Beagles, rabbits and the old days.

My uncles had good beagles, my brother had great ones. We used to hunt quite often. About 10 years ago I bought a new Remington pocket knife that had a reprint of the old Remington beagle hunt on the box. I gave it to him for xmas and thought he was gonna cry.

I recently saw that poster online somewhere and it brought the above memories back.

What happened to rabbit hunting and beagle packs?

Towards the end my brother said one couldn't train young pups due to the overabundance of coyotes. When the pups hit a rabbit and started barking the coyotes would show up and try to catch the beagles for their dinner. Several followed the pups too close and met their 72 virgins.

The other change is deer season. Back in the stone ages we had 9 days in our state, Sat until Sunday the next weekend. Better get your deer. Then you had all winter to Duck and Rabbit hunt.

Now we have early doe season for3 days, youth hunt for a weekend, Bow season until Feb of the next year, 11-12 days of rifle for any deer, 7 or 9 days for black powder and the late week of antler less.

Then I also hunted KS or now go back and hunt MO.

From OCT until Jan 7th I am looking at some kind of deer hunting. Don't take this as a slam, I do like deer hunting. It just occurred to me my weeks of Rabbit and Duck/Goose hunting have been muscled out.

I do miss the other hunting. Now if you turn beagles loose some bow hunter starts yelling from his tree stand about messing up his hunting.

What a predicament.

Oh the memories of the before times.

On one rabbit hunt 25-30 years ago my Brother and I went to hunt with 2 maternal uncles. One had 400 acres and several large farms leased for cattle, the other uncle had access, the keys, to more large river bottom farms. We would hunt the morning, go eat lunch and get fresh dogs.

On this day My Bro rode with the squirrely uncle. I rode with the good one. This is the way it was every time we hunted. I grew up with this uncles boys, one was exactly 5 months older than me and the other was exactly 5 months younger than me. His Wife, Betty had the patience of a saint. She also taught me how to tie my shoes. She and my Mom were close.

When the good uncle and I arrived at his house my Aunt had Elk stew ready to eat, she was a great farm cook and it was delicious. Ok I did eat too much.

After lunch we went out and loaded some fresh dogs.

My uncle had turned over his large garden and planted turnips. He asked me if I wanted some, silly uncle, of course. We pulled a bunch and I put them in my truck. Well they looked good so I skinned one and was munching on it when my Bro and the Sq unc pulled up.

A little later while hunting the uncles went to separate some dogs who had developed a dislike for each other, my Bro came over and said I felt bad about my lunch until I saw you eating a turnip. I said huh? The turnip was desert, I had Aunt Betty's Elk stew.

Bro's eyes went dim, his mouth sort of turned to hard lines, just like before you punched a misfit in a bar.

ELK STEW? ELK STEW? Why the SQ unc said follow me, we went into the basement where he opened the freezer and flipped a pack of cheap hot dogs at me. He grabbed himself a pack and off we went to change the dogs. He said eat up, I like em dis way and eat frozen ones all the time.

All afternoon my Bro would say ELK STEW! Usually when I was getting ready to shoot.

Years later all I had to say was ELK STEW and it would set him off.

That was a rabbit hunt, a good one. We all limited out. Got home cold, cleaned them and headed home. Good memory.

We had several other Rabbit hunts that produced some memories. I'll try to remember them and post them later.

Thanks for sharing that great story.
I also grew up hunting rabbits but i have not been on a
hunt for 20 years. We started Hunting Season with Rabbit
and usually ended up with Rabbit.
Here it is also just as you described. Deer have seasons
in from Oct.1 thru end of Dec.
And the darn Coyotes have the Rabbits all but killed off.
One of our favorite hunts was Thanksgiving morning all
of the men would get up early and hunt until it was time
to go home to Grandpaws for the big Thansgiving dinner.
Lots of great memories.

Chuck

Great memories. Reminds me of my younger years when my buddy, Steve, and I would wake up early Saturday morning and head out to one of the neighborhood farms where we had permission to hunt cottontail rabbits.

I was packing my Savage Model 24DL over/under with the .22LR on top and the .410 on the bottom. Steve carried an old 20 gauge. These were the days when a box of .22LR's was fifty cents. I can't remember what the .410's cost, but they were the paper shells...3-inchers. I was making fifty cents an hour in my after-school job so I tried to stay fairly flush when it came to ammo supplies.

