No offense to anyone, unless you run both cottontail and hare, year-round in all conditions on a regular basis, it’s purely speculation which is tougher to run.
Either species in Oct or March is really no test of any hound, other than endurance. However, in the dead of winter or the scorching heat/humidity of July/Aug. on either species will show you what you have.
I do run as described and in my opinion under
IDENTICAL conditions, cottontail is tougher. I don’t know if it is due to the amount of scent (I myself can’t smell neither one) but feel it has more to do with how each run or the lack there of.
Hare run fairly straight, but are tougher to get jumped in my opinion. I have been victim with Chuck of the abyss he speaks of and also have found hare do hole occasionally.
Hounds need to be in peak condition for this endurance race.
Cottontails are an easier jump in my opinion but constantly zig/zag, double back and head for holes when pressured too hard and for any length of time especially in deep. fresh snow.
Hounds need to be tough as nails this time of year with the thick briars that tear them to shreds after hours of running.
Now, I'm going to use that dreaded "B" word, but I do believe hounds have brains, and how a particular hound uses it's brain makes a huge difference.
I believe Budd has come to respect the cottontail a little more the last few years when coming south in Feb. to run on ice and in frigid temps for a week or two.
Maybe he will respond with his thoughts as well.
If any of you believe there aren't hounds that can hunt and run both, you are sadly mistaken.
Just take a look at the results in Better Beagling this past year at what hounds placed and won in both the Midwest SPO and LPH trials.
If any of you southern boys ever get a chance to head north to run hare in Jan/Feb, do it and you will see extreme winter conditions.
This goes for us northern boys as well, take a trip to southern IN this time of year to the strip mines and see extreme heat/dry conditions.
And if anyone is up for it, come to southern/central WI to run cottontails in Jan/Feb and see just how easy these cottontails are to run.
My point is, experience both species in all conditions, you will learn to respect both.