Run to catch

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 5
10 day Beagle challenge.
I nominated James Best

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 6
10 day Beagler Challenge. Everyday I will post an image from a day in the life of a beagler or a memorable occasion in a beagler's life with no explanation.
That's 10 days,10 photos and 10 nominations.
I nominated Jordan Nugent

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 7
The 10 day Beagler Challenge.
Every day I will post a photo of a day in the life of a beagler or a memorable event in a beagler's history with no explanation.
That's 10 days,10 photos and 10 nominations.
I nominate Ed Stutz

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 8
Ten day Beagler challenge.
I nominate Craig Guidry

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 9
Ten day Beagler challenge.
I nominate Jonah "Joey" Staten

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Day 10
I was nominated to take the 10 day Beagler challenge.
For 10 days I have posted an image in the life of a beagler,what it is like to be a beagler or an unforgettable memory as a beagler and post it with no explanation.
That's 10 days,10 photos and 10 nominations.
I nominate Charlene Truell

[Shady Grove Beagles]

I'm sure that any of you beaglers that have been at this sport for any length of time have had your share of scary / hairy things happen regarding you and your hounds.They may make for good stories latter but ......
My hounds all have individual chain link and concrete runs which are surrounded by a 6' fenced dog lot.My practice is to let the dogs out of their runs in the morning and they spend their days together in the dog lot.Kept them this way for years.
Was gone for about 5 hours on Friday and came home to find all 4 of my hounds gone.First thing I thought as I walked towards the kennel was that somebody had come and stolen my dogs. Upon further examination I found where they had dug under a part of the fence and escaped.Due to the 90+ weather we've been having they hadn't been out running in several weeks and I guess just couldn't stand it and had gone hunting on their own.
I listened and couldn't hear them running which had me concerned as I've got beau coup rabbits all over my 6 acres and all around the area.I hollered and blew my cow horn and no dogs.What had me really worried is to the south of me is all country land but to the north a half mile is a very busy highway.Visions of dead road killed dogs was all I could think about.
Changed in to my hunting clothes and jumped in the pick-up and began the search.Talked to my nearest neighbors and they said the beagles had been pounding rabbits around the hill and over on their farm for several hours. They said it was around 6:00 p.m. and it was now 9:00 and they hadn't seen or heard them for awhile.
I began to circle the general area ,stopping frequently to listen and nothing.Finally at one stop not too far from the house I could hear them running way off an a hill and deep in.Grabbing a light and compass I headed in realizing they were a long ways off.The going was brutal.This piece of ground had been clear cut about 12-15 years ago and now is 10 foot tall briars,vines,down trees,weeds,etc.I was struggling.I heard them breakdown and began to holler and blow the horn.They fired back up and were heading away. I knew I wasn't going to be able to run them down in there.I headed back to the truck feeling frustrated and exhausted.When I got to the truck I turned and there was my old Tess dog following me in.
At this point I couldn't hear the other three and thought I might drive up the highway a 1/4 mile and listen.It was now 11:00 p.m. and traffic was still busy and I was praying "don't let them come to the road".
I pulled in to a gravel drive that was blocked with a remote gate,posted signs and i knew there was a house way back in there.I was standing at the gate listening when the sheriff pulled in and lit up his light bar. Of course he was wanting to know what I was doing there.Guess there was a camera mounted somewhere and the land owner had called it in that there was someone suspicious hanging out down at his locked gate.I explained to the deputy what was going on and he was cool but said i better stay away from that man's place.About that time I could hear them running way back in behind where this guys house was.
Decided I had to try and get to them so drove further up the highway to a U-Pick strawberry farm where I've got permission to hunt.Parked and hiked about a mile in coming in from the back side of the other fellow's property.Sounded as if they were coming my way. I hustled across a big pasture and in to the woods and about that time they swung away and down in to a deep holler and out of my hearing.Disgusted,exhausted,soaked to the bone in sweat and my gimpy ankle throbbing and now 1:00 a.m.I said "Lord,I can't do this. I'm out of gas". You're going to have to keep my dogs safe. Away from the coyotes,the highway and anyone that might do them harm".
I slowly trudged my way back to the truck,home,showered and climbed in to bed at 2:30 a.m.
Opened my eyes at 6:30 a.m. feeling like death warmed over and hoping with everything that I'd go out and find the dogs had come home.No luck.
Jumped in the truck and went up and down the highway a mile in each direction hoping against hope I wouldn't find a dog or two blapped in the road.Not seeing anything I figured I'd head back in to the last place I'd heard them.
Hiked the mile in and could hear them running in the same section they were running at 1:00 a.m. It was now 8:30 a.m. Got as close to them as i could and when they broke down I started hollering for all i was worth and couple minutes later here come Fly and Queenie. I kept hollering and 5 minutes later here came Josie. Man did they look rough ! Eyes matted almost shut,tails bloody,ears bleeding and completely done in.Figured they'd been running pretty much steady for 15 hours.Didn't need to leash them as they followed on my heels all the way to the truck.My dogs are in pretty decent shape but yesterday and today they're not moving much except to eat and get a drink.
Looks like I'll have to do a little pen improvement work to prevent unauthorized hunting trips in the future.
Had a lot of similar hunts back in the day when I coon hunted. That was when I was in my 20's,30's and early 40's. Lord,at 68 I can't take many more of these.
Many folks can't and never will understand our love for these hounds and sometimes I wonder myself. Guess it's in the blood. Like our hounds -- gotta hunt !
.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Shady Grove:

So sorry about that Situation, or Night Mare that you experienced with the Girls.

