The American Beagler Forum

000

i have sold almost all my deer hunting stuff thx to the dog fever lol.

I quit deer hunting years ago (both bow & gun). I kept thinking about dogs when I was in the blind. Now I use vacation to run dogs.

Can run rabbits and deer with dogs here...I expect that to change very soon with all the come-heres complaining. I'd rather chase the rabbit dogs anyday.

I manage to get them both done. My hounds come first, but anytime other than that I'm deer hunting. I don't deer hunt as much as I use to but get 5 to 10 deer for the freezer a year.
Now that I'm single, kids are grown up and gone and a good bit of vacation saved up at work, there will be a lot of outdoor activities for me this fall. Best of luck to all.

hounddog
Jim Umbarger

Well, deer hunting used to be my big thing. I hunted them or scouted them from late summer clear through January. Not any more, I go out for the 2 weeks of rifle season and that's it, and dog running is closed during that period. I even spotlight less. I've come to find that rabbit hunting is a lot more enjoyable. It's more fast paced. You don't havwe to fight with even a 1/4 as many hunters. Pretty much only reason I deer hunt now is for meat.

Running hounds thats my thing, my little hounds will sometimes remind about those big white tails hahahaha. Deer hunting well any hunting is getting so hard to do today with all the "no hunting" and laws. I make running my hounds the number one thing I do,I enjoy my hounds every chace I get.

I manage to get both done pretty efectively. I mainly hunt deer with a bow, there are less hunters in the woods and it is more of a chalenge. I love rabbit hunting and do more than my fair share of it. I am lucky that rabbit season does not come in until the third week of november in NC. It is also hard to find places to hunt until after gun season goes out, it is risky too, a deer hunter may feel you messed up there hunt and shoot a dog.
I was wondering how many days a week you guys spend in the field actualy rabbit hunting and how many rabbits you harvest? When is rabbit season in relation to deer season in your state?

000

I deer hunt only firearms season.....I sacrifice two weekends of rabbit hunting.

I also dove hunt only opening weekend which is Sept 1st. Rabbit season starts Oct 1st

I run the dogs except during the 2 weeks of firearms season here in Michigan. During that 2 weeks I hunt ducks. I usually hunt deer during the muzzle loading season. I'd rather run the dogs and hunt ducks and geese instead of sitting in a deer blind dreaming of running.

I guess I'm kinda spoiled here in VA. We have a very long deer season that runs from October into January. Rabbit season starts in November and runs thruough February. You will find me in a deer stand during the bow and muzzleloader seasons (October and early November). We can also run dogs for deer in VA during the gun season where I hunt. Do that pretty much up until Thanksgiving which gives me from then till the middle of February to rabbit hunt. After that - it's cutting trails and scouting longbeards till April!

Marcus

I only deer hunt for meat. I usually kill 1 or 2 a year. Rabbit hunting is my passion. I have spent a sh$tload more money on dogs and equipment for rabbits than I ever dreamed of on deer.

Well im a freshman in high school, and I play basketball, and i still find the time to hunt bunnys and deer. I love them both, but if i would have to pick between the two, i would pick rabbit hunting. There is nothing in the world more interesting to me than hearing a pack of hounds running together. I bow hunt and use a shotgun and muzzleloader for deer, but yet i still love the sport of rabbit hunting more.

Here in Michigan the seasons are pretty long so there is time for all three, bow, gun and rabbits...our rabbit season opens Sept 15th and ends March 31st...bow opens Oct 1st and gun season opens Nov 15th...plenty of time for everything in Michigan.....now if we could just get some darn rain


Tony