The American Beagler Forum

This time of year do all doe rabbits loose there scent or just whe they have young

None of them. Its just another excuse for weak nosed over competitive dogs

Newt wrote:None of them. Its just another excuse for weak nosed over competitive dogs

Waiting for it..........

Newt wrote:None of them. Its just another excuse for weak nosed over competitive dogs

and

No argument here, but would it not make sense in nature for a mother giving birth to "lose" scent to protect it's young? I have seen rabbits that were a struggle for hounds to run this time of year, but then again I am no expert.

BCBeagles wrote:No argument here, but would it not make sense in nature for a mother giving birth to "lose" scent to protect it's young? I have seen rabbits that were a struggle for hounds to run this time of year, but then again I am no expert.

Agreed

I have read that kits do not have a scent.

Other rabbits can have varying degrees of scent just like humans. I have not read anything that says females loose their scent, but I have read that males tend to have a stronger scent. Again just like humans...

when i hear people say my dog can run bucks does and young rabbits all the same i think wow your dogs must really suck. at the end of hunting season in mid feb i can tell weather a rabbit is a buck or doe by the way they circle it, they run bucks much faster because there is more scent.now i donot believe the does are scent free but have had too many dogs struggle witha rabbit then end up finding a nest of babbies close by. but then maybe my dogs are just a bunch of potlickers. maybe ill see some real hounds at the world hunt.

I'm not no rabbitologist. just made that up ,but the last couple weeks my pup has had trouble with some runs and others no problem same day same place, but then he is young

what i have observred with the rabbits in my yard is doe rabbits dont spend all day with a nest of babies , they are only there to feed , the rest of the time they are away from the nest , as far as how much scent does give off , dont know , i cant smell them , i think its more that the does just dont push their luck as much as the bucks do , they find cover quicker , under ground . as for the reason they run some rabbits better than others , could be our dogs are just dogs , not quite as good as we think they are , i know small rabbits tend to do alot of ducking and dodging in a smaller area , does i believe do the same , creating alot more checks , bucks tend to stretch out and run a straighter line , thats why they can run him better , dont believe scent has anything to do with it , just think most dogs arent as good of check dogs as most believe , all dogs are great check dogs when the rabbit aint creating many , again JMO

I know one thing, some days I think I got a word champ and other days I think my dog left his nose at home

Speaking of rabbit scent and checks, has anyone other than me noticed how the dogs can be pounding a rabbit and then you see the rabbit trying to sneak by you and when the rabbit sees you it shifts into another gear and when the dogs get to that place they have trouble smelling the rabbit like the rabbit holds it's scent or something? I have seen this happen time after time. One fellow tried to tell me that the rabbit will hold it's scent but I don't know, I'm no expert on these things and I have been hunting/running for 50 years.

Just had a brain storm I'm gonna develope a rabbit stink-o-meter and then we can know for sure

Ky, hunter, You are on the right track. rabbits are able to hold their scent under stressful conditions. You are correct in your observations. Anyone ever notice that dogs sometimes have trouble picking up the scent of a rabbit after it has been shot and missed. ( The guys who have the super dogs who can smell any rabbit anytime probably haven't noticed it because of their dog power and I suspect they never miss either.) The rabbit is holding his scent due to stress. When Doe rabbits have young ones they have a natural concern for their safety, when being pursued at this time they are easily stressed and repeatedly hold their scent or tighten up. Makes them difficult to run. The guys who claim doe rabbits can always be ran successfully cannot say that their dogs ever have the slightest hint of a problem after one is shot and missed , they really don't know what I am talking about when I say that as they have never seen it happen to their dogs. the scent holding is the same, does with young simply do it time and time again.