I'd usually dump a whole box of .22's into one of the pockets of my old canvas vest that was a couple of sizes too big, and a fistful of .410's in another pocket.

We'd usually get there just as the fog was beginning to lift and the cottontails were sitting relatively still. The .22 was reserved for the long shots, but the .410 usually saw most of the action.

We'd call it a day when we each had bagged five bunnies, which was usually before noon. We'd head home to clean them. The first time we went rabbit hunting, Steve's grandma showed us the proper way to skin and clean the rabbits. Although it's been years since I've shot cottontails, I can still to this day remember the smell as we'd open them up to skin them.

The next day, Sunday, my mother would usually fix my rabbits into a casserole with rice, mixed with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup for Sunday dinner. That was good eatin'!

Steve and I never got a rabbit dog. We'd talked about it, but could never afford it. I suppose that was one of the reasons we'd always try to hunt when there was fog on the fields because the rabbits would come out to the edges and sit where it wasn't so damp.

One of my sons has that little Savage now and it'll probably eventually go to his son who is already eyeing it with eager anticipation. It's still in great shape and will still bring down a bunny or two when called to.

Anyway...thanks, model70hunter, for bringing back great memories.

We always had rabbit dogs and we run the dogs in the summer to keep them in shape. We were hunting one day in a place that had been logged and was sprouting back. My brother got in a yellow jacket nest and took off running down the logging road. He could run like a scalded cat. Daddy hollered for him to run in the bushes but he stayed in the road. When he came back dad told him if he had run in the bushes he would have knocked some of the yellow jackets off but brother said he could run faster in the road. Dad would always laugh when he told that story. Larry

On occasion, I would grab my Glenfield Model 60 and go bag some rabbits. The shooting, the hunt nor the outdoors were the best part. That was the meal to come. Mom would soak the conies in buttermilk, roll them in flour, salt and pepper, fry them in lard, make milk gravy, mashed taters, turnip greens and biscuits.

Great memories, thanks.

Chuck, thanks for pulling Thanksgiving out of my memory, my Bro and I did this for years.

Mule Packer, my Mom fixed the same dinner every now and then.

Rusty1953, " Mom would soak the conies in buttermilk, roll them in flour, salt and pepper, fry them in lard, make milk gravy, mashed taters, turnip greens and biscuits." I ate this same meal many, many times. Change out the Turnip greens for Mom's home canned green beans or corn and sounds the same. Right now I'd give a lot of money for you and I to eat this made by Mom meal again. Either table would be fine with me.

I was the primary hunter while growing up, Dad worked days and farmed nights, I had my chores but my Bro would rather disappear on his horse than slip into the woods ala Danial Boone and bring home meals. As I figured out later we were not poor, yes Dad was tight, and wise, every Rabbit, Squirrel, Duck, Frog and Quail I brought home meant less purchased food. Dad was a true son of the depression. He had a rural newspaper route, while pedaling his bike he would pop Pheasant with a Win 22 he carried. Seems the Iowa farmers did not complain.

Dang getting the fever, now I want to dig out some brush buster pants, grab my Win M-12 in 16 gauge, take the emergency bunny dog, my Lab, and go find one or 2.

What a fine thread, model70hunter. Sure has stirred some memories for me too. I haven't been on a hunt in going-on 50 years now, but the memories are as fresh as yesterday.

A fellow who worked for my Dad had a pack of beagles -- good ones, too -- and back in the 50s and 60s a bunch of the guys would hunt most Saturdays. Time I was 10 or so, I was itching to go with 'em, and Dad finally let me start going with my little .410 bolt action from Sears and my three-inch paper shells loaded with #6's. I felt 10 feet tall.

Hunts started at the local bowling alley, where everyone would gather to eat a big breakfast and linger over coffee long enough to drive a boy to distraction. Then it was off to the hunt site in the pickups, with Walker's pack riding in a plywood box on the back of his. They'd come boiling out of that thing the second he opened the door.