Good talking with you today on the phone, and thanks for your, thoughts and Prayers on my up coming surgery.

Will keep you updated, and the pup, "Spit" been getting some early training, in the starting pen. he is doing well for his age.

D.R.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

[warddog]

I will say Shady Grove that I have experienced many of those times like you describe when I coon hunted. Not so awful much with my beagles. I had one big Northern Blue bred Bluettick that was one of those type that when you cut him loose you lifted up his tail and kissed his back side good-bye as he would go until treed...…..somewhere. Many a nights I left my hunting jacket out to go back the next day BUT I never found him there and normally someone called me on the phone asking if I lost a dog. He was sure enough a coon dog BUT he just about broke me of the desire to go knowing that if I was out on a bad night and coon not moving I was probably going home without him. That also started me knowing that my age was creeping up on me as those long trips into places that a sane person would not turn loose in became more and more prevalent. That was several years ago and today I love and long for the cry of those big hounds voices at night and when my neighbor down the road comes to run on my place I can sit on the front porch in my jammies and enjoy exactly what is going on. I have found that is the best night hunting to do at 66 years old. I know my woods as good as the back of my hand and have brush hogged lanes in it and when I know they are treed along one easy to get to I've been known to stroll out there to look over the tree. My neighbor and his hunting buddy got a BIG kick out of that the first time I strolled out there in my jammies and boots.

[Hurricane Creek]

Dana, I'm glad you're OK and they're home safe.

A break in the rain... Pups out playing in the run; when Ziva isn't pacing and tossing her head, she's staring at the house or down the hill saying "Let's Go!"

[Rabbithoundjb]

Glad it worked out for you Dana. our love for these little dogs and the sure love of the sport will make you give everything you can muster and more sometimes.

[kwolf]

Oh my Dana I am so glad to hear your hounds were kept safe on their all night run. So many times we have all just had to ask the GOOD LORD to keep them safe. I bet you were kicking your self in the butt for not keeping any of the pups out of the last litter, oh well glad it worked out good and the story had a happy ending. I sure enjoy reading this post you started , take care and keep cool

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Hot here in Ga. as well !

Yep, Dana sure had Us All Shook UP, WHEN THEM HOUNDS WAS OUT OVER NIGHT!!!

Glad everything worked out well for him, and the pack. I was luck enough to Get myself a male pup out of that last litter, Man is he a Hoot ! I have the little fellow running at 4 months old! He is full of Pee & Vinegar, all he wanted to do for three months, was Play! AT three and a half he was taken a ride in my Kubota RTV 900 4x4 twice a day, early morning and last afternoon, I had to work with him that time, due to this Heat.

I live out here in the sticks, lots of cotton tails, once the little fellow, his AKC & ARHA/NKC name is D.R. & D.R.'s Spitfire , call him "SpIt" now all he want to do is go looking for a rabbit! Going to be a Keeper for sure !

I am looking for some cooler weather Likewise, so we can keep "Spit' happy he smooth as can be with head down, amazing ! To be small he has a good
Mouth, and don't hold back way to young for whats to come later..

D.R.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Warddog. I know well about those "go yonder" type of tree hounds. One of my first tree hounds was a year old reg. Walker x Bluetick cross from one of the local bear hunter's pack. He was a game getter for sure but he would run ANYTHING that left a track.If he struck coon first he was fine but he'd just as soon get struck on a fox,coyote,deer,bear,cat,etc. and run all night.
I'd get disgusted [ this was LONG before tracking and/or shock collars ] and leave him in the woods and go home.Ol' Buck was a heck of a homer as he'd usually be home the next day from 5-10 miles away.
Had a father and daughter that I hunted together.Gunner by himself or Dee by herself would hunt out good and check in with you and were a pleasure to hunt.Put those two down together and they were so competitive that they would push each other right through a piece of ground and I'd often find them treed a mile or two away.They were the reason I finally bought tracking unit.
Ron you are so right! After looking for dogs for several hours my mind was working overtime and fearing the worst. I was already asking myself who would sell me one of those pups back?
Daddy Rabbit. That tickles me to no end to hear that little Spitfire pup has already started for you. Can't wait to hear how he and his littermates do this coming gun season as they will be just right to put a full gun season on.
Praying for you and your surgery.

[warddog]

Shady, I guess you gathered that my story was back when the tracking and shocking equipment was a gleam in our eyes. I do remember finally getting my first tracking outfit which was a used quick-track but that big ole blue-tick was gone by then. Never really had any beagles that I needed such equipment on as like coon hunting we could almost always tell what was going on by their voice but never hunted or ran them at night either. Even hunting the old stripper knobs they would get hard to hear sometimes but knew that if they started the rabbit in hearing distance they would most generally return to that area. We never ran behind the dogs either to try to tell what was going on but did have to move to where we thought the jump was. Most generally someone in the hunting group had a pretty good vantage point on top of one of those stripper knobs. Back then those ole stripper knobs were full of rabbits but today most of the strippers are gone as well as the rabbits.