# Rabbit hunting help



## papa4x (Feb 16, 2014)

I have a 2 year old beagle and a real eager desire to hunt rabbits. I usually hunt alone with her. She likes to bark and bay a lot, but I have yet to see a rabbit with her (except in our yard when I have had to call her back because she is getting to close to the road or into neighbors yard). She loves to be outside. I live in se Livingston county and have pounded Brighton Rec and Pinckney Rec a bunch. Any one within an hour or so that would like to help me out with her and get her onto some rabbits?


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## AaronJohn (Oct 18, 2015)

Find some state land that has a lot of low (dry) brush piles. Jump on them especially if its cold. walk some fence lines are your boy should get the idea about you flush a bunny or two. He will chase, don't be alarmed the rabbit should circle back (they don't like to run far from home).

Otherwise I'm in north Macomb always looking to get out. I'd also like to see how a beagle works, considering a pup in the near future.


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## Beagle 32 (Dec 19, 2014)

I'd like to help you out but I work afternoon shift so I run/hunt my dog in the mornings before work. The best thing you can do for her is forget about hunting for a little while and focus on getting her on rabbits. Easier said than done right? Try to find a place with vacant brushy land with fields near a school or apartments where you can park and walk in. Any place you can find that's safe for her and has rabbits. Then be consistent and get her out as often as you can till April 15th. Then start again in August. It's a process. She will come around and watching her progress will be a blast it's a lot of fun. Once she's circling rabbits then it's time to start thinking about hunting again. You can pm me if you want? I hope this helps?


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## Hunters Edge (May 15, 2009)

All that has been written in this thread is great advice. Practice practice, practice is the only way a dog learns to stay on the same track,(race). Also in time they figure out the checks (quarry runs back on track then jumps far to right or left of tracks, dog runs to the end where rabbit has turned back and a novice dog is lost, thus the reason to run pup/dog consistently as much as possible.
You may want to look around for someone that has a starting pen (approximately acre fenced where rabbits can not get out, thus many rabbits and pup gets several chases to open up (bark,howl) but also allow pup to track and figure out same track)
You may want to keep in mind that you need to find areas that have lots of rabbits in other words loaded. A young dog or pup is like kids/children not much attention span. So fur is a strong sent and if rabbits are hard to find but deer are everywhere you can have a young dog running trash (any game that handler does not want or waist valuable time to get dog or endanger dog running miles across busy roads etc, catch the meaning why this is dreadful) . Once the dog like was mentioned earlier running till legally you can not run than start up as soon as legally you can Starr up running the dog again. Also if you caught what was posted before that person ran the dog before work. Eventually if you run the dog enough on just rabbits, when you start hunting you won't waste your day trying to find your dog because he is off running trash. Take the time and you will not be disappointed, nor will you be frustrated and like most handlers blame the dogs. Truth be told it is the handlers fault for not training properly and not taking the time to do it right. Good luck to you and your pup, put the time in and you will have some awe some hunts and memories for years to come.


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## Beagle 32 (Dec 19, 2014)

Hunters Edge said:


> All that has been written in this thread is great advice. Practice practice, practice is the only way a dog learns to stay on the same track,(race). Also in time they figure out the checks (quarry runs back on track then jumps far to right or left of tracks, dog runs to the end where rabbit has turned back and a novice dog is lost, thus the reason to run pup/dog consistently as much as possible.
> You may want to look around for someone that has a starting pen (approximately acre fenced where rabbits can not get out, thus many rabbits and pup gets several chases to open up (bark,howl) but also allow pup to track and figure out same track)
> You may want to keep in mind that you need to find areas that have lots of rabbits in other words loaded. A young dog or pup is like kids/children not much attention span. So fur is a strong sent and if rabbits are hard to find but deer are everywhere you can have a young dog running trash (any game that handler does not want or waist valuable time to get dog or endanger dog running miles across busy roads etc, catch the meaning why this is dreadful) . Once the dog like was mentioned earlier running till legally you can not run than start up as soon as legally you can Starr up running the dog again. Also if you caught what was posted before that person ran the dog before work. Eventually if you run the dog enough on just rabbits, when you start hunting you won't waste your day trying to find your dog because he is off running trash. Take the time and you will not be disappointed, nor will you be frustrated and like most handlers blame the dogs. Truth be told it is the handlers fault for not training properly and not taking the time to do it right. Good luck to you and your pup, put the time in and you will have some awe some hunts and memories for years to come.


Great response Hunters Edge and thanks for taking the time to type all that great info. I had my beagle out yesterday morning and she ran one for over an hour I had to pull her off so I wouldn't be late for work. I videoed with my phone and left the gun at home. I'd post it but I'm not sure how? She will be 2 March 31st and I got her out 2-3 times a week since September 1st except November out of respect for the bow hunters and gun season no way. Last year as a pup there were weeks she got out everyday. It's all paid off now. I'm a bowhunting addict too but I just love watching beagles work a track. It's all about having fun


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## micooner (Dec 20, 2003)

Beagle 32 said:


> Great response Hunters Edge and thanks for taking the time to type all that great info. I had my beagle out yesterday morning and she ran one for over an hour I had to pull her off so I wouldn't be late for work. I videoed with my phone and left the gun at home. I'd post it but I'm not sure how? She will be 2 March 31st and I got her out 2-3 times a week since September 1st except November out of respect for the bow hunters and gun season no way. Last year as a pup there were weeks she got out everyday. It's all paid off now. I'm a bowhunting addict too but I just love watching beagles work a track. It's all about having fun


Just a correction you can't train April 16 thru July 8


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## Beagle 32 (Dec 19, 2014)

micooner said:


> Just a correction you can't train April 16 thru July 8


Who said you could?


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## micooner (Dec 20, 2003)

Beagle 32 said:


> Who said you could?


In your one reply you said start again in august that's all. He could start again in july. After the 8th.


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## Beagle 32 (Dec 19, 2014)

micooner said:


> In your one reply you said start again in august that's all. He could start again in july. After the 8th.


Ok sorry about that your right. I like to wait till the end of August when it cools down a little. I did have a dog in July get into a nest of little bunnys and kill one. That wasn't fun so that's another reason why I like to wait a little


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## Bob Mertz (Jun 2, 2016)

papa4x said:


> I have a 2 year old beagle s
> 
> 
> papa4x said:
> ...


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