How many years??

[Schag]

Wow! I can't believe I found this picture. After posting this message, I went looking through all of the old pictures, and took a walk down memory lane. I wish I was a kid again. Here is Ruffy and me. I just turned ten in the picture. I wish I had the same hairline today as I did back then. Don't make fun of me too bad fellas.

[Anderson Upland Beagles]

nice post .....................................................................................................

[Rabbithoundjb]

Folks this post is what is all about, sharing memories. My dad was a deer hunter and one of his buddies was moving and daddy kept his beagles for 3or4 months for him. Well he had an old female, a young male and a gang of pups various ages and he told my dad the old female wouldn't run nothing but a rabbit and wasn't much at that but he could run any of them he wanted to so daddy got the young male running deer and he let me walk the old dog and some of the pups around the farm. I got three of the pups started on rabbits (course I didn't have clue what I was doing but it was sure fun). When ole boy come to get his dogs (while I was at school) he left the pup that daddy told him was my favorite, I called her redface for obvious reasons. That was 37 years ago and I have loved it every since. Never cared much for killing rabbits but man I love raising and running these little hounds. Boy this is good post brings back a lot of great memories.

[Nor' Easter]

Hare hunted with hounds for 25 years. I used to take my older brothers female out of Jack of all trades "Branko's Bell Spec's" hunting every other day Nov-March. She never had a day she couldn't put a pounding on hare. She needed 2 points to finish, but then he decided to breed her instead of trial her. Had my own hounds since 1992, usually I have one-4 dogs, I think I'm going to keep one male and one female now at a two year age gap.
I know one thing, hare hunting with beagles taught me how to get around in our thick coniferous forest without trails and just a compass. And my hunting buddies and I would have never stepped foot on most of the huntable woods here in Nova Scotia had it not been in pursuit of the snowshoe hare. I've came across more favorite whitetail hunting areas because the hounds drug me through the worst thickets only to find deer and hare havens.
One male bluetick " RYE" lost his tail to a freight train on his way out of the woods after a days hunt across from the house and it never bothered him a bit. He would EAT a whole hare if givin the chance, unfortunately he died at a young age.
Now into trialing also, I get to meet many like myself, alot of them are still trialing from when I used to back in the 90's also.
Can't wait until hare hunting season on Nov. 15th, no snow, white hare and crispy leaves to hear them comming at a full run, I got some vacation days saved just for those special days.

[Schag]

Another little side note about Ruffy. I had to pay for him on my own. Mom and Dad really didn't want any hounds, although my grandfather owned beagles, but said if I worked for one and promised to take care of him, I could. I saved every nickle and dime I possibly could. I know what most of you are thinking, wow, a story from "Where the Red Fern Grows", well I can relate to that story quite well!! I did buy that hound with my own money, and took care of it. Mom did help care for my hounds when I was off to school, or a sporting event etc. Mom and I built a special bond because of these little dogs and she was as proud as them as I was. It seems like some Mothers today may just say "I am not helping with those dogs get rid them!" I guess I was blessed with caring parents. My little boy is lucky that he was born into a house already established with beagles. But, I bet if any of you come to my house, you will see a two-year old capable of watering the dogs, handling dogs, and caring for them. He knows he has to earn his keep too! Did I mention my boy can hit a fastball too...thanks mom and dad for installing in me what I can pass to my children.

[Big Dog]

I inherited the bug from my great uncle who lived next door to me. He always kept a pack of dogs and I would tag along when he would go run them. I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 then. He would take me hunting with him if he was going by himself and hold me up and let me shoot his 12 guage double barrel with the double hammers on it. That thing kicked like a mule, but I couldn't wait to shoot it. He would find rabbits sitting in the bed and call me over so I could see them. By the time I was 15 he would sit back and brag on my shooting and hunting ability. He always kept a pack of fat dogs, but they could burn a rabbits but up. Some of the best jump dogs I have seen to this date were owned by him. I got my first pack for free when I was 13, and they were about worthless, but I hunted the heck out of them anyway. Got my first real dog at 15, found a pup and raised it. Used to hunt her solo and kill rabbits all day long. She died the week after I left for college, but she was a rabbit dog. She retrieved and would jump them just as fast as you could kill them.

[billi]

Dad got me a Irish Setter when i was 12 dad said the thought ol red was lonesome so he bought a beagle we called shorty..may still have been the best i ever had... currently 70 and down to 3. Im still like a little kid i like to have every pup i see and some id love to have lol. Smokin has taken its toll . Im having a rough time if the ground isnt parking lot flat. Thank god for tri tronics i wouldnt be still going if it wasnt for those folks. I usually take one out at a time its a easier but i tell myself im putting solo time in on these dogs yea right..I carry a little 410 sometime but most i just run even in gun season. I realize you guys dont like to hear it but if you love it throw the smokes away..I ran in the Derby city mini marathon when i was 50...thought i was doing good ..yes i have quit 4 years ..sorry got carried away..58 years..

