A general forum for the discussion of hunting with beagles, guns, clothing and other equipment and just talking dawgs! (Tall tales on hunting allowed, but remember, first liar doesn't stand a chance)
mike crabtree wrote:Hounddog feeds his dogs deer all fall and winter. He has less deer races per year than I do. I dont think what they eat makes any difference at all. If it did Jim would never be able to run a rabbit.
Like Mike said, I feed deer meat from Oct. to Jan. and Chicken and beef scraps thoughout the summer and believe me it doesn't make any difference. I actually have a female and her brother that were weaned off of the bitch on nothing but deer meat and they have never run a deer and you can't make them run one. Diet has nothing to do with it. IMO most will run trash but there are exceptions.
I feed mine some can food, so yesterday I rolled a can across the yard and not one chased it. I think what patch was trying to say feed them rabbit tracks and they will seek rabbit tracks.
You guys are a hoot!!!
I fed our cocker spaniel tuna fish sandwiches and he always enjoyed going fishing with my daughter...
No, what I was trying to say and I can't believe my statement took this turn is, most will agree that a gun season and a hound getting rabbit fur in its mouth at the kill will bring a hound into full bloom as a rabbit dawg. I think trailing up to a kill and getting a look or taste of what their after and the success of the task somewhat "imprints" itself in they're brain. Yes, kinda like having a hound that starts killing chickens or sucking eggs, they come to want and desire it. I think killing chickens is exciting and great fun for hounds. all the running and flogging around and timing it just right to make a jaw-snap at the neck for the taste of blood. Most times they will try to kill the whole yard full of chickens before they even try to eat the first one, it becomes an obsession of the thrill of killing.
Jim, do you feed your deer with the hide on or off? I'll bet if you allow your hounds to trail a deer with you after you shot it and then cut the gut or hind quarter and let them feed on it, they will come to enjoy the chasing of deer. That's what I meant, the pups catching the young rabbits and eating the hind quarters is "imprinting" the success of the catch and the reward of this particular animal. When I put them in the weeds, they already have the intent in mind from what they learned from their last successful chase.
You want to know if you have natural proof dogs..Take them to a place where there are no rabbits and walk with them about 45 min and then lets some deer run out in front of them.Then you will see.The last pack of dogs I had would not run nothing but a rabbit.Never used a shock collar after they were two years old.Just did not need it no more and never used it then when it was on them.the last one die at 15 years old. I just got tire of breeding to the best to best and just took a chance on breeding a so call fare rabbit dog that would not run nothing but a rabbit and in 25 years of beagles this was by far the best thing I ve ever done to have good dogs to rabbit hunt with. Its just a pleasure to have dogs that want run nothing but a rabbit. They are out there and if I ever get back in hunting rabbits you bet I will look for a natural dog.
I did talk to an old man about three years ago and he said he had some dogs that hes been breeding for along time that would only run a cotton tail rabbit. They would not run a swamp rabbit. Coming from a male dog along time ago he had. He said it took him some time to find out what was going on how come his other dogs were running a rabbit and this dog was not. Swamp rabbit
They aren`t born. They just never run trash, FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. When I was running fox hounds my McBeth hound would not run trash. I bought a three legged bitch that WOULD NOT run deer. old hunter says breed them and the pups won`t run trash. ( Old hunter very wrong.)
Come Run
Where I run dogs it is nothing to see 25 to 30 deer get up out of the field, just about every time I turn dogs out.
Not too mention you see fox on a regular basis in this area, it's perfect for breaking young dogs.
I have one 4 year old dog right now that has never wanted to run anything off, and he is directly out of Shooter and a Three Jays bitch. When I turn my young dogs loose with him if they get the deer up in the field and chase them, he comes back to me. Once I shock them he goes back hunting. I only had one other dog
my old UKC Grand Champion from the time he was a puppy never took deer, ran a fox one time when with a trashy dog.
I shocked him once for the fox and he never ran anything off again.
I know years ago we didn't have no where near the number of deer as we do now, there were more rabbits and other small game then deer.
With not many deer and easier to get on rabbits first, makes it easy to say they are deer proof.
Now there are a lot more deer than there are small game in most area's.
Most of the dogs I've raised would run off game, but were easily broke. The only dog I've ever had that never offered to run any off game her entire life was FC Wells' Silver Spring (IFC Trakarab Pacesetter & IFC Branko's Heli-Prop breeding); littermate to IFC Stoneyhills Gator.
Wells Woods Kennel Greg Wells
R.I.P. FC Brent's Prime Time FC Wells' Silver Spring FCGD Wells Woods Valentine
i.have.had/dogs/all.my.life 55 now ...and since I went patch,, I have very little trouble with deer runs...had a few that loved them now .. but had some that never ran anything wrong in their life ...love that.
ACTS 2:38=repent,baptised in the name of jesus christ,receive the holy ghost!
You guys are a hoot!!! 
