Rabbit Hunting with Dogs: Success!

You ought to come up and run them on hare some time.

@Brandon that’s what I’ve heard! From what I’ve gathered from listening to northern beaglers, the hare is similar to the swamp rabbit. Which is what I live to run but we also have a lot of cottontails in the mix on most places we hunt.

@Chip I have never run cottontail. But some clients and friends that have come up and run with me said the swampers are similar to hare but the hare can run a bit bigger and faster. I have never seen anything except hare so no personal experience. Hare don’t hole up though. They will run until you call dogs off or you shoot the hare. Now and then the dogs will catch one.

@Brandon @Brandon I’d say the biggest difference is the habitat, concerning the dogs. For swampers, most of the time our dogs can run faster because they are usually in lake bottoms, thinly brushed hardwoods, etc. Cottontails, most times, we can’t even see the dogs 20 ft in front of us. We’ve had dogs belly crawling single file in some thickets. For me personally, if I’m hunting cottontails more than swampers, I prefer a more conservative dog. My fastest dog would struggle to stay up with a full hare hound dog I think lol…

Habitat is everything! Cool to learn about different species. They may not keep up when the snow isn’t deep but once it gets over 18” none of them are all that fast lol

@Brandon man, habitat makes it hard on the gun too! Good thing I ain’t worried about meat, I just love the music in my ears! lol

I sold my beagles first of the year. I have a senior in varsity basketball. I figure I can get more rabbit hounds once she is graduated and we are empty nesters. I sure am missing hearing them go on an old swamper.