His best dog and pack leader, Lady, had a nose that wouldn't quit. She picked up a scent one day in the bare-sand front yard of a tenant farmer's house when the rest of us were hardly out of the trucks yet, taking off with the others in hot pursuit. I know those dogs couldn't smell a thing but they knew Lady knew her business, so they just followed her lead. I think Walker was the one who killed that cottontail, after it had made the long circle that those rabbits do whenever they're being chased. Always gave us a good chance to listen to the music of those beagles, first getting farther away, and then starting to come closer -- and usually, that was about the time the rabbit would appear, way ahead of 'em.

Walker'd always field-dress the bunnies, hang most of the guts in the crook of a tree branch nearby, and give the best parts to the dogs, who devoured them before the steam could hardly start rising off of 'em in the frosty morning air.

I remember the time the pack caught a rabbit they had chased for quite a while, and the spine-chilling squeal it made before one of 'em shook it hard and broke its neck. To a boy like me, it was hard to hear.

I got a shot now and then with that little .410, and made some, and the feeling when my dad and the other men would come up to nod and compliment me -- well, it was a fine part of growing up.

Best memory, though, is of the one that got away. The dogs were hot after a rabbit, and I was posted up in a thick grove of young pines waiting. The dogs hadn't turned back our way yet, so I wasn't really focused like I should have been. All of a sudden, here he comes, just kinda bouncing along slowly, and headed right at me. Before I knew it, he was so close I knew I'd tear him all to pieces if I shot, so I just stood there, stock still, and what do you know, that bunny came up and sat right next to my right foot. I don't know if he ever saw me.

His sides were heaving in and out, and I could hear the dogs coming my way, and I was in a predicament. What to do? A few seconds passed, and I finally decided to holler "Boo!" at him. Soon as I did, he took off before I could even get my gun up good. I think I let go a shot at him more as a gesture than anything else, and it never touched him.

One of the other fellows got him a few minutes later, as the dogs came running by me. I swear, I think they looked puzzled but they had other places to be right then so I didn't have to explain.

Great post. A friend and I had a pack of 5 little beagles and ran rabbits almost every day after school during season. It slowly dwindled down to Ole Deb after several years. About the same time I took up handgun hunting rabbits with my S&W 63. On one hunt Deb jumped a rabbit and ran it back to me, as the rabbit hopped by I fired 2 shots and missed. Few moments later Deb comes by and glances at me as she continues on the trail. Again she runs the rabbit by me and I fire 2 shots and miss, Deb stops and gives me a funny look before hitting the trail again. The third time Deb runs the same rabbit right by me and I miss again. This time she sits down and stares up at me with a disgusted look on her face. I took her home and fed her well, she did her job! I can still see that look on her face after my 3rd missed chance, lol. Sure do miss my beagles! There is a young fellow in these parts has a youtube channel with beagle hunts and training videos. "bensons kennels" fun to watch.

My old boy

Buddy is not with us anymore but he used to love hunting, all I had to say is lets go gettem and he would wake up and do his hunting howl run to the door back up the steps down again, he would chase a deer but never caught him. cornered a possum , treed a coon, even a flock of road island reds. Sure do miss him

Great replies here. Rabbit hunting is my favorite of all hunting here in MS. Nothing like a pack of 13" Beagles especially when they are your dogs you raised and trained. Continue to enjoy a real hunting experience.

Thanks for the memories guys !
My Daddy, rest his soul, dearly loved rabbit hunting with dog's , he even let us get a dog, it was a beagle, Dad had idea's to train him. I would drag a rabbit hide around the yard and hide it, then we let Biff (the dog) out the house and he would find it.
Dad didn't hunt deer , squirrel or ducks ( very much) but rabbits were his passion. He would take me when I got big enough, and listening to the dogs was thrilling.
Dad would tell me where the rabbit was running , by the sound of the dogs, then move me to a position and say, he's going to come out right there, so get ready to shoot...9 times out of 10 that rabbit busted out of the bushes right there and I would shoot my single shot 410 , and miss....then Dad would show me how to hit a really fast moving rabbit. He used a bolt action Sears 16 ga. shotgun. Mine was a Western Auto single shot bolt .
Great memories, Makes me want to go on one last trip, and use Daddy's !6 gauge bolt action...I still got both guns.
Gary

My dad had friends with a farm near Rockville Ind. We would go up there for rabbits and Quail. One of the neighbors never had less than 8 pups out with a couple of older dogs. I know he felt sorry for us with only two dogs. One of my dad's dogs was a little dog only 9-10 inches at the shoulder and he had quite a fight in the snow if the crust wouldn't hold. I understand that the lack of fence rows with the accompanying cover is an issue in both bird and rabbit demise. In the safe is an 11-48 Remington and a Sweet 16 Browning which have taken more rabbits and quail than I could possibly remember.

