Run to catch

[Shady Grove Beagles]

S.R.Patch
Wow ! that's a pretty weird cycle for your bitch.
As you mentioned, my females usually come back in heat 6-7 months after their pups are weaned. Hard to believe her body can recover from cycling and gestation and be prepared to breed again in that amount of time.
I used to coon hunt with an older gentleman down in Georgia. He had a beautiful Bluetick named Spec that I really liked. I mentioned to Robert that if he ever bred her that I'd sure like to get a pup from her. Robert said "so would I, but she's 8 years old and has never been in heat".
Robert even kept her penned in the dog lot with males with no issues.
When she was 11 years old Robert called me and said Spec had a litter of pups and one had my name on it.
Why would a female come in for her first time at 11 years old AND CONCIEVE ???

[warddog]

Maybe not "twins", but a sure enough large entry next year all from the same cross, if all goes well...lol
[/quote]

I've heard they are cheaper by the dozen. Sent you a Pm.

[S.R.Patch]

Maybe not "twins", but a sure enough large entry next year all from the same cross, if all goes well...lol

I've heard they are cheaper by the dozen. Sent you a Pm.
[/quote]

Received no pm...

I believe bitches are programed @ birth with their cycle and rate number of eggs to be released each cycle. But it is true outside factors can influence and manipulate the program. Bitches that are ran hard and are in top condition may often skip a cycle and I known of some that are just natural once a year to cycle. The hormone balance of a female is a tricky thing as most married men have learned...lol
I have learned, "like, begets like". Hard breeders, poor mothers, dry milkers, small litters and even the cycles you predict are all handed down from the matron you select to breed...jmho

[warddog]

Tried to send PM again. It says it is in my outbox. if you do not get it I'll have to contact the site administrator as evidently something is wrong.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Don't know if any of you are having this experience.
Leaving tomorrow for 10 days of hare hunting in the north country. Not looking forward to the 1,200 mile drive but definitely looking forward to being there.
In preparation, I needed to replace my old Lacrosse Alpha Burley boots. Called L.L.Bean and ordered a pair a month ago --- back ordered and can't get them till November.
Thought it wouldn't hurt to bring an extra box of 20 Ga. High Brass #6's --- Both Rural King and Wal-Mart have NO shotgun shells in stock and don't know when they'll be getting some.
My old female Tess has got some irritation going on with her right rear pad causing her to limp. Went to get some Nu-Stock to treat her at the Co-Op ---- they are out of it and it is back ordered. Say they haven't been able to get any all summer.
Picked up a 40 lb. bag of Purina One to take on the trip ---- price has jumped $6.00 since I got my last bag.
And the final kicker ---- gas here in Tennessee was $2.89 a gal. last week and is $3.05 as I filled up this morning. Hate to even see what it is in the Northeast as it's Always higher up there.
The times are a changing........

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Good Luck on that North an Trip, my Friend! I am having a customer visit me today from Virginia, he drove all night to get here bay break, looking for some, Gun Dogs !

Take care my Friend and be Safe ! Say if you get one of them Big Footed Hair's with the Big Back foots, cut me off another one.

"Spit"' is doing well, likes to climb out of the Kennels, but I have one he can't get out off!!

Keep Looking Up!\

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

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Just got back from 10 days hunting hare in The Great North Woods -- New Hampshire.
We ran 8 beagles and they showed out like you'd want them to.
Long hard runs with many going over the 2 hour mark and we had one that kept the dogs pounding for over 3 hours and 14 miles making a couple of circles out to 1,000 yards and taking them clean out of hearing before bringing him back.
Good fellowship with long time friends Bob and his son Ryan Ferranti and Paul Rzeczycki.
Took enough hare and several partridge for our annual last night in camp stew.
Great time and great memories !

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Three big snow shoe hare.
These three gave us 6 hours of pedal to the metal running before we decided to take them. One gave them 3 hours and 14 miles , going out on several 1,000 yard [ GPS ] circles.
In my opinion no finer game animal exists to test your beagles.

[Newt]

How do you get your Cottontail Hounds in shape to run Hare. Do you run them one day then skip a day?

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Newt
I just run them here as much as I can -- 3-4 times a week.
I pretty much run my dogs year round, although not so much this summer as the heat and humidity kept me doing other things so they stay in pretty good shape.
My females are all pretty athletic hounds, built to run and as a line have always had a lot of bottom.
We had two 9 year old females running and at this stage they are not able to go every day on hare so we ran them every other day. The younger hounds ran every day. They never failed to perform but at the end of ten days and over a 100 miles on them they begin to get pretty rough looking and the fire isn't burning quite so bright.
I moved south in '95 and have been making regular trips north to run hare with my old buds. All of my hounds that are run primarily on cotton tails have never lacked for running with my friends hare hounds.
All of our breeding is pretty much the same so that might account for it.
Although my four and the other guy's four only run together once a year they run very well together with no issues.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Big Bossman, good to hear from the North-an Trip !
I been mighty busy, here of late, seems all these old cotton tail boys wanting them young pups, to be running well, before opening day, I have to stick with my old blood line, when it comes to starting pups,, some just not breed to HUNT, I don't spend my time on them..

