Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

Hey guys what do you think would be a good dog for rabbit hunting and night coons? Thanks a lot, Spence.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

I know beagles are good rabbit dogs but would they work alright for night hunting coons?

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

Any ideas?

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

we have walkers and i know we are getting a red bone this spring. beagles are good as well for rabbits.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

I think that we have had every recognized coon hound in our kennels. We prefer redbones and that is all that we will probably have from now on. We hunt with beagles for rabbits.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

I go rabbit hunting with my grandpa and his beagle almost evey day and he does a great job and never slows down. He is a great rabbit hunting dog but he has never chased a coon.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

I think you will find it hard to get a dog that can do both very well. Beagles make great rabbit dogs but very few have enough tree instinct to tree coon. I have owned a couple beagles that would tree squirrels as well as run rabbit but their tree style would never work for coon. They would run the squirrel to the tree lookup for a minute or two then leave to find another one. In coonhunting the dog may have to hold the tree for extended periods while you work to get to it. If you are deadset on getting a dog that will do both I would suggest looking at the curs or feists as these are some of the gamiest dogs around plus they are tree dogs. I am a coonhunter that hunts walkers and one of our toughest things is to break hounds from running off game so I do not recommend trying to have one dog do both you might have a dog that runs rabbits at night and coon during the day.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

Might want to try a cur dog. A blackmouth cur, or a mountain cur can hunt just about anything, and are great tree dogs. My blackmouth hunted rabbits, squirrel, hog and coon. Good all around hunters.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

EJD, Good info. I to like a redbone for coons along with black and tans,treeing walkers, and the all mighty curr! The black mouth is one of the best all-round hound. Iam running Beagles for bunnies and have gone to catahoulas for hog and other big game.

I have hunted over and behind walkers. The thing about walkers are there out of the country in short order.

The Beagles are the best for rabbits IMO. I have hunted them for a few years now and love the sweet sound of a race.

As for a hound that will do rabbits and coons I would agree ,the black mouth curr.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

I would also suggest a jagdterrier or an Airedale from hunting lines. Airedales have a better treeing instinct, jagdterriers are easier to find from hunting parents. Both can handle a raccoon. I use my jagd to hunt brush piles and in the holes during the day for coons, and he flushes bunnies. He hunts very well and can drive the rabbits if necessary. I guess what I'm saying is a terrier from hunting lines could do what you want. Remember, this is a compromise. No generalist is as good as a specialist at the specialists deal. A terrier won't hunt coons as well as a coonhound or rabbits as well as a beagle. They can and will do it with little fuss.

Dr Fatguy

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

Do the dogs get confused?

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

1950kid,
I don't coon hunt in the traditional manner. I hunt in the day in barns and brushpiles. If I were to coon hunt like everyone else, it would make it difficult but I think one could teach the dog to chase rabbits in the day, coons at night. A little extra effort. I use my dog to hunt everything so I 'm not to picky what he flushes. He has flushed snowshoes, grouse and woodcock and then dove under a brushpile after a coon. Eveyone tells me if I let him kill raccoons he will be hard mouthed but I haven't seen a problem with this. Is my jagd as good as a coonhound? No, but we bring the fur. Is he as good as a beagle? No, but we get the rabbits (more flush and roll than drive and roll). Can a beagle hunt birds, coons, or hogs as as well? Not that I have seen. As we see generalist take some training but work well.
Fatguy
PS When I get another dog it will be a wachtelhund. This is a dog that could trail coons, rabbits, birds and hogs. A breeder in my neck of the woods is trying to train his wachtelhund to hunt bear along with everything else. Just a thought.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

When I was big in the hounds and coon hunting. We used to hold 3 different hunts at the club I use to belong to.(Michigan Coons Hunters Assoc.) Some times we would have a few bags of dog food that didn't sell. Well this one night sitting around the camp fire, we started talking who's dog is the best. And decided to find out. We had a coon we used for the tree contest, and we would let the coon go. After 20mins. we would let the dogs go. The dog that treed the coon first would win 200lbs. of dog food. Well it always seems when you brag about your dog, he/she never show what they can really do. Well the dogs took off on the trail, and 15/20mins later all we heard was a bunch of booger barking. Well this older gentleman that hunted with us had a beagle and told us to watch this. Well Mr. Hill let his beagle go, and within 10mins treed the coon. Talk about getting your nose rubbed into the dirt. This beagle was also one of the best rabbit hounds I've ever hunter with. So with the proper training and the right dog. You can hunt anything I guess.

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

coonhounds for coons .....beagles for rabbits love to hear them run

RE: Rabbit/ Coon Hound
 

The past couple of seasons I have had the oppurtunity to hunt rabbits with blue tick beagles. They are what they sound like, a mix between a blue tick hound and a beagle. I know they are excellent rabbit dogs, but I'm not sure how they would do with coons.