Lots of good memories here in this post, thanks Model70hunter. Hunted lots of years without a beagle, had fun. Seemed a good hunt when after it ended, you took a hot shower and your legs burned where the thorns scratched you. Finally got a short legged beagle, we spent lots of day's together.

Always though a beagle and bow hunting would be interesting living close to the city. Larry

Thanks for every ones input. Many said something I'd done or seen and with your words my mind jumped back to a specific moment.

Vigil, several times I've had a rabbit stop close to my feet. I've seen beagles fun by a stopped bunny as they are working smell not visuals.

S&W UCLA, being admonished by your little lady, Ole Deb unless this was your girlfriend at the time, brought back memories of a world famous Lab I had. He was stone cold serious about hunting. When I missed a duck or Goose he would see them fly on and turn to me, make eye to eye contact and tilt his head a little. He sure did let me know he couldn't retrieve if I missed. And the old boy did it every time. Geez I miss him.

To all who mentioned your 1st shotgun, a 410, wow, mine was a Stevens M-94. I gave it to my oldest GS. It was the shotgun that opened the door. My 1st squirrel, rabbit, quail and duck. Lots of memories on the 1st's.

I know he is waiting, hope there's Water Fowl in Heaven or whereever. I guess the wherever place wont have ice to deal with......... Decisions, decisions.

Do coyotes make good eating?

I had one beagle growing up (she was with us 19 years) and like the OP said, hunting in Kansas was quail, prairie chickern and rabbits (and the occasional squirrel). To get a deer permit was almost the same as hitting the lottery. My dog would see my 10/22 or Colt Scout come out and the whimpering and howling would start till we got to business. We ate a lot of rabbit then and during quail season I'd take the beagle out on birds. She ran cover fine. No pointing but I shot plenty of quail she flushed and though she didn't retrieve, she helped me find a lot of dead birds too.

My boys hunt deer and coyotes now almost exclusively. Quail are starting to make a comeback and I've seen more chickens this year than in a long time. I hope I can get them on the game I chased in my youth before they are out of the house.

bushmaster1313 said:

Do coyotes make good eating?

Click to expand...

Probably taste like chicken. Larry

Awesome thread!

My Dad and one of his partners started with three beagles, we ended up with a thundering herd of eighteen. More often than not, we would hunt with six to eight and change out for fresh legs at noon.

Then there were those days when, for some reason or another, we could only hunt a half of a day, the "herd" was let loose! I can hear the full chorus now, noses to the ground, tails up and blooded from thorns, paws rustling through the underbrush and then Buck or Brownie, the jump dogs, would strike a high note. The chase was on and the tenor section was at full bay!

Those days in the field with a Savage 311D, 12 gauge or the 1100 were cherished indeed.

Coyotes are a problem. I switched from Springer's for birds to a versatile French breed that was breed to hunt fur. In Europe they use versatile breeds to track and kill fox. German Wirehaired Pointers, old style German Shorthairs and Weimaraners are typical of the versatile breeds. These breeds will hunt rabbits and coyotes if you let them. Two dogs will turn a pack of coyotes into a gut pile.

I have a Wirehaired Griffon. She will hunt coyotes but I don't encourage it.

I've always liked Beagles but never used them. My Springers loved a good rabbit hunt.

Great post.

Some of my fondest outdoor memories involve the baying of beagles on a snowy winters hunt. Those were truly great times. It's been 25+ years since then though. Bunnies seem in very short supply these days. No doubt due to the return of natural predators like coyote, fox, hawks, fisher cats etc. To be honest, if we did have enough bunnies to justify another hunting beagle, I'd be afraid to let it out my sight on a hunt these days. Predators seem thicker than the bunnies ever were.