As I told readers in my last article published in The Journal, I am going to make a run at putting my column on my website here. I welcome feedback from readers. If the response is favorable, I will continue posting news, articles and stories each week. Enjoy!
Beagles baying at the trail of a rabbit soothes a bad deer season memory
It is a fact that much of Virginia experienced a poor deer season during 2016. My season was a season I really have no desire to think much about since I saw six deer all season long while in the woods and of those, only one, a spike, was even shootable. I am a meat hunter and although I enjoy simply being in the woods, I also like to at least take home supper every once in awhile. The time in the woods was enjoyable and relaxing but it got a bit old not seeing deer or sign of deer for weeks on end. Apparently our heyday of punching deer tags in quick succession is over for at least the near term.
Duck season came in and the first weekend of the December segment was not bad, not great, but definitely not bad. Things tended to go downhill from that time though. With only a week left, I don’t have high hopes with the warm weather that duck reports will change much.
That leaves small game hunting to save the day. Last weekend a good friend of mine, Frank, invited us to come partake in a rabbit hunt. Frank has an exceptional pack of beagles that always do the job despite the conditions. Last year the wind was biting and I think the temperature was less than 20 degrees. I know the wind chill that day was certainly less than 20. Despite those windy and seriously cold conditions, we saw plenty of rabbits scampering in front of the baying beagles last year. For that reason it was a no brainer for me and my daughter to say “Yes” to his invite this year.
The dogs hopped off the tailgate of his truck after he opened the dog box and quickly began sniffing the air and spreading out looking for a fresh trail to follow. Frank had a mix of veteran dogs and one young puppy to run for us. He also brought his daughter on the hunt too.
It did not take long before the first baying cry went up and then the chorus started. Excitement rose in my body and so did the corners of my mouth. Any time a good hound starts doing what its bloodline urges it to do, I get excited and happy. Stress just melts when you have a pack of beagles giving a rousing cry to the chase.
The white tips of the tails of those little dogs were whipping back and forth and soon enough a train of black, brown and white dogs with a red one in the mix, rolled on by slipping through briars and under brambles. We spread out a bit and soon saw a bunny scoot by and dart back into cover. The chase was on! Round the field and through the thick cover the dogs went. When the dogs had run awhile, the rabbit was taken and the next chase was started on a new track.
At one point while walking through the cover, I stepped on a tuff of laid over grass and a rabbit squirted out. Frank’s daughter rallied the dogs with a cry of “Tally Ho!” and the pack fell in and began snorting around the thickets nearby and jumped on the track to begin pushing Mr. Cottontail along. Miss Katelyn had the dogs riled up and headed in the right direction with her rally cry. The chase was back on! We listened to the melody of various baying that was music to our ears. Soon enough the rabbit came back around. My daughter, Kristy, was able to take her shot.
We enjoyed the incredible serenade of the beagles all afternoon. At times it would fade out as the dogs took the chase far away where my bad ears could not hear. Then the music would grow to a crescendo and the rabbit would dart this way and that around us until we got a shot and stopped the chase.
As the afternoon drifted towards evening, the light faded reminding us all of chores undone. As much as we wanted to get in just one more chase, we knew it was time to hang it up for the day. Frank called in the beagles and we waited for the pack to gather around before hiking across the field to our trucks. After a long, hard, nearly fruitless deer season, the baying of those rabbit dogs was a soothing salve to the heart of a hunter. Not only did we get to enjoy some of the best music out of doors, but we also got to take home a great supper! We thank Frank, Miss Katelyn and his pack of willing four legged hunters that made our day.
