Running Hare on show

[Mike McPherson]

I live in Northern New York, the real north, Thousand Islands area 20 minutes to the Canadian border. I enjoy reading the stories on here so I will share some of mine. I am currently running a brother sister pair of beagle/bluetick hound cross dogs, about 20" tall. Deep snow specialist. Not much snow yet but running them. 4 and 5 day old snow been below zero and today was 45 all in those 4 to 5 days. Ran yesterday dropped the tailgate and had a run in 20 minutes, they put 17 miles on at 5.2 mph, they can roll. some checks for sure but they ran steady for 3.5 hours or so. Missed that hare 8 times with a .22 pistol. It's not about the kill it's about the hunt. Didn't have as much time today but went for a couple hours. Ran a little piece with a creek around it, still open so it makes a nice place to run them in the same tracked up stuff over and over, Some distance on the line with no bark. Always reclaimed and saw the hare several times. Seemed they weren't opening good in the worst of the tracked up stuff but continued to make forward progress, they don't have any extra mouth, hammer steady when they have it but no nonsense. I figure they were shutting up in the badly tracked areas because of the old scent that was there they had already run that. They won't be 3 until May this being the beginning of their 3rd gun season. Killed hare ahead of them their first winter before they were 1. Just thought I would share a story. Won't claim their the best but I will keep feeding them.

Hunt-Em-Up

[Aubrey Holcombe]

OUUT, OH !! Just wait to my buddy Shady Grove reads this !

NOW HE HAS A LITTER OF BLUE TICKS, SCATTERED ALL OVER THE USA, NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD YET, AND THEE ARE TWO (2) OF THEM PUP WAY DOWN SOUTH, WHERE IT'S 100 DEGREES, AND NO RAIN OR SNOW FOR MONTHS, IN July & August, these Blue Tucks pups Keep on Ticking like the Timex watches, Me and the Old Ga.State Patrolman, Ken Gray live near Fl. We bought these Snow breed hounds they are unreal down Dixie land..>

Merry Christmas & Happy New year from Dixie!

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

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey Mike
Thanks for sharing your hare hunting story.
As a transplanted Yankee living here in the south I have fond memories of my hare hunting days living in New Hampshire but can honestly say I do not miss the snow and cold ! Those zero and below days were killers !
I still manage to get up north periodically to hunt hare with some longtime friends of mine but do it in the Fall - usually before the snow flies.
For many years I coon hunted with registered Bluetick hounds. During that time I met two guys that hare hunted with Blueticks.I asked them how they did and the response was "once you run hare with a big hound,you'll never go back to beagles".
I had a young Treeing Walker female that was on the small side [ about 40 lbs.] that I started on hare and what a hare hound she made !!
Deep snow she was unbelievable and on bare ground at times could close on them and run by sight.
Daddy Rabbit. Glad to hear your pup has turned out for you into the kind of rabbit dog you were wanting.
Talked with Mr.Kenny Gray down there on the Ga. / Fla. line and he says his is really stroking.
Merry Christmas --- Ya All !

[steve w]

When I was in high school back in the 70's I got a 3/4 beagle 1/4 walker pup. It took awhile to get him started, my buddy hated to see us coming as his pup was running and he thought mine never would. A rabbit finally about ran into him at about 8 mos. old, he took off after it and had a nice bawl mouth and ran it pretty good strait towards a road so I had to stop him by chasing him down yelling all the way, not exactly the best way to start a pup. Next rabbit he ran he caught, it was diseased and I had to get it from him rather forcefully, again not optimum. He kept hunting and running and as winter set in and it got cold he started showing a lot more nose then my buddy's dog, in fact he made the dog look poor when temperature's dropped down below 15, and he retrieved any and all cripples alive, or ones that ran a ways and died without even a tooth mark. Now my buddy was glad to see us coming, his mom paid him for every rabbit and his dog wasn't getting him much money on those cold days.That dog was a escape artist too, had him in a pen couldn't keep him in, tried chains and he'd slip the collar, when he wanted to hunt he'd go hunt, with or without you made no difference to him. Always figured that dog taught me more then I ever taught him and I could tell a lot more stories about him, thanks Mike for telling yours and stimulating me to remember mine.

[Mike McPherson]

Ran today, was only a short distance from the truck and I figured they were getting a little scent. They worked around for a bit and sure enough I see the hare make his break. They went right across the road and headed out of Dodge, They in no time were nearly a mile away and about to cross another road. I got in the truck headed that way they had crossed just before I got to them. I got out to check the tracks, knew they left with hare but was thinking they made a switch. Sure enough checked there track took a few steps back there is the hare track. They made a few circles in that chunk and headed back toward me, I see the hare he scooted with the road never crossed, Made another circle in there and headed back this time he was coming back across couple barks of the 20 gauge and he rolled. They came thru and my male picked the hare up and brought it to me, They will both do that if they are near the shooter you wound one and they catch it they eat it quick. Good 2 hour run.

How can I post pictures I have a smart phone with a picture of them on it but I am not smart enough to run it. LOL

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Mike
I take pics with a digital camera and then load them on the computer.
I use a thing called "PIXresizer" that formats them down to a size that then can be loaded on your post.

[Bev]

I live in Northern New York, the real north, Thousand Islands area 20 minutes to the Canadian border.

Hi, Mike - how you been? That 1000 Islands Region of NY and Canada is one of my favorite places on earth. I actually looked at a place to buy on Wellesley Island one time. I need to make a trip back. Does Sandy Creek still host the AKC LP Nats?

[Mike McPherson]

Doing ok Bev, I hope you are as well. Just trying to keep moving getting out a few hours a day to run. Currently running a brother sister pair of beagle/bluetic hound cross dogs. Actually made the cross for a friend one male caught my attention when I was starting the litter so I kept him. there was only one female so I kept her. Nice pair good in deep snow, fast with little snow 5 mph and up they can roll Well happy New Year and yes the 1000 Islands is a beautiful area