This topic site is slow--let's talk about beagles.

[Mike Leonard]

Good information here and most enjoyable.


I have to tell a story from many years back I would say around 1978. I was hunting on the Green River in Wyoming a lot back in those days. I spent about every free minute I had out with my hounds and it didn't matter day or night I was hunting cat, coon, and lions when we could find them. I rmember an early fall evening I was out preparing to cast my two hounds and take to the sparse cottonewoods bottoms with them. I heard a hound trailing up in the breaks above the river bottom. The dog had a high tenor chop with a little ring at the end of it. Sort of a chop squawl. Well I litened and I mean this dogs was trailing the fire out of soemthing up in there. I looked around and couldn't see any other hunters or vehicles or anything. I was a good ways from the closest town maybe 15 miles or so and really no ranches in there just sheep camps scattered around. Well it was still light and I slipped over there and got a look at this hound that was doing the trailing. It was a beagle for sure and I would say one of the larger varieties. When I got up close he was trailing across a rocky hillside and he was really sounding off. I slipped up there behind him all the time looking around for a hunter and never saw a sould . There in the soft dirt it was easy to see he was trailing a bobcat and a good sized one at that. I got up probably withion 30 yards of the dogs and I guess he winded me cuz he threw his head up and turned and saw me and when he did he just lit a shuck out of there with his tail between his legs. He headed into the river bottom and the brush and I never saw or heard him again. I looked all over there for him and his owner but never found either. I asked around a bit about a beagle and told the story and never had anybody say they knew of it. Not sure why a lost dog would be hunting and trailing a cat like that but who knows maybe there was somebody out there and they were laying pretty low as well. I will say one thing he was giving that cat track the works before he knew I was around. LOL!

[Bluefloyd]

It seams to me that a good line of hunting beagles is harder to find than our game hounds.
My relative had to go out of state due to all the local breeders only breed for show and refused to sell to a possible hunter.
Things to think about,
You could feed two or three beagles for the price of one hound.
You could stuff a lot of beagles in one hound box. (fresh reserves)
They come in all shapes and colors to fit all types of needs.
You could use old coolers for dog houses. LOL
You could put a dozen on the strike platform.
You could be known in your neighborhood as a pet breeder instead of a hunter.
All kidding aside they are some fun little buggers, seem to lack some of the tree instinct but seem to have the same temperament and hard head as my hounds.
Good thread.

[anderson1394]

well my thoughts are if people can run cow dogs or bird dogs on lion why couldnt you train a rabbit dog on lion i have seen first hand a shorthair in a pack of lion hounds it is a smoken fast dog i would say its not a cold trail dog but in the case of a jump it will fly down the trail i have only herd of border collies and labs running in the pack never seen it

the beagles are are smaller in size might be a plus in the rocks and cliffs were a larger dog gets stuck

[Ike]

im new to running my own hounds so i just put together a pack of dogs.i used what ever i could find i bought a beagle for rabbits. but he didnt show much interest.turned him loose with my pups on a coon and hes been a coon fighting dog since.he even strikes off the box and has struck a few bobcat. only problem is he strikes every thing from deer to mice.but shure is fun to watch him put the death grip on a coon.and he will work all day i lost him for 2 days in the mountains got him back fed him and went back to hunting the next night.I really learn alot from all of your post's thanks

I have a friend who ran hounds down lion tracks for years and has pretty much gotten out of them. He often talks about getting a beagle and let it ride with my hounds to learn to rig or strike cats; he'd like to try one of them on bobcats in the rocks someday.

ike

[allnight]

IKE thats what i did with my beagle just started rigging and running him with my hounds he took to it fast.I think he strikes as good or better then my walker. he will also go in to a live trap and yard a coon out he works real good encouraging young dog.shure have enjoyed my 150 dollar rabbit dog.

[B-N-Trees]

Well here is the story I promised. My Dad use to tell it and I still grin every time I think about it. It deviates a little from this topic but its still about beagles... enjoy.


There was an old German farmer that was known for the champion beagles he raised.He had one particular dog that had won the annual rabbit hunt competition for the past four years. he was looking forward to winning a fifth year in a row. Something that had never been done by a beagle.

Several months before the big competition, the farmer was out cutting hay in his field. His beagle was smelling around in the tall grass and did not see the sycle coming nor did the farmer. The poor dog had all four legs cut off. The farmer wrapped him in his coat and rushed him to the vet. The vet wanted to put the dog down, but the farmer would not hear of it. He made the vet sew the dogs nubs up and took him home to heal.

The big day of the rabbit hunt competition arrived and the farmer shows up with his champion dog in a wheel barrow. The judges have everyone line up on th e starting line with their dogs. When they are given the "go" everyone scatters to their favorite spots their dogs. The old German is following behind with his in the wheel barrow.

As the day ends, hunters come straggling in with their dogs and the rabbits they took. Everyone is accounted for except for the old German. They wait way past dark and still, he does not show up. Some of the hunters get tired of waiting and go home. Others talk about organizing a search party. The sheriff shows up the next day with volunteer firemen, Boy Scouts and the mounted posse and start a search. Three days have gone by. As the sun is setting on the third day someone shouts, "There he is!" Sure enough, over the hill comes the old German pushing the wheelbarrow. His clothes are ripped up, he's scratch and bleeding, the dog is hanging out over the edge of the wheel barrow with his tongue dragging the ground. The hunters and rescue party crowed around the old German and his dog asking a thousand questions at once. Finally, the old German gets his breath and explains what happened. "Things were going just fine. The dog he was smelling the ground and I was a pushing the wheel barrow. Then out of nowhere, the dam dog, he jumps a deer and chases it for three days."

[Benny G]

B-N-Trees, I was laughing out loud myself. Thanks for sharing.
Benny

[arizonabeagle]

from my almost 4 years of messin with beagles all i can say is
you can sure get em to trail anything, but for some reason i just cant seem to get em to STOP trailin anything