The American Beagler Forum

Just got back from running the dogs and had two occurrences that made me think on this.
I'm sure that deer gun season is in most states.As always happens land owners that hunt deer ask me not to run the dogs as it will"scare all the deer out of here".Even when I coon hunted many felt that if you hunted your dogs during the night that the deer hunting would be spoiled for the morning.
After 50 years of following hounds on coon,cat,bear,fox and all types of rabbits I can say with assurance that the deer don't care anything about the dogs as long as they're not chasing them!!
Twice today I had my three females pounding a rabbit round and round an open brushy field where I could see all the action.After 45 minutes of running all of a sudden a doe gets up right in the middle of the circles the dogs had been running and bounds away.A little bit later it happened again with a doe and a spike after the dogs had run the rabbit all around where they had been bedded down. The dogs I'm running don't care anything about a deer. This has happened so many times that I couldn't begin to count.
Many times at night coonhunting we'd see deer standing there in the light as the dogs hunted out.Remember one time had 3 big blutick hounds treeing their hearts out with a steady roar and two of us searching the tree and encouraging the dogs.I happened to swing my light around and there were 4 deer standing about 50 yards away watching us.
I've had coon hounds going through the woods in front of me and was watching them with the spotlight.Drum stopped and just stood looking at a blowdown.I scanned the fallen tree with the light and saw a huge rack of horns showing low to the ground behind the log.Drum stood there 20 feet away.I walked in to him and a huge buck got up and bounded into the darkness.
We were hunting swampers down in the Mississippi Delta and the deer were everywhere.We got into a swamp that looked good and got a quick jump.Here come the dogs just driving and here come 7 deer streaking by on each side of me within 20-30 yards.Here comes a big swamper right behind them that I shot.We hunted that swamp all morning and took 4 more rabbits.We saw that group of deer numerous times as they never left the swamp.They just moved around to stay out of the dog's way.
In the spring I've had does on several occasions run in on the beagles and try and run them off only to find they had a fawn hidden in the grass.The beagles didn't bother the doe and the fawn and the doe wasn't very afraid of them as she kept hanging around the area until we moved off.
Last month I was hare hunting in northern Maine and the dogs had been absolutely flogging a hare for almost 2 hours steady.We were watching them on the GPS and could see that they were running the same pattern over and over putting multiple circles on him.I was leaning up against a big fir tree when the dogs began to swing back towards me.I waited for the hare only to be surprised when a huge 8 pointer stepped out and paused on the edge of the thick stuff.He had no idea I was there and I watched him as he turned back and was obviously listening to the beagles.The pack came fairly close and then swung back into the swamp and the buck nonchalantly walked back in to the cover.
You won't convince guys that are deer hunters and not houndsmen that running your dogs won't effect the deer [as long as they're not trashy ] but I don't believe that the deer are very concerned as long as it's not them being chased!
Here in Tennessee we have so many deer that I can almost count on seeing deer every time I turn my beagles loose and they don't seem very concerned.

Dana,
Had a very similar situation the last few Saturdays. A friend came down from Michigan that has a male out of Sam and we took Sam, Maggie, and Spike (Josh Riser's male out of Sam) and went to Jackson and hunted a farm owned by one of my family, one of the honey holes we hunt full of deer. We saw numerous races where rabbits and deer were running down the same trail and would split and go different directions at various ends of the thicket and the dogs would peel off and continue running rabbits while the deer would just ease right back into the thicket and move around the dogs as they ran rabbits. I have other farms I hunt that the people that own call me to come and run rabbits while they bow hunt because they know my dogs will push the deer around as they are running rabbits, hunted one of those spots the first Saturday of season that still had standing corn everywhere. Had awesome cornfield races out of hearing and back all day long, great day and deer running everywhere, it was awesome. Come up and hunt with me when you can, I would love to have you along with some of your fine hounds to enjoy some of these races. Got a 150 to 200 acre clear cut (private property also) near my house that is my favorite place to run. More deer than rabbits but the running is unbelievable, lots of races between 1.5 hrs. to 4 hrs. Sam and Maggie are looking good, these dogs never cease to amaze me how they can still run rabbits the right way even out of shape and fat, wish I could do that lol and Spike looked awesome, fine hound, I sure would like to own him. call me when you have time.

You and your dogs will scare a mature buck. The young ones will not pay to much attention but them old trophy bucks will sneak out there. Them deer get smarter as they get older. If your in that spot everyday they will not spook out as easy

So many deer is why its easier to break a dog from running them. Young pups run cows too but stop when they see its no big deal and will do the same with deer.
Bad that so much land is now leased to out of town deer hunters and you cannot hunt anywhere near it as your beagles might run a rabbit off your property onto theirs and get shot by bow or rifle. We today must have a lot of land to be only able to hunt the middle of it.
Interesting though if you run a deer off your land onto theirs it is OK for them to shoot and keep it.
Not many rabbit or coon hunters left because of all the fussing. Old folks either died off or quit for that reason and young folks are losing dog hunting as a great experience and education.

Hey Jonah
Good to hear that you and Sam and Maggie are getting to the woods and tuning up those rabbits for when I can make it back up there.
It's been 36 days since we bred Rainy to Sam.I think she's starting to show but not sure yet .Another week or so should tell for sure.
Ain't it great to have straight dogs? I can remember back 40 years ago with no shock collars,no tracking collars and hunting the big woods up north-----man those trasy hounds gave us some wicked deer races!!!!! Got a real peace of mind with the hounds in my kennel now.
Talk with you soon.
Happy Thanksgiving to All
Dana

my brother and i were hunting a wma the dogs were on their 3rd circle and got within less than 10 yds. of a big buck before he jumped out of his bed in a thicket.
i believe deer are more likely to run from hunters sent and careless mistakes than dogs running a rabbit.

we jumped a deer up the other day dana and I had a dog go about 4 ft from it and open up full voice going strong. I thought u gotta be kidding me I haven't had a deer race ina long time... I set the remote on 6 turn it to the dog that started this and get ready to hammer down,, when I hear my male open that u can bet the farm on not to run trash,,,so I waited..only to have where to deer went right the dogs went left....I just smiled and said good going guys ..lol

Puppies don't bother deer...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... F-uFvOTVHA

Why do deer circle? Where hounds are used to harvest deer, the deer circle coming back to where the hunter is on stand.
Many bow hunters have thanked us for moving the deer out of their day beds in the fields, back into the woods where they're on stand.
Realizing the nature of animals and hunting in harmony with others seems to be a lost art.