Run to catch

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Dana:

You are 100% correct, right about everything that you had to say, and I am farther from and Expert than anyone but I have been watching this thing they Call the the Point !!

when I was having a bad day, and nothing in my pack seem to be able to track,, I would check the Dew Point, if it's low say 9 or 10 I just as well have stayed at home!!

My son (Now deceased) was able to show me how to figure the Dew Point, it all amounts to the Moisture in the air..

D.R.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Daddy Rabbit
You bring up one of the most talked about and thought about topics for any of us that run hounds. Scent.
Just some thoughts I have.
Some have better noses than others and some just have the brains to know what to do with scent.
There is more to a hound's ability to run a cold track than a cold nose. It also takes intelligence - how a hound perceives,understands and reacts to what he smells.A hound that can run fast enough to catch game is usually one that deciphers the scent through it's brain and puts it into action through it's body and legs.
When barometer pressure drops it makes it harder to pick up scent.
Rainy or wet weather is a good time to track game.
Hot ,dry air makes scenting conditions worse.
Optimal scenting conditions are when the ground temp. is slightly warmer than the air - usually early evening.
Spring and Fall provide better conditions for trailing than does summer when the vegetation and cover are thick or winter when the ground is frozen or covered with snow.
Shade,moisture and cool temps. help to keep the scent particles from drying out.
Dry air and heat evaporate scent and even can dry out a hound's nose making it less effective.
Heavy rain washes scent away and extreme cold deadens it.
Fog and mist make for good scenting, while cold, dry snow does not.
Strong winds can scatter scent.
In the morning of a cold, frosty day, scenting conditions may be poor until the sun warms the earth somewhat.
Scent clings to soft,moist soil and grass better than to hard dry ground. Plowed ground,gravel roads and pavement are very poor holders of scent.
In my humble opinion the following are what I look for for GOOD SCENTING CONDITIONS.
1- When the ground is wet.
2-High humidity.
3-When the air is colder than the ground.
4-In the fog or mist.
5-Vegetation after a killing frost.
6-When snow is expected / coming.
7-When the smoke from a chimney or campfire stays low and does not rise.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Dana:

I agree with ever word that you say. and your last pointer my old, granddaddy was always telling me to Watch that Smoke coming out the chimney.

My bad days, seem that Dew point is bad low..

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

[Rabbithoundjb]

[attachThis ment=0]IMG_20191124_34816.jpg[/attachment]

This is Diva.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

James
She sure is looking nice!
I know you'll put her in the woods and give her plenty of opportunity.
Keep me up-dated as to how she progresses.Love to see a young hound come into their own.

[Rabbithoundjb]

Dana I had some good running this morning. Diva got 3 checks I know but the highlight of the morning was this was the 2nd time that I have seen deer sneaking around and out where they're running and had no pups even acknowledge the deer where even there. I saw 3 crossings and she was 4th/5th everytime. Big Dan was up front driving. thought you'd like that.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

That sounds great James. When young dogs just 8-9 months old can get some checks running in a pack and on some of their older kennel mates that is showing me some of those "flashes of brilliance" that an old hunting friend mentioned one time.
Tony is a very knowledgeable houndsman keeping both coon hounds and beagles and spends a lot of time in the woods and has for many years.He says you may not see it every time out but that the good ones will show you some of those" flashes of brilliance " before they are a year old.
Diva's littermate sisters showed me some of those "flashes of brilliance" when they were down here hunting two weeks ago.They could flat get after a rabbit! But,they both are going to need a couple of breaking sessions as they discovered that they liked these stinky Tn. whitetails too.
Great to hear that Diva is showing no interest in the deer.
If you get a chance see if you can get a good pic of Dan standing on the bench.
Daddy Rabbit,still wanting to see a pic of that "Spitfire".

