I would start out with one dog, preferably a female.

Buy your kids the right hunting gear, brush pants and coats and hats and gloves and boots. A pump action shotgun and a vest that holds a box of shells.

The hard part isn't hunting rabbits, it is finding a place that has rabbits that isnt posted or has a house built there.

Most of the places where I hunted rabbits with my dad and Uncles are all gone now - because of the new housing boom and because of posted signs and because of the deer moving in and eating all the low browse.

The territory changes from year to year until there is no rabbits left.

If you could buy a beagle pup that has already been trained to hunt rabbits and then start hunting, you would be better off than buying a beagle pup and trying to train it yourself - because you could start hunting right away.

Your other option is to join a beagle club and hunt with other hunters that has beagles and a place to hunt already.