Thanks for the Up Date and photo''s sure some good looking Country up that way!

Spit is doing well, he keeps looking for me to line him with a Date? I have a nice looking chocolate, female that has Produced me with some real good pups over the years. When she came in I put them together and she like to have eat old Spit Up! She would not let him near her, so move them over in the big kennel they stayed together for three weeks (21) days. No pups so I will have two red tick ready whenever they come in season.

Catch you later.
D.R.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Daddy Rabbit
The bluetick in the middle of the first pic is a litter mate sister to Spit.There is another sister that isn't in the picture. Those two females have really made some nice rabbit dogs.The one in the pic has made a super jump dog and her sister is a front runner for sure.

[Newt]

Me and some of my buddies made a few trips to New York to run Hare, back in the day when I was younger.. It was great fun and the beaglers up there were very accomodating. Most of those beaglers are running in beagle heaven today.
Walter Butler and Joe Hanlon were two at Upper Hudson, that made us feel welcome. Mr Butler was in his 80s at that time.
We got a third place in LPH with a dog, "Hickory Ridge Andy", a Northwoods bred hound.
Another trip was to Sandy Creek. There was a school teacher named McDougal who gave us the key to his running ground for the week. Great memories.

[Aubrey Holcombe]

Dana





Dana:
You talking about the up front photo, big hound with a good bit of white on her? She looks like a 15" hound, I don't think "Spitt" is that big? Anyway all them hounds look like they can get the job done.

I am planing on breeding "Spit" to one of my hounds when the right one comes in heat that I think will produce me real good gun dogs. so far all I ever bred him to gave us some mighty good gun dogs!

Good to hear you made that long trip up and back in good health and happiness !!

Getting a few pups to start tracking and giving Mouth, have some very good conditions for starting pups, I love starting those little pups.

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

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Well, anyone who's ever followed this thread and any of my postings knows that I'm originally from "up north" as my fellow Tennesseans remind me.
I first got introduced to beagles and rabbit / hare hunting back in the mid '60's as some of my Dad's deer hunting buddies kept some beagles. Back then I didn't know what speed those beagles ran, fast or slow.. We killed cottontails, hare ,grouse and pheasant in front of them. They were "meat" hounds.
After ending a 21 year addiction to the big tree hounds I got back in to the beagles in 1993 and shortly after that joined a Large Pack on Hare Club.
I'd say that ALL the dogs I saw at the LPH trials would be referred to as "fast". Some faster than others but none were "slow".
When I moved to Tn. in 1995 I found that there are two camps in this area -- slow dogs and fast dogs.
The only A.K.C. trials here are the U.B.G.F. and there is no way my dogs would fit that format. I ended up competing at A.R.H.A. Little Pack trials for 10-12 years until that wore pretty thin. Haven't ran a dog in a trial for quite a while now.
I recently returned from a hare hunting trip and needless to say that my four and the other guy's four hounds are what I refer to as 'run to catch" style of beagles. They are all of the 15" variety, and on bare ground they can get up and rock and roll.
This past Saturday they were having a field trial at the W.M.A. 12 miles up the road and where I run my dogs regularly. I figured I'd leave my dogs in the kennel and just go up and watch for a while. This trial put on by a U.B.G.F. club.
I ended up watching 1'st and 2'nd series and then the winners pack of big bitches. Also watched 3'rd series and winner's pack little bitches.
Some observations --- These were the smallest "big bitches" over all that I'd ever seen. I asked and out of the thirteen entered the biggest female was 14" with most of the others 13 1/4-13 1/2". In the small bitches there were a couple that were barely bigger than some of the hare
I was shooting last week. I mean some really tiny dogs that couldn't have weighed 12-13 lbs. and were probably 12"
My past experiences at LPH, Mid-West and Little Pack was most guys were just hoping their dogs didn't measure over 15". These trialers obviously like much smaller hounds.
These hounds when turned loose were all content to hunt within 30-40 feet of the judges and gallery, with the gallery doing as much hunting as the hounds. Once a rabbit was up the two judges and those of us in the gallery were literally staying right on top of the dogs at a walking pace. I mean the judges were scoring dogs that were tracking 4-5 feet in front of them. I never saw any of the packs break out in to a drive where the judges had to run more than 50 feet. 99% of ALL the judging was able to be done at a walk with the gallery ALWAYS within 50 feet of the pack. I'd say the whole trial could have been run in one 10 acre field.
Last week in New Hampshire we had a hare take the hounds 1,000 yards out and be completely out of hearing for 20 - 30 minutes. Trials I've run in Ky, and Louisiana were always judged from horseback to stay up with the hounds. I'm used to hounds that when turned loose go hunting and are often hunting out at 100 - 200 yards looking for game.
I don't want to come across as being critical. EVERY man has the right to own , hunt, trial whatever type, style, size of hound he likes in which ever format appeals to him. I certainly don't want to get in to a "mine is better than yours" discussion.
This wasn't the first time I've watched a U.B.G.F. trial. It's been a while and it just brought back to me in a big way how very much hounds within the same breed can be so much different.