The American Beagler Forum

Yes, it is possible to miss a shot at a white hare on bare ground, twice even!!!...lol...Patch

LOL! I believe you. For some reason I can shoot something out of the air much better than I can something running on the ground.

Bev wrote:LOL! I believe you. For some reason I can shoot something out of the air much better than I can something running on the ground.

Bev...........rabbits dont fly............

lmao....and ducks are too easy on the ground...

Windy, I beg to differ... These hare were on the fly!!!...lol
Early on, we spotted a couple of hare sitting in the cedars, and with the bare ground, I felt a bit sorry for them as we had an uncanny advantage. Once the hounds got them stired up, flashes of white were streaking about everywhere. It was still an unfair advantage for us to have the game, cloked in a garb of white with the background in such contrast, but very humbling, to have your shooting skills snubbed by raw speed. We only had snow on one of the three days and what a difference it made, the hare seemed to disappear into the white forest floor. The hare is trully a design of nature for the season, unless the weather doesn't cooperate, then she is a setting duck for a stalker with a .22. But, we were there for sport with the hounds, so the tally was kept to seven and 3 of those were taken to end each day and catch the hounds.
Thank you Hare Hunter for sharing good sport with us, my son and I both enjoyed your fellowship ...Patch

Patch, my pleasure, I have told all the local hunters what good sportsmen you and your son were, it was a lot of fun and I know how far you drive to get here and the fact you two were here for the running and not just the gunning makes it that much better. Yep Patch is right, they may have wings, but when the ground is bare and they are white they seem to be able to out run a load of lead from my gun. LOL P.S. just another proof they really are the white ghosts!

Hey Hare,
My boy ask his mother to sew the patch you gave him on his jacket, so I don't think he will be doing any trading...lol... You made a good impression upon him and he was proud to tell his mother of the new friend he had made. He's never had a great "itch" for hounds & hunting and I've never pushed the issue but patients may have paid off on this trip. I was proud when he suggested, "let's go ahead and give it a try", on Saturday, even though it was raining and the wind was blowing cold from the north.
Yep, Christmas may have come early this year ...Patch

Great Patch, sounds like we have another young one hooked! Be sure to warn him that it is a life time addiction. LOL He seems like a very nice young man and all that comes to mind is an acorn and an oak. The pressure that the island recieves is unblievable and that there is still so many hare left there is astounding. I hope sometime in the near furture we can get a bunch of you folks from cottontail country to get together with us hare folk and make a memory that noone would forget! What do you say? Want to try? Put together a date for next fall and invite any and all for a date to run on the Island for a few days? There are so many nice and interesting folks on these boards that I would lke to meet and a few days running hare is the best way I can think of to get it done. Let me know what you think and maybe we can work on it for next fall. Hint Hint, Bev are you reading this? Hare

Well Patch, the ones that aren't snow white against the bare ground can be missed on occasion as well.

Emery

Patch I'm happy to hear you got some good running on hare. I'm having the worst running I've ever had on cottontail here in Oakland county MI. I believe it is due to the predator population. What I know for sure is that the rabbit numbers are way down and most races only go two to three hundred yards. I would be interested in hearing if you think Drummond Island is worth the trip. My best rabbit and hare spot in the Westbranch area was hunted in October without a jump in four hours of hunting. I then tried a new location down the road with simular success. You might think I lack hunt or nose, but that has never been a problem. My six year old Patch male sometimes uses a little extra mouth and sometimes he's a little loose, but he's the dog that will jump and run a rabbit when no other dog can, be it zero or ninety degrees. It is even more discouraging because I have an eight month pup, two six month pups, and two three month pups, and I plan on keeping two eight week olds. If Drummond is worth the trip please let me know, because I am really longing for some good running. I am on a friends computer and it will probably be a day or two before I get back online, but I look forward to your response.
Best wishes,
Bob

I tried to send you an email but was returned. I would like to talk to you about a hunt next year. My email is thornie@localnet.com

Bob Wiest, Drummond Island is definitly worth the trip, I don't know how the rabbit population holds up to the pressure it gets but the hare are there. Keep the faith and keep em running. Hare

Had a lenghly reply wrote up before going to work but a "invalid session" wiped it out... This board doesn't like slow typers so I'll enter lots of short ones...lol...Patch

Hare,
A camp hunt sounds like a lot of fun, the later in the season the better.
My daughter is going to school in England next year and we're planning a trip over to visit her while she is there in the autumn. God willing, and their still hunting, we will get to experience their style of hunting as we have the invite to go with two of their beagle packs...

Well Emery,
How about you take me up to Wi. with you for improper instruction on hitting a white hare...lol... It's only through doing, that the full fustration and embarrassment can be felt and I think I got that down pat...lol