rabbits

[reubenpa]

I am getting a beagle pup this october from a friend...  No papers but the parents and grandparents of this dog have been excellent rabbit dogs, and the one grandparent was a champion show dog.  He is selling it to me for 25 bucks!!!!!   I am looking forward to it..   I have never been extremely succesful with rabbit hunting as I have always been the dog  lol

[RGFIXIT]

Reuben,
Here's a couple of tips from a rabbit hunter and former beagle owner. (Miss Beasley has passed on )

If you get to pick from the litter, pick up each pup and hold it close to your face. Choose the one that cuddles up close and quiets right down. Hopefully it's a female.

Watch them in the group as they play to see if that one is somewhat subordinate. To me thats a good trait in a beagle for a one dog owner.

Take the pup everywhere you can with you. Especially in the field. Mine used to run along at my feet and when she got tired I'd carry her in my hunting coat pocket.

Make the dog your best friend...an easy thing to do with a beagle.

All these things will assure that your new hunting companion will want to find YOU when you're out hunting, not the other way around.

Beasley was as spoiled as a dog could be. She slept with us..had her own pillow on the bed. Her favorite spots were on our lap or curled up next to us on the couch. The only exception was that she never got anything but dog food. Spoiled rotten.

But let me tell you...when I got out her orange collar with that little brass bell, she knew what it was for. She'd run a bunny slow for 45min and work it right back to where it started.  That's the key! Rabbits pretty much run as fast as they have to and always go back to where they were. Kennel beagles get out and go like heck in a straight line pushing the bunny hard and far from you. Many times they get so far as to get lost.

If you're going to hunt this dog alone, make her a pet..make her want to be with you  more than anything. That way when she starts a bunny you have only to position yourself in the general area she took off from and wait. Not only will you get the game you're after, but you'll get your dog back as well.

I often hunted with a friend who owned a male and kept him in a kennel. Boots would be so wired that he'd run right over rabbits. The sad story is that Boots ran a hedgerow for more than a mile one day, straight across a busy highway and was killed by a car. While my friend was chasing his dog ( a very common occurance) Beasley and I took 4 rabbits within a  200 yard area. I didn't move more than 100 feet from where we started and each time I blew my whistle she came right back to me looking for a hug.

A couple of cautions about Beagles though, they are "Nose Brains". When their nose takes over their brains go dead. They are not very leash trainable. They WILL take off.

Also they will eat just about anything and eat till they can't move for their belly dragging on the floor. Mine once managed to get 2 NY strip steaks off our kitchen counter and devour them in the time it took me to light the gas grill.

They are great pets and hunters.
RG

[reubenpa]

Wow RG, I figured that you would reply, but that was some post!!!

Thanks a million, but I have one question, what do you mean by subordinate? 

[RGFIXIT]

The dominant pups will be all over the others forcing them to play. They're the hyper-active children. Hard to control. Beagles can be exceptional hard heads.

Look for the pup on the bottom of the pile. You'll never have to scold them. Training by reward will accomplish everything. We never raised a hand or voice or swatted our beagle...never had to. In the field she came to either my crow call or the whistle.

Did you know that US Customs uses beagles  around the country to find illegal food and drugs?

There's not much in this world more adorable than a beagle puppy. I envy you.
Bob

[Scott]

Don't be afraid to take the runt of the littler either. I think, like Bob said that being a runt they will be a subordinate pup in the litter. My fishing bud Big Pete had hunted and trained beagles for many years. One of the best beagles had was the runt of the litter he called Penny. This dog was so good just plain awesome! Pete and I had 8 years of some of the best bunny hunting we have ever had with that dog.

She would hunt slow, steady and methodical hardly ever losing the trail. When we wanted to move to a new spot, couple calls and BAM she was there ready to kennel up and head off to the next brush thicket. He had another one Snoopy who the was exactly the opposite, dominate. Well this dog would pretty much go insane at the scent of a rabbit he was good just not as consistant as Penny was. You had watch out when you got a bunny if you didn't hold it way above your head that darn Snoopy would get it from you... never seen a beagle that could jump so high. After Penny then Snoopy had passed away Pete never got another beagle I assumed he thought he had the best dog ever and could not top it.


