Rabbit hunting Beagles

[Johnny_Namakan]

I know it's a little ways out yet before Rabbitt hunting starts, but have any of you ever hunted rabbits with dogs? I just got off the phone with my old college roommate and he invited me to go rabbitt hunting with him this winter. He lives out in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin. I went with him once back in college.

It was a really neat, yet new, style of hunting. This guy, well his Dad actually, has 5 Beagles that they use for rabbitt hunting. First thing in the morning he let's the dogs out of their kennels, these aren't house dogs at all, never been inside. He just lets them go. They all take off running across a field. He then says, "well, let's go cook some breakfast, and then get dressed." I'm standing there thinking, shouldn't we follow them. He says they need time to get on a trail of a rabbitt. He said we'll go eat, get dressed and then go back outside and listen. When they are hot on a rabbitt they'll bark. If you don't hear them, then they haven't found anything yet.

Sure enough we go back outside an hour later and wouldn't you know it, we hear them barking about a mile away. So, we hop in the car drive down the road and enter the woods where we hear them. We go in the woods a few hundred yards and wait. He said they were coming our way. He said rabbitts usually circle, so be prepared. Sure enough he comes a rabbitt running towards us. He shot it before I even saw it. Anyway, long story short, we got some rabbitts and had a blast doing it. I've just never heard of anyone hunting like that. Is that not allowed in MN. or is it just an old old method of hunting? When the hunt ended I asked how do we get the dogs back. He said we don't. It would be impossible to get them all rounded up. He said they'll come back in a day or two. Sure enough. The next morning they were all in the yard.

Just wanted to share this with you guys, because I've never heard about this type of hunting on this site and was curious what ya'll thought.

[Ely Lake Expert]

I know a guy who is friends with my grandma in Escanaba, MI and he hunts rabbits with beagles too. He took me out once, he let his 4 beagles out into the woods and corn fields and said get ready. A few minutes later there were rabbits running in every direction.

[ads2211]

I am from Upstate NY and that is the only way we have ever hunted rabbits. I have a 2 1/2 year old male that is an inside dog. I can't even grab my shotgun without him going nuts. When I moved to minnesota and asked some hunting friends of mind about rabbit hunting they looked at me like I was crazy. So I have been in Minnesota now for 2 years and my poor dog is going through withdrawals.

[Johnny_Namakan]

I was amazed at the drive those darn beagles have. They would hunt non-stop for three day sif you'd let them. I'm just suprised at the breed used. We were hunting in deep snow (with a slight ice crust on top) and they were getting their bellies pretty cut-up. I was more concerned about it than the dogs were though. You'd think that a dog with a taller height would have been chosen. Why are Beagle the dog of choice for this? Does anyone know? Is it their incredible sense of smell, or is it because they can fit into most spots that rabbitts can, or what? You couldn't even pet these dogs. Not that they were mean, but because they wouldn't stop long enough to even try. If you bent down to try and pet one as it was running by, it would just run around you. Too busy hunting I guess.

[Bobby Bass]

Sorry, I thought this string was about Rabbits hunting Beagles. Was really looking into an interesting subject !

[NAPAFISH]

I have a 3 year old myself. He is an inside dog. If a rabbit comes in our yard he goes ballastic. almost like an intruder.

Johnny from what I have read The nose on a beagle is so good that they can smell when the rabbit is getting tired. Also the long ears stir up scents of the ground to help track. I think its like 600 times stronger than our noses.

[BLACKJACK]

Rabbit hunting is fun, try it. We always used to have a Christmas rabbit hunt with the relatives. We didn't use a dog, we'd post one guy at one end of a tree grove and the rest of us would start at the other end of the grove and drive the rabbits toward him. And they're good eating, lots of meat on the hind quarers and back. Just make sure you get everyone to use a light shot, it keeps them from getting blown up, and it doesn't take much to anchor a cottontail.

I don't know about that idea of just turning your dog out the door and letting him run though. Sounds like a good way to torque off your neighbors when they traipse thru his land, and maybe chase a few deer too.