bells on beagles

[Buckeye Blues]

Maybe I worded it wrong. The tone lets them know I want them back with me. They start looking for me. They start listening for me. Meaning they stop hunting rabbits and start hunting me.

My dogs hunt with me in my direction too. I don't let them range too far out ahead of mewhile searching for a rabbit. BUT they can be way out there on track and lose a rabbit or have one go to ground. I may be ready to leave. Thus they're not exactly sure where I'm at nor me them. It doesn't even need to be a far distance. It can be terrain and strong wind that hampers the dogs senses. So again, the tone gets them looking for me (As long as the collar is working they will always hear the tone because the tone is right under their ears). The whistle generally draws us closer, and hollarin' brings them the rest of the way. The bells keep the dogs from being zapped for no reason because I hear progress being made. I dont like seeing dogs get zapped when neither the dog nor the handler knows where the other one is.

Since I am bright enough to know what I'm saying I'll explain it for you again. You pull upto a section. You slam the truck doors, the dog doors, you talk your dogs up, and you shuck a round into the chamber. Your scent and the dogs scent starts whirling all around. The dogs strike a trail. The yotes already know you are there. They don't need bells to call them in. I said it is 1 of dumber things I have heard, and I meant it. I didn't call the ones who said it dumb. And if you go back and read when people talk about bells they generally say "I hear bells act as dinner bells." or "I hear bells keep yotes away." Those that don't run bells and have never had a yote attack will swear by not using the. Those who use bells and never had an attack will swear by using them.

There's lots of people like yourself out there who thought they had the best trained dogs who took them out 1 day and never saw them again. We spend alot of time and money with these little hounds. I like to keep the odds on my side as much as possible.

[bucks better beagles]

Buckeye" How do you get past the aggravation factor? Bells drive me crazy and distract the dogs without bells. Will not use them or hunt with dogs that have them. JMO It is like taking male dogs with females that are just coming in heat or have just gone out. Just too aggravating.

[likeemfast]

Buckeye,mi amigo, playing the devils advocate here (its my favorite role ya know) i have to ask, i understand why everyone says they use bells even tho i dont agree, cause i hunt in wind in the mountains as well as the valleys in PA and have a healthy population of coyotes here too. Hunt in wind rain snow sun, when im off i go. So here goes, you slam the doors, yell at dogs "hunt em up" or watever, chamber a round and spread your scent around. Now it gets interesting, theres this seasoned coyote who is in the area. Your dogs run off and hole a rabbit, 3 of 4 come back right away, now FiFi is still digging at the hole ringing her bell and old smart coyote hears that ring-a-ding and investigates and sees FiFi by herself. AKA DINNER BELL. Yote knows where u are cuz u of course stink of human, he dont want to run in on your pack, but when he hears all that ding-a-linging running back to you and one ding-a-ling NOT running back he sees his chance. All in a matter of 3 minutes after bunny runs in hole and you not sure if its a loss or a hole. Now this scenario happens with no bells on and u probably get em all back cuz u start working toward your dogs to see whats up and the bells dont give away your dogs location from a distance when their not ringing. Has this scenario happened to anyone before, maybe, maybe not, but can it happen that way, ABSO-DING-A-LINGLY it can. Just sayin. JMO, Thanks for reading, The Devils Advocate signing off again.

P.S. its not actually dumb (DINNER BELL) if you think of it that way. Im thinking thats how it was meant but dont know for sure, to me not so dumb, actually makes sense. Coyotes can be pretty intelligent.

[warddog]

Hunted and ran for years without bells and only started using them on MY dogs about two years ago. My cousin, who hunts with me didn't have bells and his dogs never hunted with one that had one on and here is what I noticed after we ran them together.

1. No coyote attacks either way
2. My dogs had no problems hunting wearing the bells
3. My dogs could here me just fine wearing the bells regardless of where they were
4. My cousins dogs never paid any attention to my dogs wearing the bells
5. Both of our dogs hunted just as they did without the bells ALL searching for a rabbit
6. Never did my other dogs or his dogs stop to see where the belled dogs were as they were hunting rabbits
7. I could tell where my dogs were at all times in the VERY thick stuff that we hunt
8. He never knew exactly where his werE
9. ALL dogs hunted AND jumped rabbits independantly with total disregard to the sound of the bells
10. Dogs would hark into one that opened on a track when they were paying no attention to the bell dinging
11. MY COUSIN NOW HAS BELLS ON HIS DOGS AS WELL
12. Oh one last thing all our dogs are gay as they get real happy when we take them to chase bunnies! they have a BIG smile on their faces and their tails are wagging 100 miles an hour!

[likeemfast]

Maybe you bell users should put the bells on their tails,

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Been running bells on my bird dogs, coondogs and beagles for the past 45 years.First started when hunting with pointing dogs so we could tell when they locked up on point.Then started running them on the coondogs so could have an idea where they were working and because I have always run my beagles at night it just helps me to keep track of them and what direction they are working.
I have had several beagles get hung in woven wire fences here in Tn.and not one time in the four occasions that this happened did the dogs make a sound---not even a whimper.I found them hanging up-side down by a hind leg and totally silent EXCEPT for the jingling bell!!!!!I have lost dogs before and in looking and calling for them have heard the bell and new they were right close by.
I run my beagles in and around the deer seasons and would like to believe that some deer hunter might give the dog a little slack knowing he was not a deer and that it was someone's hunting hound.
When starting to pack a young dog up with the older dogs it will most definetly help him to keep track of his running mates.
I've never noticed that the dogs have any problems hearing or handling when wearing bells.Sometimes I forget them and turn the dogs loose and they hunt/handle the same with or without.As far as the bells bothering me----they don't.In fact I really like the added dimension of "listening" to the dogs covering the ground whether I'm hunting the thick briars here in the south or the thick fir balsam and cedar swamps of northern Maine. Some of the guys I hunt with run bells and others don't .Never saw any of the dogs that hadn't been around dogs with bells having any reaction to those that were wearing them.
As far as trialing with a bell on.Don't know about A.K.C.'s policy but I was the first one to run dogs at the North Franklin County Beagle Club,Watertown and McMinnville clubs [A.R.H.A. ] and now a lot of the guys that trial in that area run bells at the trials.
GAY????? Isn't that Frank Reese's line of beagles?

[Joeyman]

I run bells on my beagles every time out. Dogs have no problem with it and neither do I. they work great and I perfer bells on beagles. Also helps with knowing where they are.

[Cooz's Beagles]

Bells are a must for me. I feel absolute apprehension if I don't know where my dogs are especcially in new areas.
I don't think it's "gay" with or without bells. It's how ever you choose to run and bells don't and never have bothered me or my dogs.

Cooz's Beagles
Cooz's Just Snoopin Around

Lone Pine Cooz's Nicci
Lone Pine Cooz's Swampin Sammi