[Rabbithoundjb]

Dana I think your buddy Tony is right. I like what she has done so far and paying the deer no mind is just a plus, of course she could get after one the next time out but so far so good.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

My "Spitfire'' pup Don't care a thing about the deer. I have a fawn, that was born inside the starting pen, so he was trained in there with them. He never take the second look, he is about the best pup that I ever started, at 4 months old..Ken Grey. the State Trooper , in South Ga. that has the other small litter mate to that Big Litter, said his pup, ran the first wild cotton tail that he ever seen. He called me a few days ago, was all excited, about the pup!

Looks like that Big Litter is proven to be the Real Thing!! You to be Congratulated Dana, Thanks Again..

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

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Ran the dogs yesterday morning for about 4 hours. It was overcast,windy,raw,spitting sleet and 34 degrees and the running was pedal to the metal !
Find it interesting that my best running lately has been on the worst weather days as opposed to those clear,blue sky, 50 degree days.

Also had a head scratcher happen. Another beagler had pulled in as I was heading my dogs into the woods. I soon had a rabbit up and running and shortly I heard his dogs running one a ways away. His dogs must have lost their's and harked in to mine .I saw his 3 dogs go by with mine and really didn't mind. It's a W.M.A. so it happens.
Her comes the guy and I told him I didn't care if his dogs were running with mine.It was up to him.
He said he had to catch his cause mine were too fast and he started yelling and SHOCKING his dogs and making them quit so he could leash them up.
Now I may not have the type of dogs you like and you may not agree with how I run them BUT---- SHOCKING your dogs off a rabbit cause they can't keep up with the other dogs that are running the rabbit???????
Turns out he's a U.B.G.F. trialer. There's two other guys that run there pretty regular that also trial U.B.G.F. and if their dogs hark to mine or mine to their's it's the same thing.They catch their dogs up or start yelling for me to come catch mine up. It's like they panic ! Oh no, it's those fast dogs again ! Hide the kids!
If you can't run with the big dogs - stay on the porch. LOL.

[warddog]

WOW, shocking off of a RABBIT! That also brings more questions to my mind. Were your fast dogs making them to fast or were their slower dogs making yours slower for what either liked?

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Warddog
That's what I thought - shocking them on a rabbit !!
I don't know what the thinking is doing that but I have seen the guys that trial the U.B.G.F. conservative hounds get all bent out of shape when our two packs get on one together.
Basically I'll put my dogs down with anybody's and let the dogs show me what they've got.My dogs are going to run their rabbit the way they do and aren't really influenced by other's hounds.I guess maybe that's because I grew up a rabbit hunter and now am still basically a hunter / pleasure runner - not a trialer. When I get together with friends to hunt they run what they brung and no one spends any time saying "oh I can't run with you cause my dogs aren't this or that".
Seems that the conservative beaglers are afraid that if their hounds run a rabbit with mine it will spoil them for their trials. Ya,they might have to pick up their heads !
Not trying to be a wise ass or diss others dogs but the day I have to catch my hounds off a rabbit because of how someone else's dogs are running it.................................

[warddog]

Shady, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking but wanted to ask the question to see what people thought. I was thinking that if a dog is supposedly good enough to trial in a specific format it should be good enough to run it's speed and style regardless of the company it is with. If it is a peanut roller that gets in on a rabbit that the wind splitters are running I would expect them to run exactly as they would otherwise. You can't make a greyhound out of a turtle or vis-versa and the Almighty didn't make them that way either. Man can influence a lot of things in dogs including them running what they were bred to run or NOT running what they were bred to chase.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Time is getting close and before we know it will be Christmas Day and the celebration of Jesus' Birthday.
Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessings on your year ahead.
Some of you I know and so many others that may read this post I have no idea who you are.To any and all I wish for you much enjoyment with your hounds and all that surrounds this sport of beagling.
Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Well said Dana, and the same back to you and the Family.

"Spit" is getting to be a nice looking Blue Tick, near 14" and real good mouth, love hunt and runs well with my Red Gun Dogs!

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