[S.R.Patch]

My grandfather had foxhounds, my great uncles had coon-hounds, my father almost despised hounds for they took away from getting work done, so I was never afforded the luxury of purebreds, only crossed up muts that came to be pets that I could get some sport out of. I was always chastised for dragging to the house dead things that me, rusty and ole snowball could catch to far from the hole.
My first beagle was acquired by accident, I started staying with my grandmother on some weekends to help her with mowing, house chores & unloading the lump coal and shoveling it into the coal bin(a boy likes nothing better than getting dirty. ). Mowing her yard turned into quite a profitable business as the neighbors on the block, mainly older folks, would flag me over and ask to have theirs done also if I'd like a dollar for doing it. While mowing the many small yards on the block, I noticed one neighbor had a little hound in his fenced yard, I would pet and play with this little fellow while taking a tea breaks (older folks always thought you needed a cold drink when they saw you working hard, so I had lots of tea breaks while pushing the old reel type mower, it was dull, I was little, so it must have impressed them to see me make a run at the grass and then have to back up and have another go at it for a gain of 5 or 6 feet... ). Well after mowing and playing with that little hound, I knew I just had to have him so I asked the man that owned him if I could buy him? He said, well, I got him to keep me company and a fine hound like that was worth upwards of $25... ...well, not one to be put off by hard work( and a little hard headed) I said, I'll give you the $25, when I get there mowing these yards, so we struck a deal and by the end of summer I had my hound. Now, the problem was, getting father to let me keep him... ... but grandma had a way of shaming dad for me and I learned early to hold tight to her apron... ...father always said, your not done till the list is complete, but grandma would say, it's hot and that boys been working hard, we need to cut that watermelon I put in the fridge last night... Well, grandma worked her magic again and the little hound was home with me, but stipulation were in place that always kept the threat of me loosing him if any chores fell behind. Well, I went to work that Fall trying to educate Ben (my new hound) just how this rabbit hunting game was played, but to him, it seemed nothing more than a fun walk through hill and dale... ... I stomped brushpiles for him, tried jump shooting rabbits for him, but nothing seemed to excite him into joining in on the game. We went through that whole season with me being the dawg and him being a fateful observer showing little interest in helping me out... ...I kept him chained up through the summer except for our walks after chores were done, he was a happy little hound very fateful and always stayed with me (to much I was coming to believe). At long last, his second season was coming to be and I had high hopes of him remembering how I played the game and joining in this year. I took him out, tried to sic him into brush but he just gave me his happy look as if to say, well, go get in the bushpile and dance... ... I have to tell you, I pulled the gun down on that little hound more than once, but the web we had weaved between us was attached to my heart and besides, I had $25 in that saddle backed hide and he wasn't getting off the tab that easy... ... Well, one day I was out with him doing my Indian dance on a brushpile and I noticed he wasn't around being a good student as always, so I went calling looking for him. He was down by the creek nosing in some broom sage, i thought, well I'll be, when all the sudden, out popped a rabbit Well, it set him back on his heels at first, then he put his nose in the spot where the rabbit had come and then came forth this beautiful bell tone bawl and I thought, "HOTDOG" I got me a rabbit dawg !!! Well, he trailed off that rabbit for a good ways before he lost it but I was there to encourage him on and I think he was as excited as I was... ... From that day forward we hunted our farm rabbits together. He died of heart worms at the age of 8, I slept with him in the barn that night after getting him back from the vet. That was all getting close to 40 years ago and there's been hounds to feed and crap to shovel here ever since. Reminds me of a saying I heard from a Pack Master in England, "And I for my sins, am Master of the ----- ------ Beagles"... ... if it's in your blood, it's truly a labor of love...

[Schag]

I enjoy reading all of the responses. Thank-you to all who replied. SR Patch, I have to agree that it is in the blood.

[Larry G]

Most of the money I made I spent on horses, dogs, women and spirits, the rest I just wasted. Started keeping beagles in 1950, ran yesterday, going again today, so for some of us it is a hard thing to wear out.

[T Hynes]

I got my first beagle from Matt Glomski about 15 yrs ago when I was 17, I ended up selling her when I went off to school because I wouldn't be able to hunt her as much as she needed to be ran. I grew up with coon dogs and bird dogs so when I started hunting again I had a couple coon dogs and a bird dog. I got married and had a step son who was 7 at the time and coon hunting was to hard on the little guy. We have hills that are so big they seem like mountians lol, so I called Matt and got a beagle pup so I could take him hunting, the next thing I know I got rid of my coon dogs and replaced them with beagles

[db215]

My grandfather gave me my first pair of foxhounds when I was 3 and my dad took care of them until I was old enough to run them and take care of them myself. And I went to Beagles at 18 year old and I haven't looked back. I remember telling my grandfather I was changing over from foxhounds to beagles and he looked at me for a while and said they are just a little foxhound, he never would call them a beagle just a little foxhound the rest of his life. I'm 50 now and still have an even dozen in the kennel, I guess that's 32 years, it's hard to believe it's been that long. dboman

[bigdogpace]

MY DAD HAD BEAGLES AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER WHEN I WAS 12 YRS. I HAD MY OWN PACK OF 3 RAN EVERY DAY AFTER SCHOOL . MOM WOULDRUN ME OUT OF WOODS AT NIGHT . N MY EARLY 20 S TOOK A BREAK RAN OUTSIDE FOX HOUNDS 25 YRS . ID SAY I CAUGHT OVER A 1000 FOXES N THE WILD . WELL RAN OUT OF SOMEWHERE 2 RUN FOXES WENT BACK 2 RABBIT HOUNDS 4 THE LAST 15 YRS. MET SOME NICE PEOPLE HAD UPS AND DOWNS . BELIEVE IM HEADED RIGHT DIRECTION NOW . APPRECIATE ALL PEOPLE THATS HELPED ME SHOWED ME THINGS I RUN 3 TO 5 DAYS AWEEK ACCORDING TO CONDITION OF DOGS. BEEN AT THIS 40 YRS . YOURS N BEAGLING BIGDOG PACE @ PICK UP PACE BEAGLES