How bout Hunt Question?

[Mapel Valley Kennels LLC.]

I was speaking to a Buddy last night and we were talking about hunt , Why does a dog hunt there guts out and never jump many rabbits? Not a young dog but even one with some age. Would like some input.

[bluemouse]

The best jump dogs are born not made, and we all know they are not a dime a dozen. They just learn at an early age where to look and how to find a sitting rabbit, they are wired in there brain to find rabbits.

[Dave Swiger]

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[Jwagner]

You can't find what you can't smell. Nose power has a lot to do with jumping rabbits IMO.

[S.R.Patch]

My best jumpdawg didn't have the best nose, she kinda surged on the line but could wind a rabbit close.
She was all business off the tailgate and just seem to go straight to the rabbit, endless desire to hunt a rabbit.
She was a ugly lite made bitch with a disposition that could melt a hear of stone, looked a little "feisty".
"Blackfoots Pop Fannie" rip, Cody Sharpe Mikie X HH Pop Fannie.

[BCBeagles]

I agree with Jwagner. I have increased the nose power in my kennels and my hounds jump more rabbits now than ever. Do they hunt as hard, maybe not, but I have seen many a hound tear thru a brush pile that did not have anything in it. That is impressive, but lacks efficiency in my opinion. Hunting like there on fire doesn't mean they are letting there nose work to LEAD them to the rabbit.

There nose and brain together help them the most, IMO. I have male here that winds a bunch of rabbits, he works the wind and circles patches of brush, he DOES NOT go in every one. He does jump his share. He can also lock on a baby rabbit and hammer it as well, so again I think nose helps him. JMO's.

[S.R.Patch]

I guess that's the difference, my jumpdawgs don't trail up a rabbit.

When I was a boy, I had a cold nose bitch named Penny, she would trail up her rabbits, she didn't jump as many but I couldn't fault her because she most often produced her rabbit.

A jumpdawg just seem to know where to go to fine the rabbit...I took ole Fannie in many a field after fellers were leaving and told me there were no rabbit out there and had a big time running the rabbits in an empty field...

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

Man-- I agree with both sides..

Nose power can produce some rabbits and is a good trait but that doesn't account for some dogs ability to find a rabbit on isle 6 of walmart.

I have one dog that smells around brush and take trails and sometimes jumps a rabbit and then I got a dog with comparable nose power that will flat out bulldoze anything in his path and just finds a rabbit.. Sometimes I get so mad because he will pass up what I think is an awesome area just to jump one on the edge of a field or ditch..

[HAREHOUND]

i guess i don't think that a good jump dogs has to have a lot of nose power but on the other hand most the good ones i have seen do. and i sure don't think it hurts if they do. number one is to have the hunt but then they must have the ability to work the sent in the air from off of the rabbit/hare. i have some that will do a great job of trailing up and jumping a hare but my best/favorite jump dog hunts on a dead run with her head up like a bird dog. she will jump more game and twice as fast as the others. i think this is something that you can kind of pick out at a very young age. the best one i own now would turn on a dime and half stand on her back legs when she winded some game and would out jump anything i own 9 times out of 10 when she was less than a year old. obviously they get even better with age but imo, they either got it or they don't. and most don't.

[RAD]

If a dog's a good check dog dont they have a good nose? How many check dogs you seen that hunted hard
but didnt jump alot of rabbits? if they can find checks shouldnt they be able to jump/find rabbits?

[Jwagner]

Well RAD you brought up a whole other topic desire to find a rabbit. He asked why dogs that show desire or hard flashy hunt couldn't find rabbits. To me it shows a lack of nose. I agree a dog can jump rabbits with an average nose if they have a high motor and cover a lot of ground to do it. notice I said average nose cause I really think weak nosed dogs are not good jumped dogs. I mean a dog that has to be up a rabbits rear end to bark. But that is just my opinion. One thing I noticed about those average nose dogs that jump rabbits when it really gets cold in Michigan you can cut those jumps they get three quarters of the year in half. That is just what I have observed.

[tinymwoods]

I have a gyp out of Jewnee that hits all the brush hard. She jumps her share of bunnies. My ole bud Tim had a little 13" bitch that would go in 8 brush piles a day and jump six rabbits. Seemed like she just had a nack for it. At the end of the day, the little jump dog would normally outjump the whole pack. Dunno why.

[smokedawg]

I dont have what I would call a true jump dog at this time. Every hound I have can jump and run their own rabbit but a true jump dog dont come along very often. I have owned what I would call 2 jam up jump dogs in 30 years of rabbit doggin. The dogs I run now jump rabbits but when they hit the brush, they got their nose on the ground, searching for a track to run. The 2 jump dogs I had hit the brush looking, listening, searching for a rabbit in the bed to catch. They would wind a rabbit in the bed and jump him hot every time. Every jump they made, sounded like they was looking at him on a sight chase. However, neither of my jump dogs could run a rabbit as good as my worst dog I have now, once he was up and running but it didnt matter cause I had pack dogs back then that could run him just fine. When we shot the rabbit, the jump dog had another one going instantly, like he had one in his pocket. Now when my current hounds jump him, it may take a minute of working a track to actually get him up and rolling. I miss those hot, screaming, jumps where you know they are looking at him. It has been at least 10 years since I owned the last good jump dog I had but I am still looking for one. If you want to see if you got a jump dog, turn him loose in a cutover at high noon and see if he can produce a rabbit. If he is looking for a track to run, there wont be much action. If he is looking for a rabbit in the bed, game on. When they jump rabbit after rabbit all day long like it aint nothing, you get spoiled. Everything I got hunts hard, stays busy, and does jump their share and I do have one that produces more than my others but since I have owned one before, I know when I dont own one. I am stll looking for one but you gotta raise em yourself. A true jump dog just aint for sale.

[eddywilliams]

I am raising pups out of the best Jump dog I have witnessed ,he hunts on the run through the briars he has the nose to wind them in the squat or flat jump em out of the thick stuff .He will find him if he is there his offspring are carrying this trait I am a lucky man .I feel nose power has a lot to do with it I have seen some decent dogs go up and wind a briar patch and move on the next thing you know out pops a bunny .

[sicososbe]

A real jump dog winds the sent of a rabbit.You can have a dog that will go throu every thing ,butt a dog that can wind sent will jump more rabbits.. . and it helps if they are yeller Jimbo.