Anyone hunt with a beagle?

[RogueFishr]

I have never hunted with a beagle, but I did hunt bear with my wifes sheit-zhu (sp?) once. Don't ever let anyone tell you that just because their brain is the size of an acorn, and they are small dogs, that they won't work for bear! The secret was a short rope attached to the bait barrel and some Karo syrup on his back. :shocked:

RF :grin:

<closed caption for the humor imparied>

[ 12-02-2002, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: RogueFishr ]

[periwinkle]

Yup, been there, done that.. Beagles are a blast to hunt cottontails with....But they will also trail deer --when I was younger I used to be able to run them down if they were headed in a straight line out of the immediate area (deer),,,,,,bunnys work in a big circle..
They use them in big cornfields in the midwest to chase pheasants out to waiting s*******.... Don't know how they get their dogs back!!!! (mine would hunt forever)

They don't make good loving pets. Too independent (hound) and they are headstrong.......
They are terrible wanderers and must be securely fenced in. They will climb, dig whatever to get out. Lost both of mine to cars, argggh, and I had a fenced kennel that they climbed!!!!!!! one got out even after I put wire top on....

[periwinkle]

A person who pulls the trigger on a gun is called a sh--ter !! Why was that deleted?????? :whazzup:

[Grits]

My wife found a beagle this weekend that she couldn't live without so we now have a 11 month old beagle.

I was interested to know if anyone had used them for hunting either pheasant, grouse or rabbits.

Like most hounds he seems to have a good nose but I have read that they are a hard dog to slow down once they are on scent.

I would appreciate any information and training tips.

[Flying Roast Beef]

I can't offer any training tips but I would like to comment. Growing up in S. Cal we had a couple of beagles as well as labs. We used to run one of the beagles around the rough areas of a local golf course in the evenings chasing rabbits. My brother and I would follow along with our bows. That dog had a blast and wow could he sing! One other note, they are tough as nails and think they are a lot bigger than they are so be careful of other dogs if he is a male. This said we did have one that whipped a german shepard in a campground once then proceded to mark territory on this other guys camper step. That could have been embarrasing had the guy not been laughing soo hard.

[skein]

I don't know much about beagles, but, like you, I have heard they can be pretty headstrong. Try this link, it seems to have lots of information. You might also contact the Mary's Peak Hound Club in Corvallis. They do a lot of hunting and field-trial stuff. One of their hunts is a rabbit hunt at Camp Adair for disabled hunters. I have a friend who is wheelchair bound and he says it's a blast! (uh...no pun intended.)

Beagles

Good luck.

Skein

[pdxkevin]

This topic got me to do a quick search to learn more. I found some interesting info worth sharing.

Why don't hunting beagles make good pets?

Advice on training hunting beagles

This site seems to be teaming with info: Beagles Unlimited

All in all, read as much as you can, then make a knowledgable decision.

[Claybear]

I had a couple of Beagles years ago, best rabbit dogs, love to hunt and very hard to get back. Have fun.

[Flying Roast Beef]

I can expand on the wanderer part a little. Back then we lived about a quarter mile from Knott's Berry Farm. "Duke" climbed the fence just like a ******* cat and could be found every time at the chicken and steak place there. The first time the guy that worked there wanted to keep him. After that he just called us and said our dog was back.

[Grits]

Thanks for the info and the web link. I think I will have to look into the hound club. I spent about 10 hours with him this weekend and decided he was a good fit.

The lady at the pound said to use a 30' drag chain if I was going to hunt with him or else run the risk of losing him or getting in shape chasing him.

Anyone use a drag chain?

[Timber]

They are a kick in the pants to hunt rabbits with. and they don't want to quit. a strong word of advice is to stay away from areas that you know to contain nutria the dogs love them and you will be seeing a vet. Tim