-Scott

[RGFIXIT]

Yeah, there's nothing like a slow beagle...especially with legs my age.

I kinda feel the same as Pete. Miss Beasley was the best of the best to me and I don't know if I'll ever have another.

RG

[reubenpa]

thanks guys, I appreciate the tips, I being an aggresive and redneck guy would probably have picked the dominate one and wondered why I could do anything with it!!! 

[sbfpa_Mike]

thanks guys, I appreciate the tips, I being an aggresive and redneck guy would probably have picked the dominate one and wondered why I could do anything with it!!!

OH MY GOSH,  I feel really sorry for the congregation!  LOL  This thread has deffinately got me thinking about a Beagle. 

[reubenpa]

y do you feel sorry mike, would rather have a redneck pastor or a stiff starchy kind?  lol   I feel sorry for them to!!!!!!!!!!!

[PA_BOWHUNTER]

Reuben, you're in for alot of fun.  Running beagles was a big part of my adolescent years.  I would come home from school and when I get off the bus I would let my beagle (Sally) loose, go in the house and grab my vest and gun, by the time I would get back outside Sally would have one going.  What fun, I would take a limit of rabbits almost everynight after school.  What a great dog.  Sally died the summer after I graduated high school and I pretty much stopped hunting small game.  Didn't really want another dog because I never hunted with one that even compared to her.  Many years later I received a pup from my father-in-law as a Christmas present.  This pup is a male and is super fast and had a great nose.  I just don't have the connection with him that I did with Sally.  He's always off ripping around at the speed of light where Sally was slow and stayed close by.  Last fall was his first season and he was just shy of 1 year old.  I had worked him around the house on the local rabbits but the first time I took him to the woods he was really wound up and excited.  We didn't get 20 yards from the truck and 3 deer ran across the field we were in about 200 yds. away coming from the neighbors farm.  Well he saw them and took off on a dead sprint.  Since then I have had a hard time keeping him with me.  This season I plan on walking the area to bump any deer out first before I let him out to hunt.  I really don't know what else to do.  Anyone have any suggestions?  It's very frustrating for me and I don't have alot of time to spend with him in the field during the off season.  Any suggestions would be a great help.

[bobberstop]

I would suggest buying or borrowing a shock collar. If he gets too far call him and if he dont come push the button. If he runs deer push the button. It wont take many times of that and hell figure out it hurts to not come or run deer.

[PA_BOWHUNTER]

I thought of that but don't have the budget for one this year.  I know a guy that has 2 but is training 3 bird dogs and needs them for himself.

[treed942000]

PA,

Can you use a check cord or is the area to dense with foilage?

TReed

[RGFIXIT]

Beagles are remarkably tough little dogs. Shock collars will work, but not being what could be considered "smart" , it could have a seriously adverse effect on his hunting altogether....that is if he responds at all .

A neighbor behind me has 2 beagles and an invisible fence...they regularly escape without a yelp and he claims to have it set to the maximum shock voltage.

I think training is the answer...positive reinforcement , with food is more apt to work with the "nose brain".

Take him on a lead to where the deer bed and reward him with yummies for staying with you. If you can get him to associate the smell of deer with getting some treats from you ...you may just win the battle. My little girl Beasley jumped deer all the time. I'd blow the whistle and as always she'd come running for a yummie and a hug.

RG

[sbfpa_Mike]

Reub,  I feel sorry for them for the "aggressive" Pastor.  I am down with the Redneck part. 

As far as the running part, I have heard about guys who drop their hyper dogs off about a mile or so before the hunt spot and run them the rest of the way to get them calmed down some.  This is about the extent of Dog knowledge from this guy.