[superslickie]

What a day! I left a tad later than usual as it was only longrange and i for the day and he was going to be late getting there.
Once i got there i got ready, then tried to get 3 anxious hounds ready. Good thing i had the leashes seat belted in or they would have been gone without bells. Slowly one by one they were ready to go and i finished getting ready and we were off.
As soon as i was to an opening in the path away from pavement i let them go, you cant walk a path with 3 hounds on leash carrying a shotgun very fast as one hound wants to go around the tree causing everything to stop.
It wasn't long before Maggie started singing solo 200m away. I hear Steve call out, he was there for the games to begin. I start closing in to the right, Steve to the left. 100m and i hear all 3 singing and coning my way, im ready on my knees looking under the bows, the hounds run 20ft behind me , it ran behind me.
Listen for the next hound and discover i was 15m off the path again. It was another hour before i see a flash of white and fired. Nori wasn't far behind and kept running after the rabbit, id missed. I knew i was in the area they were running through, i just had to be prepared. They ran circles around me without me getting a glance.
Here comes Maggie hot in the trail, running right at me, i see the bunny as it tries to slip past left to right. I scan for the opening to get the shot only to see the darned bunny pop out 10ft away running right at me, i fire two quick shots but he keeps going full tilt. I call Maggie and she comes flying down the scent trail, her nose an inch of the forest floor. She runs past me and within a minute i hear a very very excited howl, rabbit squeal, excited howl again, rabbit squeal, then nothing. Wait thats her bell coming my way. I go to intercept her and claim the prize, yup there she is head up, prancing towards me with the bunny in tow.
Bang! Steve fires and i call out to see if he hit one but get no answer. Boomer is coming down the slope with Nori not far behind, bunny gets hung in the tree as i turn and scan the trees for a flash of white. Not this time so i put bunny in my pack and try to get back to my shooting spot.
I just get there and Maggie comes signaling her day as is over, nori is not far behind. I leash them up and wait for boomer, i call and can hear him get closer, once he sees me he comes right to me.
Now the difficult part, walk 200m through the woods with 3 hounds who dont follow the line. Good thing Steve is on the trail as i use him as a beacon to get out.
Im done! I need a drink. I think we needed another hunter to help close some of them holes the bunnies were running through.

 

[Longrange]

What Tim did not mention was the weird way the rabbits were avoiding the dogs chasing them. Twice by myself facing the dogs and on coming rabbits plus the one Tim had shot at and one earlier . The rabbits would go by spot me from behind me and run up to my feet and stop there.Yes I noticed them and when I moved they took off at 40mph. I became a rabbit cuddlier .Last week never seen them all am.Ps last year i had one due the same thing and I could have shot it but there was a newbee just up the hiil and I warned him and gave the bunny a pushed to him at 40mph. Should off heard him open up with the 12g..I'm very still and in Camo but why due they come to me for protection not a good choice, snuggling on my booted foot weird or what . Even last wed one ran up from behind to Tim..There was a pile of bunnies in this area still. I'm with Tim we needed more people.3 dogs and 3 different rabbits at one time constant mayhem. Did have a good look at my old farm I use to live in 40years ago .Following Bommer thru the whole back field and the back field were our meat and potato garden and clover food plot 3 acre. Use to catch the deer in the garden eating our crop of veg. Gave the new owner a call and will be working with him to put in the clover spot. He said he could get nothing but grass to grow there. Hmmmm

 

[gary]

cpl nice recounts, there CC92 & SS - think I'm going to be hearing far off beagles yowls in my head today.

 

[3macs1]

What Tim did not mention was the weird way the rabbits were avoiding the dogs chasing them. Twice by myself facing the dogs and on coming rabbits plus the one Tim had shot at and one earlier . The rabbits would go by spot me from behind me and run up to my feet and stop there.Yes I noticed them and when I moved they took off at 40mph. I became a rabbit cuddlier .Last week never seen them all am.Ps last year i had one due the same thing and I could have shot it but there was a newbee just up the hiil and I warned him and gave the bunny a pushed to him at 40mph. Should off heard him open up with the 12g..I'm very still and in Camo but why due they come to me for protection not a good choice, snuggling on my booted foot weird or what . Even last wed one ran up from behind to Tim..There was a pile of bunnies in this area still. I'm with Tim we needed more people.3 dogs and 3 different rabbits at one time constant mayhem. Did have a good look at my old farm I use to live in 40years ago .Following Bommer thru the whole back field and the back field were our meat and potato garden and clover food plot 3 acre. Use to catch the deer in the garden eating our crop of veg. Gave the new owner a call and will be working with him to put in the clover spot. He said he could get nothing but grass to grow there. Hmmmm

Seem to read this a lot in these stories the one tim shot at not the one tim got

 

[KEVIN]

Apparently being in your sights and going to you for protection was the safest thing the rabbits could do...lmfao

 

[3macs1]

 

[KEVIN]

HA HA HA ....That's steve alright...lol

 

[louisbear]

This story makes my head spin, Wapos coming from every direction.

