The American Beagler Forum

I dont post here very much, but here is a thread from the espo board I thought ya'll might enjoy.

http://espomagazine.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=24504

i think there are two different ways to go about this. 1. they simply run it down and catch the thing. 2. they catch it in a brush pile or when it swats down and the dogs are very close to it.

One of mine caught one once only cause it was cornered and the rabbit couldn't get out of his way. I've ran countless rabbits and NO they've never ran one down and caught it or made one stiffin up. Guess I need some faster dogs.

They have caught several wounded rabbits with just one or two shot in them. Does that count?

Faster dogs is not the answer. That is me in the photos and my dogs are not fast. They are just medium to a step above medium in speed. They have caught 4 rabbits in the last six weeks. Two of the rabbits were caught with 4 dogs, 1 was caught with 5 dogs, and the other was caught while running with a friend and this included 11 dogs.

Constant and steady pressure has been the key. The rabbits caught were run between 45 minutes and 2 hours. They were all caught at different running grounds in the wild.

guess it all just depends. where we run we have lots of brush piles and all sorts of stuff which cause break downs. or sometimes its just the dogs. cool to see your dogs catching them though.

Yall got some good dogs.

i run in spurts sometimes i will run 7 days a week 3 or 4 weeks in a row usually 2 to 4 hours at a time i usually run anywhere from 3 to 5 dogs at a time my dogs catch 2 or 3 rabbits a monthdont know how they catch them never seeen one caught all i know is the dogs are burning one up one minute then shut up i think they are in a check then here one comes carrying a rabbit in the caught one last spring bout half grown same seceniero burning one up then they shut up then here they all come in to me one was carrying a dead rabbit that had already been skinned not gutted but didnt have a hair on it nowhere i say mine are run to catch and you shure cant run like hell n keep up with minei dont see how you could judge them in a trial how ya gonna score them if ya cant see them they cross a road looks like a blur jb

Fast dogs can catch rabbits also. The key is constant pressure. I have seen rabbits stiffen up like a hickory stick after 45 minutes on reasonably loss free runs and get picked up by what I consider fast dogs. I have also seen rabbits that squatted too long and get caught on a break down after only a few minutes. Don't be fooled into thinking that all fast dogs are wild and wooly. Last spring and summer hour plus runs were the norm with hare hound blood lines in heavy briars and planted pines. It is rare to catch one, but it happens a few times a year. Two years ago we had two rabbits winded and caught on the jump while we were gun hunting. That kind of takes the fun out of it though, but you can't fault the dog for rabbit hunting. Last year we had a freshly started pup on his first hunt that ran a rabbit down after 5 minutes. Don't you know it was some chests poked out after that. That pup has tremendous foot speed with pretty good control after being run hard the last few months. He will probably catch a few more in his life time.
Anthony

All rabbits have to do is stay out the hole after about a hour or so, there tired and usally scooped up.As anthony says"pressure is the key and all fast dogs aint wild......Believe that.Run em till they melt.

I have a male that has caught 8 rabbits in the last 18 months. All have been in the wild, and under every kind of condition, from snow to summer heat. Some he's caught after about 45 minutes to an hour, 2 were within 20 minutes. I actually saw him run down and catch one of them last spring. The rabbit was sitting tight and broke out when he put his nose up his butt. It's neat to have a dog that makes you ask yourself, "is he going to get another one today?" I do notice that he runs them a little rough the next few times I take him out after he gets one, But to me it's a sign of absolute desire and accomplishment. These are HUNTING DOGS!

Hey Steve 688, he must be pretty good. Take some pictures next time. Nothing like a real rabbit dog

Had a man come by the produce stand one day and come to find out he was a rabbit hunter.He said he had 5 dog at home that would catch ever rabbit there was in the woods.How long will it take them to catch one ?Oh about 15 min.I told him I had dogs just like that last year and sold everyone of them.He look at me like I was crazy,Why did you sell them?I like to shoot a rabbit with my dogs.Never could shoot one with them dogs catching one all the time.

Dogs that work fast checks are the ones that usually keep the most consistent pressure on a rabbit.

when they start catching hare i will be impressed

i was running with mark b this morningwe had 4 finished dogs n two tuff ombre grand pups that are 6 months old one of the running dogs jumped a rabbit the race didnt last no more than 15 to 20 min dogs shut up we were standing in the road one of my dogs came out of the weeds then went right back in came back out carrying a big dead rabbit we caught all the grown dogs you shouldve seen those tuffy pups tearing into that rabbit they eat every bite i didnt even see a hair on the ground this rabbit wasnt stiff dont know how they caught it unless it squated n they just grabbed it its not unusual for my dogs to catch a rabbit guess they are run to catch type of hounds wished i had my camera to get pics of those tuff ombre grand pups tearing at that bunny jb

Thats what I'm talking about WVDUECE

Chapkosbeagles, I would definately be impressed if my dogs caught a hare, especially being only 12 1/2 inch dogs and we have NO hare in NC.