The American Beagler Forum

I just wonder if there was any one out there running there dogs since its cold down some now and how they are doing? I`ve had mine out and its been hard running here with no rain and being real dry the dogs have to walk a lot of the rabbits we get up its hit and miss one rabbit they can run real good and the next they seem to have alot of truble running it. I don`t know if its the dogs or not but 1 or 2 out of 7 or 8 rabbits jumped they can only circle 1 or 2 of them and they lose them alot and i run 4 dogs. Is any one else having this truble with running this time of year?

Sounds familiar. Ryan and I get together about once a week to run hounds - 2 each - and generally have the same experience you describe. I've never figured out how 4 good, experienced hounds can loose a rabbit - especially dogs which tend to be cold nosed. We're still seeing a lot of jr. rabbits so that's part of the problem - in fact - it looks like the main problem now. Six days and a wake-up until rabbit season opens here. Frost will soon follow.

I have been running all summer in a dry hot conditions. Some days the dogs have pounded when you think they could not run. I have been baffled by not having good runs in the heavy dew. Then the dew lifts and the dogs can burn one up. I mostly run late in the afternoon and surprisingly have had good runs when the rabbit stays in the thick stuff. I have seen rabbits running up and down logging roads giving the dogs a fit. I ran with a buddy yesterday morning. The last rabbit the dogs ran the first loop without more than a 10 second breakdown, then he went into a sunny beanfield and it was rough. When he got back in the shaded woods it was on again. You just never know until you get there.

same type of running over this way aswell.....Some days are good and some just plain stink...but overall it's been ok lately

Running has been hard here, last good run I had was about 2 weeks ago. I do like some days where its hard to get a rabbit up. Makes the dogs work harder and makes them harder hunters. JMO

Best hunting I have had lately is when I start about an hour before daylight and run for about 2 hours after daylight soon as it starts to warm up and the dew is gone the grass drys and the rabbits leave hardly any scent. I was watching an old dog of mine the other day he's a super super hard hunting dog not alot of speed he's is perfect for running pups with he sucked up so much dust in his nose he got sick when I went over to check him out hsi tongue and mouth were full of dirt it's got to be hard on these dogs to run in this dry weather.