Beagles trailing rabbits
 

Well, we took the dogs out again last week. They did good and we shot a few rabbits, but... they don't bark/bay often enough to let you know where they are and where they're headed. Any ideas on how to get them to bay more?

Also, how fresh of a track will they take off on when they cut it? From what I've seen, they don't run on really old tracks, like where the scat is dried, but what about a trail that's a few days old? How big is a rabbits territory?

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

im only 18 but i been huntin cottontails for bout 4 yrs. i have noticed that after ya kick up a cottontail they will only run a short distance (under 75 yards) unless being chased then they will run a circle and come back to the general area in which they were kicked out from. if u go out after a fresh snow u will notice that there r rabbit tracks around certain piles and they dont stray far away from them...typically around here they only stray about 25 yards from the brush pile as long as there is food close enough...which there usually is everywhere.

do u kickup a bunny and let your dogs track it and stay in the same spot waiting for them to return or do u follow your dogs? if hunting by yourself its best to not shoot unless u know for SURE u will get it....ortherwise a wounded or shot at rabbit will make a very large circle or go into a hole. if by yourself u just use binocs and watch where the bunny stopped or track and stalk it. if your dogs start chasing it just stay in the same spot u kicked it oiut from and if ya got well trained dogs they will follow the bunny at walking speed and make it cirlce right back to u.

jackrabbits will make a VERY large circle but even they come back to the general area.

just lettin ya know wut ive learnt


ch312

PS. id just get one of those beeper collars ive heard they can be heard 100-200 yards away if volume is maxed out.

PPS. most dogs wont trail unless they pickup the scent....a day or less old. if u have a young dog that thinks they know what they r doing it is probly just following the tracks and not the smell......

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RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

Personally, I like the hounds to be very open on a track. When you're really tuned into your dogs, it's a great way to understand what they are doing. I can tell if it's an older track, if they have just jumped it, or if they have put the rabbit to hole. As far as training your dog to bark more, or to be more open I'm not exactly how you would go about that. We own and operate Red Briar kennels in north central Ohio. We specialize in guided rabbit hunts and dog training. I've found that most dogs (like people), have varied personality traits. Some are mouthy, others more quiet. Some make great jump dogs, while others are better in a pack and are great at making "checks", or finding where the rabbit went when he makes a sudden change in direction. I think the biggest thing that a dog would have going for it is desire. That is not something that you can teach a dog. That is something that is bred into them. They have it or they don't. If you're dog is not barking alot, but has great desire,well,...then maybe you're not so bad off. I've also found that if the hound is young, they sometimes don't make as much noise as a good seasoned hound. Their confidence just isn't there yet.

You might go back and look into the hounds breeding also. Sometimes it can be found, that previous hounds in their bloodlines shared a similar trait such as being tight lipped. There could be several reasons why your hound isn't as vocal as you like. Either way, continue to run the hound, give it some time, and maybe he'll surprise you.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

Thanks for the replies. I usually hunt w/ at least 2 buddies and we let the dogs kick up most of the rabbits. Occasionally we will go into the brush and see if we can kick some up. I usually stay around the same general area the dogs 1st scent the rabbit.

The reason I like to hear the dogs is b/c you can tell which direction the rabbit is headed. It's also nice to be able to differentiate between the pitch and volume of each dogs bark b/c it lets you know whats going on.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

You might also try hunting him a little by himself as he could be relying on the other dogs. I have one that is 3 years old and if you hear him barking you better shoulder your gun as it is right in front of him. The only bad thing about not barking is he runs to fast.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

sounds like your dogs need more time out in the field, more training. we have 3 beagles and run them all year. the more they run the better they get. ours sound out everytime they get a nose full of freah rabbit. ours usually will not bark on a track more than 10 or 15 minutes old. but watch their tail you can tell when they are on an older track and getting some scent. let them go and it will not belong before they are on a hot one. we hunt them all season then just train the rest of the year. depends on where you hunt but some will run out of hearing range before they turn. ussually around builtings and houses they make a short loop. but if you get on a what we call a woods rabbit it will be a long wait. these are not jacks but just big old woods rabbits. if you get on a jacks trail you may not hear your dog for a half an hour. a couple of times out a week and you will have some good dogs. almost forgot ,put a small bell on them helps alot when they are not barking we use the ones you can buy for your fishing pole they have a tone that is easy to hear. we have been training dogs for years and can probably help you with most problems you will have. we supply the rabbits for most of the game dinners around here. remember you want to be your dogs friend not just his trainer. :)

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

I cant agree with Green more,sounds like he knows what he`s talking about.I`ve been in the field with beagles ever since I could walk.You have to get these [or any] field dog out as much as possible.Practice,practice,practice is what helps a sporting dog.It benefits the owner,more than the dog also,especially when your young.It does no good having a dog penned up,when the owner is sitting on the couch, board[I know we`ve all done it a few times].Learn it while your young,I know that rabbit hunting isnt rocket science,but when your training dogs,its a whole other story.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

I ran the dogs a lot in the last month or so. They've gotten exponentially better. You're right, practice, practice practice and you've got it.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

I agree that you need to put them in the brush, which I do. But dogs are like people, some have different traits, mouthy,close-mouthed etc. The more you hunt a dog the better he is going to get to a certain extent but he is only going to get as good as his potential allows him.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

another thing you may want to start is the whistle training. this works great and they can hear it for hundreds of yards. if you are interested i can explain it somewhat. let me know see yaaaaaa:)

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

I've got them stopping on the whistle right now. Then if I call, they come. Could you explain more though. I'm a novice to this, but it's working out much better than expected. I think that's due to me getting very good beagles and they just have it in their blood.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

we have ours trained so when we blow the whistle 2 times they will stop and look at us to see which direction we have turned then they turn with us. this works very good if they are not on a bunny. this takes alot of cut up hotdogs for a reward when they turn. we start this when they are young before they get too brave. this is when they are little and they want to follow you everywhere. becareful in the summer you can over heat the dogs make them come in for water or run them to near by stream they will jump right in. in the summer when we are training we use a 5 or 6 whistle sound when the bunny has turned back and ran past us. this gets the dogs excited and when they return you can put them a very fresh scent. after a while they learn that this gets them closer to the rabbit and they will come back most everytime. this also works great when you are ready to quit or load up. they think you have seen a rabbit and they come running. this only works with lots of practice. our dogs get more time running in 6 months than most dogs get in a life time. i hope this helps and gives you some ideas. i am finding out this is harder to explain than i thought it would be. alot of this stuff is easy to show you but hard to explain. we will try to help when we can. good luck

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

I get the gist of it. Thanks for the help, I'll start doing that from now on.

RE: Beagles trailing rabbits
 

Got these running Beagles.....