'cause it's rabbit time!
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I have started to think the same thing latley. Bunnies in the snow sure is fun!
nice matched set of arrows you got there buddy. ;)
I'm still chasing the big critters till the end on January 1, but this is the winter we get together at Ron's farm for a bunny hunt! :thumbsup:
You got me thinking now.
I feel ya, we've got snow coming tonight finally. Oh yeah!
There ya go Roger...my buddy just called and with this snow storm about to hit us, we're making plans for this Saturday to bowhunt some bunnies. Going to feel strange wearing my RH backquiver and shooting my LH Fedora.... :laughing:
Is that a beagle? And if it is how do you keep him from chasing a rabbit to kingdom come . I'm afraid to let mine off a lead in fear I'll never see him again?
Roger that sounds like a plan. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
:campfire: :campfire: :campfire:
Ya Know What? Deer hunting is over rated in my book... Dean Torges has it right! Small game hunting brings us back to our childhood... Fun is fun and that's that! And can I use some fun real soon........
... mike ...
Sounds like a blast. Wish we had cottontails around here.
Mr. Fingers,
Beagles run the rabbits in circles. Find where they jumped the rabbit and wait. They usually come back to almost the same spot.
Most guys also put either a bell or tracking collar on the dog. Also make sure it has a name tag on the collar with address and phone number. Beagles do get lost sometimes.
Raymond.....absolutely...
Mr. Fingers - That aint just a beagle, thats Daisy The Wonder Beagle ! :bigsmyl:
Seriously though, I spend s much time with Daisy as I did my kids. She isn't a kennel dog. She listens to me, and can be called off of a track. I do have her wear an e-collar, in case she gets on a deer, or more likely, in case she is hot on a rabbit and it heads toward a road. Other than that, she is a great beagle for a bow hunter. Sorta slow and plodding. My son killed one in front of her today, and I missed one. Both times the rabbits were 60 yards ahead and moving slow.
Roger let me know if you need a partner, I'll chase some bunny's with you again...
For sure Terry. We should hit that same spot as last year. Maybe Sunday?
Good luck Joe!I'll be out Saturday,also,sneaking around some brushy pieces in the snow.You gotta love it!
Thanks for the beagling tip I have a one yr. old male beagle named fletcher. I guess I need to let him try . Thats actully why I got him so my son and I could hunt rabbits with our bows then i found out if they get on a scent they don't even know there names and there gone. I'm afraid to lose him.
He does like to track deer he actually helped find one that I did not make the best shot on this past fall. I'll pick up a bell.
What's an e collar (GPS?).
Can't see your pics.
Mr. fingers,
The e-collar is for training the dog. By using a slight electric shock, it will make the dog get off the wrong track such as a deer, cat, coon or possum. It can also stop them before they get hit by a car near the road or save the dog's butt if he winds up cornering a possum or coon. Zap him and he will usually get out of there and stop following those scent trails. Beagles aren't usually mean enough or big enough to handle an aggressive coon. They don't often get mixed up with them, but it does happen. The e-collar sounds mean, but it is also a very useful safety device for the dog. Plus, if he follows deer, he really could wind up in the next county. The e-collar is a good tool.
Learn your dogs bark when it is on a trail and you may well be able to figure out if he is on rabbits or something else. I know the beagles we use sound slightly different if they get on a cat or something. It has only happened 2 times though, they just didn't have the same level of excitement in their voices.
Finally, run your dog with other already trained beagles if you can. It will help him learn faster. If you do shoot a rabbit, leave it lay until the dog gets to it. Let him chew on it for a second or two and then give him a treat. Reinforcement!
Hope your bringing Daisy again this year to the bunny stomp, had a blast following her last year!!!!! Cant wait, dont have a beagle anymore. Would love to hunt behind one again. Always up to trad hunting bunny's!!!!
QuoteOriginally posted by magnus:
Can't see your pics.
Fixed....not sure why that keeps happening...
I hear You Roger. I was thinking the same thing. went scouting after the last bit of snow. we are getting it tonight. should be fun!
Buckeye thank for the info. I guess I have an e coller I have the invisible fence around my entire yard . I got the system that has the hand held training device. An audible tone and 3 levels of shock. I just have not used it yet I wasn't sure it. Would work when they are in hot persuit. But thinking about it why wouldn't it. We have other dogs walk by and he goes like a bat out of heck and stops on a dime.
I just need to figure out the range and work with him before I let him go
.I would love to get another beagle but I don't think my neighbors woul appreciate it. They are noisy.
Thanks again
..Tim
I agree with Maineac. Wish we had cottontail around here as that sounds like a bunch of fun. Good luck.
Nice picts Roger. We finally got a decent snow here in W. MI and while I'm a long ways off from drawing back a bow, I've had Annie out there on some walks and it's just a treat to watch her work. Great thread...
You can also get e-collars that have a "page" function. This either lets you make the collar beep or vibrate, warning the dog to listen, or get a zap! Works great. I have a very hyper English setter, that loves to hunt. But when you're bird hunting, and he likes to get on the trail of every squirrel, chipmunk, or any other warm blooded animal, it can be an annoyance. I just page him and tell him to find the bird, and its back to business, without discouraging his instinct to hunt. Also when they start to get a little too far away, a little warning brings them right back without 'hurting' them.
Roger,
After our correspondence and much-appreciated good advice you gave me, there have been two "misfires" with my buddie's bitch and it looks like spring now before he can try again. Oh well, I've committed to a pup and the hefty stud fee he paid covers another "exposure". I've suggested maybe playing some Barry White turned down low in the kennel, LOL! The male has the genes and field trial trophies out the yingyang, but I'm wondering if being relegated to a life of reproduction hasn't removed some of his edge and a little doggie Viagra may be in order. I grew up hunting rabbits over beagles, but wasn't very involved in the training, so this will be a learning experience for me and the pup. One will eventually train the other. The methods and technology available have come a long way in 40 years. When using an E-collar(and I plan to), I always wondered how you knew what they were running if you didn't see it jumped? (Charles, thanks for the explanation, where I hunt may have more deer than rabbits!) I'm planning on hunting my dog singly also and hopefully can train it to hunt close. I've also read that they make deer scent for breaking pups, apparently so concentrated it's unpleasant. Another source recommended a piece of deer hide on a mouse trap and a few "nose snappings". Anyone tried those techniques?
Get'em Daisy!
I have two beagles I run and they have tracking collars which work wonders. I run them with a training collar two just incase I see a deer take off and they get a funny idea. I have tried everything to break them of running deer but nothing works untill they get a buzz going through them and then they think twice.
When Daisy runs a deer (which she hasn't in awhile) she is going in a straight line, and has a very choppy bark. When on rabbits, she bawls more, and her trailing meanders.
I didn't have much of a deer season. I just got a dozen arrows ready for small game. Good luck
I just told the wife the same thing. Small game hunting is the best.
No dogs needed. I got 4 this afternoon in less than an hour by spot and stalk, and still hunting in greasewood, and sage brush. I missed two as well. My dogs will run rabbits a mile or more, who wants dogs? When your into a bunch of tracks, look good and walk slow. (http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n486/Shedrock1/P1030247-1.jpg)
We really do lovebunnies. I shot 5 last Sunday and hope to get the same tomorrow. Quail, jacks and coyotevare also viable targets. We have got plenty of snow. Stalking on the sunnyside of the sage pays for me.
Hey my quiver looks like a peacock, too. Mismatched arrows remind me of my youth and losing one is not as painful...i actually found one lost ladt year on a hunt two weeks ago!
Long live rabbit hunting