 

[superslickie]

Out again with the girls
Met up with a friend who has 2 x 6month old male pups, Maggie wanted to eat them so she stayed in the crate while we went hunting. Nori and the pups ran and played for a bit before she was all business. She stayed on them for over an hour without us seeing any. 6-8 inches of fresh snow down and a light wind blowing the snow off the branches made for a day where everything was moving making it hard to see a bunny moving in the woods.
Still good to get out for a bit

 

[Longrange]

Thanks Kevin for the smiles, my sister use to send me clips like that Thank you .I mentioned to Tim today it may be its very deer heavy area. They get along in our area with the deer in the trail cam in this areas. They think maybe were there big friends. Next time I hunt there back to back. Its a good thing there not bears.

 

[KEVIN]

lol...thank google joe for that laff steve...thats one of his hallmark cards....lmao...he must have a bazzillion of em.

 

[superslickie]

Today was a great day to be out with the hounds, sunshine, fresh snow overnight, reasonable temperature. Took the hounds a few minutes to get started but once they started it was constant action, just not where i was lol.
The snow hanging on the branches made it hard to see any distance but that was no hindrance to the hounds, they were eye level with the quarry.
Only one shot today, and it counted. Nothing else seen after that but the hounds continued to chase until we caught them to end the day.
Maybe Saturday ill get lucky and see one lol

 

[superslickie]

Its Saturday so i was out again with the hounds. It was just me today as everyone else had a case of SOONERS, theyd sooner be home than hunting. Their loss!
I just took the girls to give them a good run and see how Nori would do on a long run. We walked to where i wanted to hunt and they took off, 100m the song started and they stayed with it for longer than i thought, 90min. Took me half that time to catch up and find a way across the brook without getting wet.
Once i managed to catch up they were running thickets between skidder roads, 25yr old skidder roads that were filled with trees and puddles. Id be waiting looking one way to have them cross behind me. I caught several fleeting glances but not enough to warrant a shot.
230 and i rounded up the hounds and started for home, me leading the way and them following off leash. All was going great, we were 75ft off the road and we bumped a bunny, they couldn't resist one final chase. Big circle running straight at me, a flash across the trail, bunny stopped midway behind a tree and then booted away from me. I was more than ready when they came around the next time and when the bunny popped out into the trail i fired. Nori was first there with Maggie not far behind, they both picked up the bunny and brought it to me
Then they followed me all the way home, we were tired from the fresh air and exercise.

 

[3macs1]

You must have been in the cape were you to get one of those flying rabbits in a tree in the pic

 

[superslickie]

Its Saturday so i was out again with the hounds. It was just me today as everyone else had a case of SOONERS, theyd sooner be home than hunting. Their loss!
I just took the girls to give them a good run and see how Nori would do on a long run. We walked to where i wanted to hunt and they took off, 100m the song started and they stayed with it for longer than i thought, 90min. Took me half that time to catch up and find a way across the brook without getting wet.
Once i managed to catch up they were running thickets between skidder roads, 25yr old skidder roads that were filled with trees and puddles. Id be waiting looking one way to have them cross behind me. I caught several fleeting glances but not enough to warrant a shot.
230 and i rounded up the hounds and started for home, me leading the way and them following off leash. All was going great, we were 75ft off the road and we bumped a bunny, they couldn't resist one final chase. Big circle running straight at me, a flash across the trail, bunny stopped midway behind a tree and then booted away from me. I was more than ready when they came around the next time and when the bunny popped out into the trail i fired. Nori was first there with Maggie not far behind, they both picked up the bunny and brought it to me
Then they followed me all the way home, we were tired from the fresh air and exercise.
View attachment 99501

 

[superslickie]

Out again today with the hounds
We gathered at my house and walked down the road and released the hounds. We stood around and chatted while we waited for the hounds to sing. Nothing after an hour so we moved, the hounds ran hard for another hour before boomer finally started singing, the girls covered ground fast to help boomer chase it down. It took 10minutes to cover the 160m for the girls, the bunny crossed the road 70m away from me. They chased it for another 15min before the bunny was shot trying to cross the road again.
Boomer was still hot on scent but hadnt crossed the road 70m away lol
Maggie was first to the bunny and picked it up and started my way, the guys were between us, she dropped the bunny and started eating the head before they could get it away from her.
It would be another 30min before boomer got there and we called it a day.