Extra Fast Hounds

TomMN · Post by **TomMN** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:23 am

From an article in the Rabbit Hunter a few years ago by Ben Hardaway talking about some of the extra fast fox hounds he has known over the years:
"The hound is a freak, a sport, an individual. They are not pack hounds. They were born with an intense desire to catch their game. They are also born with an acute sense of which side of the game's scent trail they are running on. Either through their superior nose, or superior brain, or a combination of both, they seem to be able to anticipate the direction the quarry is going to turn, or bend his course, so there are no run-overs, and the hound runs the quarry like he was tied to it with a string.
For a hound of this type to perform in this way, scent has to be very good and the quarry run big. The hound obviously, must have a balanced and correct enough body to physically run at a fast pace."

This could easily fit a few beagles as well as fox hounds. Dogs like this are few and far between, but they sure can make things exciting. My hunting buddy had one a few years ago named Sandy. She would flat leave the other dogs behind running hare on a good day. On those bad days she would run slow long enough until sooner or later she would get up close to one and then she could turn on the speed. I would love to have a kennel full of this type of dog but I think a person is lucky to get one or two in a lifetime.

Redtick · Post by **Redtick** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 9:44 am

I like a beagle that can drive a cottontail on the second circle into a bunch of track straddling beagles trying to figure out a check on the first circle.

Those kind of beagles are hard to find.

Steve C. · Post by **Steve C.** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:44 am

Tom, I've found that such beagles as you have described usually have the title IFC in front of their names. They are indeed rare animals and nearly impossible to duplicate, and they are too soon gone from us. Still, every litter we whelp gives us that anticipation of possibly getting another one.

mn_beagleboy · Post by **mn_beagleboy** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:41 am

I agree with SteveC. To TomMN, go watch a FC or IFC dog run and you will see the kind of dog that you describe above.

BeagleBoy

wvrabbithunter · Post by **wvrabbithunter** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 3:30 pm

it dont take a IFC or a FC some of the best rabbit dogs i have ever seen where in hunters back yards or laying on the porch, frank thompson

coyote hunter · Post by **coyote hunter** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:36 pm

Sounds to me your hounds have gotten beat by them IFC or FC ??? lol.Take care Dan.

GENO · Post by **GENO** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:22 am

If you think a dog with IFC - FC are better then thats what you spend your money on. I think a rabbit dog don't have to have anything but a name and know how to do it right. I have seen alot of FC that I would not give you 50.00 for and I have seen grade dogs worth 500.00 to me. So when you spend your money get what you like and feed what you like and don't buy till you try.

Steve C. · Post by **Steve C.** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:50 am

I'm sure there are plenty of great hounds out there who are never trialed, but the FCs and IFCs have been proven in extreme competition. Had I played professional baseball I likely would have shattered many of the hitting records (LOL), and without steroids! I just never bothered to prove it.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 8:36 am

TomMN wrote:I would love to have a kennel full of this type of dog but I think a person is lucky to get one or two in a lifetime.

You've hit the nail on the head. Super fast and routinely accurate is a very hard combination to get in a hound. Often in an attempt to gather a kennel full of those type hounds one begins to accept excessive faultiness in order to keep them "super-fast".

Also, it's very hard to pack anything with a super-fast hound. It seems you either force a few otherwise honest hounds to play catchup or you run the super-fast dog alone - neither of which seems to me to be very practical.

Steve C. wrote:I'm sure there are plenty of great hounds out there who are never trialed, but the FCs and IFCs have been proven in extreme competition.

But, then one must ask if "extreme competition" has much to do with rabbit hunting, or even really running a rabbit right.

I'm a bit more impressed how the dog does vs. the rabbit, over the span of a season - rather than the dog vs. another dog on a particular day.

It's kind of like the NE Patriots the past few seasons - there weren't any real "Michael Jordans", like other teams have, but they work extremely well together and know how to outperform their competitors over the course of the season. Yup, the Pats are my type of Beagle pack - they don't bring as much day-to-day news as other teams, but they routinely bring home the bacon.

mn_beagleboy · Post by **mn_beagleboy** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 12:53 pm

There are some trail dogs out there that don't worth to be fed, but there are some that can run the line very fast and clean that not many hunting dogs can do. If hunting dogs can run the line very fast and clean, I guranteed that they will have a title if taken to the field trails. I like the field trails to use their judgement more on hunting abilities than just running the line, but everything is not perfect and that is why there are some field trial winning dog that we disagree that the dog didn't worth winning.

BeagleBoy

AlabamaSwamper · Post by **AlabamaSwamper** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 1:33 pm

Oh how some folks put such an emphasis on FC or IFC. LOL

If those dogs are all so good, then why don't they trial in February? From what I hear, most trials up north are carried out in the summer, when conditions are so good even a poodle could run. Only by trialing in the worst conditions can you separate the best from the pretenders. Down here, conditions don't change that drastic, except in the summer, which will kill your dog.

I have hunted with fox/coyote hounds and I have seen these type dogs run, catch and kill their prey. I've also seen yotes running and they ain't slow, so I can only imagine how fast the hound must be to catch them, in those times the prey just don't stop and fight.

Like it said however, in order for a dog to succeed like described, the rabbit or fox must run big. Dogs like that would not stand a chance on these 100 yard double back rabbits we have down here. Then again, we have some 1/2 mile running buck rabbits (cottontails) that they could really push I'm sure.

As one beagler and friend told me once, the perfect dog will run a line as fast as it can (and I don't mean brace speed either), without going over the edge, turning on a dime in a turn. Those are, like some said, few and far between.

Gates Northern · Post by **Gates Northern** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 4:15 pm

I have seen a couple of hounds in my lifetime that could run a hare with very short losses for over two hours and actually run him to exaustion and kill him. Not on snow of course / it was in May and september on bare ground. That takes a hound !!! Dont care how you want to describe him or title him but I want another.
But in the mean time I am impatiently waiting for the lord to send me another one!

Joe Gates

wvrabbithunter · Post by **wvrabbithunter** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 6:09 pm

boy oh boy,let me tell you all that i will set my hounds down with the best of them,my best dog is a grade dog that i bread here at home with out papers or FC OR IFC in front of their name.money cant buy him, out of the six that where born only two made the grade and still running rabbits,and no we did not sell the rest of them,i would not sell a running dog ,if it dont suit me i know it will not suit another rabbit hunter that hunts the way i do,and likes the same kind of dog i do,i bet if i was not a truck driver and could take the time to trail my dogs i could have a FC in front of every one of their names.but like i said i am a hunter not a triler,my dogs LOVE THE GUN,AND I LOVE MY DOGS.and by the way i really dont live to have a FC dog,but if anyone wants to run dogs just let me know when they are near i have a few huny holes,and i like the company frank thompson

laal · Post by **laal** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:22 pm

I ask my dad what dog he liked best of all the dogs he has seen run a rabbit (we live in Alabama) my dad is 86 years old and was a field marshel at spo trials when he was 78 and can still stay close enough to a pack to see what is going on. By the way his name is Frank Thompson Jr.

Back to the best dogs he has ever seen. He told me that a Mr. Blackston had 2 grade dogs, that ran out year around and were 4 years old that he hauled all over Alabama for 2 years and ran with the best rabbit dogs he could find and everybody said Mr. Blackston's dogs were the best they had ever seen. Shorty, and Sally were not F.C.'s but I bet there have been F.C.'s that were better than them. BUT THEY were GOOD!!

Incahoots · Post by **Incahoots** » Tue Mar 15, 2005 7:55 pm