Gear note: During our hunt, I was able to enjoy walking through thick and downright mean briars with no scars, cuts or scraped skin thanks to Dan’s Hunting Gear. Dan’s makes Waterproof Briar Fighter Bibs, a Sportsman’s Choice Coat and the Game Vest I wore. I also had the gloves they sell which are briar proof too. I definitely wish I had this gear years and years ago. Check out www.danshuntinggear.com
Beagles baying at the trail of a rabbit soothes a bad deer season memory
It is a fact that much of Virginia experienced a poor deer season during 2016. My season was a season I really have no desire to think much about since I saw six deer all season long while in the woods and of those, only one, a spike, was even shootable. I am a meat hunter and although I enjoy simply being in the woods, I also like to at least take home supper every once in awhile. The time in the woods was enjoyable and relaxing but it got a bit old not seeing deer or sign of deer for weeks on end. Apparently our heyday of punching deer tags in quick succession is over for at least the near term.
Duck season came in and the first weekend of the December segment was not bad, not great, but definitely not bad. Things tended to go downhill from that time though. With only a week left, I don’t have high hopes with the warm weather that duck reports will change much.
That leaves small game hunting to save the day. Last weekend a good friend of mine, Frank, invited us to come partake in a rabbit hunt. Frank has an exceptional pack of beagles that always do the job despite the conditions. Last year the wind was biting and I think the temperature was less than 20 degrees. I know the wind chill that day was certainly less than 20. Despite those windy and seriously cold conditions, we saw plenty of rabbits scampering in front of the baying beagles last year. For that reason it was a no brainer for me and my daughter to say “Yes” to his invite this year.
The dogs hopped off the tailgate of his truck after he opened the dog box and quickly began sniffing the air and spreading out looking for a fresh trail to follow. Frank had a mix of veteran dogs and one young puppy to run for us. He also brought his daughter on the hunt too.
It did not take long before the first baying cry went up and then the chorus started. Excitement rose in my body and so did the corners of my mouth. Any time a good hound starts doing what its bloodline urges it to do, I get excited and happy. Stress just melts when you have a pack of beagles giving a rousing cry to the chase.
The white tips of the tails of those little dogs were whipping back and forth and soon enough a train of black, brown and white dogs with a red one in the mix, rolled on by slipping through briars and under brambles. We spread out a bit and soon saw a bunny scoot by and dart back into cover. The chase was on! Round the field and through the thick cover the dogs went. When the dogs had run awhile, the rabbit was taken and the next chase was started on a new track.
At one point while walking through the cover, I stepped on a tuff of laid over grass and a rabbit squirted out. Frank’s daughter rallied the dogs with a cry of “Tally Ho!” and the pack fell in and began snorting around the thickets nearby and jumped on the track to begin pushing Mr. Cottontail along. Miss Katelyn had the dogs riled up and headed in the right direction with her rally cry. The chase was back on! We listened to the melody of various baying that was music to our ears. Soon enough the rabbit came back around. My daughter, Kristy, was able to take her shot.
We enjoyed the incredible serenade of the beagles all afternoon. At times it would fade out as the dogs took the chase far away where my bad ears could not hear. Then the music would grow to a crescendo and the rabbit would dart this way and that around us until we got a shot and stopped the chase.
As the afternoon drifted towards evening, the light faded reminding us all of chores undone. As much as we wanted to get in just one more chase, we knew it was time to hang it up for the day. Frank called in the beagles and we waited for the pack to gather around before hiking across the field to our trucks. After a long, hard, nearly fruitless deer season, the baying of those rabbit dogs was a soothing salve to the heart of a hunter. Not only did we get to enjoy some of the best music out of doors, but we also got to take home a great supper! We thank Frank, Miss Katelyn and his pack of willing four legged hunters that made our day.
Gear note: During our hunt, I was able to enjoy walking through thick and downright mean briars with no scars, cuts or scraped skin thanks to Dan’s Hunting Gear. Dan’s makes Waterproof Briar Fighter Bibs, a Sportsman’s Choice Coat and the Game Vest I wore. I also had the gloves they sell which are briar proof too. I definitely wish I had this gear years and years ago. Check out www.danshuntinggear.com
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