Rabbit Hunting Tips >> Rabbit Hunting Beagles

If you’re an average Joe hunter, looking especially for fun and thrill at a hunting session then you are probably using the old walk and jump technique to make a kill. This means that if you’re fortunate enough as to walk by the right spots where bunnies are sitting (mostly nests) you determine them to run away jumping and after that fire a fine aimed gunshot before your prey is gone. Using this method will ensure you a fair number of rabbits at the end of the day but it involves a lot of tough, leg work as well as chance on your part, and sometimes a second attempt is a luxury you can’t afford.

However, if you’re a real professional rabbit hunter you probably know that there is a far easier and productive way to approach the hunting itself. Imagine that you walk over one of your favorite hunting spots and a few gundog beagles. All you have to do is guide them to the correct areas and the hound will do all the work for you. They will independently search for rabbits, sniffing and walking in different ways until they find a hiding spot or more. And they will stop at nothing passing through tough terrain and harsh conditions like heavy brushes, briars or tickets to find and chase these furry animals. As soon as one of the beagles finds one, it makes a specific bark alerting you and the other hounds that rush to his aid immediately and all of them will begin following the scent trail that the rabbit leaves behind.

Nevertheless, having a pack of well-trained beagles won’t guarantee you success because here you play an important role in the whole action. Hounds chasing a rabbit or a hare rely exclusively on their keen sense of smell to tell where the creature is running to, therefore they know where the animal was a few moment ago but they don’t know where it is at the moment. This can lead to confusion in the entire pack and thus to the loss of the valuable target, even if it looked hopeless for the little creature. To avoid this from happening place yourself or any buddies you may’ve brought along on a high ground which is excellent like an observation point, and if your beagles loose their prey you can try to gun it down.

An important aspect to remember while rabbit hunting with beagles is to keep a detailed map of your hounds’ positions and the way they spread each other in search of hiding animals. Also, always be attentive at their wiggling, white-tipped tails, because it will often be difficult to spot all of them in dark colored terrain. Also, when you need to shoot at a rabbit, be very careful and patient as not to accidentally shoot one of the hounds or even worse, a fellow companion.

If you fire and miss the target remain right where you are and the beagles are going to circle the bunny back to your spot, and providing the creature does not run into a whole, the hounds will keep on circling it around till you manage to kill it or the little runner dies of exhaustion. It is good to know that hares (snowshoe hares, black-tailed jackrabbits, and white-tailed jackrabbits) do not go down the holes as they entirely rely on outrunning their followers and not on holding up.

Beagles have the biggest nose for scenting out of all the dogs in the world, being able to follow a rabbit scent track that is quite a few hours old. They are very versatile companions, capable of hunting in all forms of terrain and plant life including hills, prairies, mountains, forests, deserts and swamps. These dogs can also find rabbits on ice, snow and water or even along a hot, dried out, dusty road. Beagles can be used for hunting individually or in packs numbering up to as many as 70 hounds, but a hunter can handle no more than 5 hounds at a time. Therefore, if you are planning on using a lot of hounds you will have to bring along more hunters for handling purposes. Logically, the more beagles you used the greater your chances of your larger pack splitting up into many smaller packs, and running numerous rabbits at the same time.

All in all, choosing to change the way you used to hunt may result in dramatic improvement of your hunting results and even in a record time. Beagles are the best solution to do so and they have become popular amongst rabbit hunters due to their extraordinary qualities and devotion to the cause they serve. You will just adore the feeling you get when you hear them cheerfully barking, gathering and chasing a frightened rabbit.

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