Which takes most stamina/heart hare or swampers?

[pacheattack]

I have had the opportunity to see what an effect a week of all day running on hare at Drummond Island has on a hound. Does swampers take as much stamina/heart I have never ran swampers.

[Big Dog]

Swampers will sometimes run big, but a lot of the time they will hit the water on you and play a lot of tricks. Hare run big and take more stamina, swampers do take good stamina and a lot of brains because he will pull some nasty tricks in the nastiest stinking water you have ever seen or smelled. If you put a lot of heat on a swamper he will go into a hollow tree on you in a NY minute.

Big Dog

[MasonsBeagles]

Thats a good question.... I havent gotten to make the Hare trip yet. But I know a dog that peeed straight blood after running two days on them up North.

Id say theyd both take a heck of a hound if you spent much time running either one.

Hare would probably cover more ground. But a swamper would require the hounds to run through water and swim alot. That would wear one down quick not to mention a Swamper covers alot of ground too. Tough one.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

I believe hare will take more stamina from your hounds than the swampers will.
A hare uses speed and bottomless stamina to elude the beagles.With good dogs you can literally run one hare on bare ground for 4 hours and they will be pounding the entire time!Try doing that for5-6 days in a row while at hunting camp and you will quickly find out what your dogs are made of.
Swampers may not take as much stamina but they will take all your dogs have and then some. Big Dog is right. They will take to deep swimming water when pushed and can rival a coon for the tricks they can pull while in some of the roughest going ground you don't want to go through. They will travel logs, lay up on grass humocks out in the middle of a slew while you dogs swim past them and I've seen them jump in a canal and float a 100 feet down in the current and come outon the other side.
A hound that hunts swampers in Jan./Feb. and spends most of the day in freezing water needs to be tough and have alot of "bottom" to him

[JAW]

If your hunting 6-8 hours a days and for three or four days in a row then you would need stamina and plenty of bottom to accomplish this feat.The swamp rabbit is one of the most craftiest animals because of the many tricks they use and you don't necessarily need the stamina as much as you need brain power to unravel these tricks they lay out for the hound unless your hunting like I stated above.Very seldom will the swamp rabbit run straight and out of the country like the hare does,but he will use several back tracks and criss crosses;gaint leaps ect.... to rid himself of the pursuer and he does quite often.Some hunters will say the rabbit went to ground,but don't believe that because that's not always the case.The rabbit has run over that track of ground so much that the hound is just plain CONFUSED and don't no where to look because the whole place is covered with rabbit scent.Alot of gun hunters PROBABLY wont know this because they start shooting when the rabbit is first seen therefore they have NO IDEA that there hound is SHORT on BRAINS. I've never run hare so I can't comment on them. John

[island ridge hounds]

i guess the only way to find out is to take the same hounds and run both
quarries. myself i haven't run the hare but have run lots of swampers.
i can only imagine that running in two to four inches of water trying to scent a trail with as much speed as possible and then swimming around
or thru the deeper sloughs or branches up and over banks straight out of water that is hard for hounds to climb and then going out of hearing and back. already has me wore out. i would think it would be the difference between a cross country runner and a football player.
bwall

[Rabbit Fever]

Although i have never ran swampers before it does sound like fun minus the snakes. I do run snowshoes just about every day in the winter time. The Hare will take you on a jurney that you swear your hounds is running deer espically in the springtime when the snowshoe is breeding. The male Hare will wonder from his home territory to look for hot doe's. That male my be 2-3 miles away from his home range and if your beagle jumps that one guess what your going for a hike in really deep snow! Usually they will make one circle then blowout of the country with your beagle in hot persuit. But the good thing about this i have found more honey-holes this way than you can imagine. Thats why i use tracking collars. We have run the same snowshoe for 4-5 hours in 3ft of snow, this doesn't happen all the time but it can. The average race for me is about 1-2 hours and the hare makes a circle out of hearing just about every time. Running swampers probably very hot and bug infested, Running Snowshoes pretty cold, lost of snow most of the time. With all that being said your guess is as good as mine about stamina??

[SMITTY1233]

There is nothing that can substitute for a good hare race in March... If you get a hold of a good buck look out you could be in for one wild ride.... Can't want to let them go this weekend... I am getting excited thinking about it... Never ran swampers but am sure they are a lot of fun also... BUt I know one thing hare will literally try to out run the dogs in most cases... Makes for excited races...

[Swampman]

Never been far enough south to run swampers, but ran plenty of hare, several days in a row. Deep snow conditions, icy conditions, bitter cold, hounds ran all day every day torn up bloody feet and all. IMO don't get much more heart and stamina than that. I agree Smitty, doesn't get much better than March when the bucks are running, they'll take the hounds out of hearing before they circle back, better have clean hounds or you'll never see them again. The wolves are getting so bad up here that I don't think a hound would make it through the night anymore. The bear hunters are even losing their big hounds to wolves.

[Rabbit Fever]

Swampman, what part of WI you from.

[Swampman]

Hartford, about 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee, farm country, and I have a cabin by Beecher, about 20 miles south of Iron Mountain. I used to do a lot of hunting by Glidden. I have a good friend that runs Plotts on bear, up by Solon Springs. The wolves have gotten so bold over there, He has told me that they will pick off the last hound in the pack while they're running a bear.

[Rabbit Fever]

Swampman, nextime you get up this way contact me maybe we can go runnin. Pm me when your coming.

[BuschBound]

Swampman, I've been hunting with Rabbitfever and hes got some nice hounds and real good spots to go hunting... Hopefully I can make the trip again soon Tom... I've been doing some hunting in the Glidden and Butternut area this year and there are quit a few hare that way this year.. I live in Ironwood Mi and it seems that our numbers just ain't there yet. So about an hour drive is pretty common for me.. I'm suppose to go this weekend but the way the snow is falling doesn't look promising. I'm Plowing snow for a living now days.. lol We got about 10 inches tonight and calling for more.. Tom, I've seen some hare paired up already.. get ready for those long runs.. Dave