm saying is that if you are a knowledgeable hunter and houndsman than you know or should have a pretty good idea of what your spots are capable of in terms of harvesting and gun accordingly.There are counties here in Tn. where you can kill a doe every day of the season [some places 3 a day ] for the entire season! Lots of doe!Other areas not so liberal and here in Monroe county you can't take any doe this year.Attempting to manage the game.Same thing we houndsman should be trying to do.
If you got lots of rabbits have at em and enjoy! And if you don't then I'll be praying for you.

[Joeyman]

Shadygrove. I love West Tenn. I was there last season to hunt swampers. Awesome awesome looking woods for swamp rabbits. I hope to go again in February 2012

[fasttrackpa]

A question I have for those that only harvest 1 is what do you do with 1 rabbit? Its takes 4-5 to feed my family. I feed rabbits to my dogs all the time. If I get 1 or 2 and its not enough for a meal the dogs get them.......Who thinks that's a waste....or is not "OK" with it. Dogs dont waste a bit, they eat the head, feet, fur, guts and all.

Mybeagles

I get to hunt 5 days a week, a couple of hours at a time. I am usually by myself and lucky if I can get one before I have to leave for work. It's hard to get a good shot when alone most of the time. I clean them and save them up(freeze) until I have enough for a nice meal or stew. I get way more satisfaction from shooting one rabbit that has been run for 2 hours than I do shooting 4-5 that have been run for 15 minutes. I feed the organs feet and heads to the hound that gets the most done on each chase, but have always been taught not to give them the digestive tract... If I get to go hunting in a new area with a pile of rabbits and guys that want to slam them, I am more than happy to try and fill the tailgate.

[jerwane]

I was not pointing fingers and if you're a shooter that okay with me...just wondering what running beagles really means to us...is it the kill or the run or both...for me it's the run...thanks and agin I didn't mean to start an argument...just curious
and we know what happens to the cat when he's too inquisitive ...thanks again for letting me share...

[Casey Harner]

It's a challenge to kill your limit. I like to try and get my limit due to the challenge of getting them. I find it funny others get upset that we are taking game legally and ethical but they feel to nick pick at us. We are hunters hunting game to intend to kill and eat. If you throwing more game out than eating then don't kill as many, simple.


I enjoy the hunt, the kill, and the look on my dogs face when they trail up to a dead bunny.


I still remember my very first rabbit hunt. I got my first beagle a month later. I enjoyed shooting the rabbit due to the fact the dog made every turn and did he best to bring it back around for me to shoot. I did it also for the dog. I got into beagles to gun hunt them. Yes, I have been to a few field trials, I feel if field trials wasn't available to us beaglers,a lot of beaglers wouldn't stay in this sport. I enjoy running field trials, but my first thing to do on my agenda is to rabbit hunt over my dogs.opinion.

[lebro]

just because you fill the tailgate dosent mean you need to. im old school and when i go hunting it is to kill rabbits to eat and provide for my family. it was said earlier that chicken is cheaper but i like to know i can get my own meat and not rely on grocerie store. some people dont know this because they only kill a couple rabbits a year, fried rabbit dinner in july with fresh out of the garden corn , squash , beans,and tomatoes cant be beat, kill a few freeze in water and try it. you may decide to find some new places to hunt and fill the tailgate every now and then. i dont need to kill a bunch to have a good day it is about dog work spending time with friends and most importantly my boys , but when i step out of the truck a new top of the food chain just arrived.