11/3/2010 - Lowell, VT

Date of hunt: 11/3/2010
Location: Lowell, VT
Weather: Sunny/Frosty
Temperature: 22 °F (Start) 44°F (End)
Companions: Greg Abell
Dogs of mine: Belvidere Bailey
Other dogs: Katy, Ginger, Chloe
# of Rabbits Ran: 5
# of Rabbits Shot: 1

My son Braydon was born on Saturday, October 30th. Everyone is healthy and doing well! I took a week and a half off from work to be home with the family. The timing lined up with my Uncle Greg's trip up to Vermont from Virginia for his annual hare hunt. He came up on Saturday and is staying at our family camp in Island Pond for the week. The plan was made to spend a morning on a hunt with him, but meet halfway in Lowell instead of a 2 hour drive for me up to Island Pond.
It was the heaviest frost of the year so far when I left Milton. It was 27 degrees at my house, and 22 degrees in Lowell where Uncle Greg was waiting. I pulled into the log landing at 7 am, with hopes that I wouldn't be wasting my Uncle's time by having him wake up early and drive and hour. I had printed out an aerial photo of the hunting ground and did a quick review with him to help him better understand the lay of the land. I geared up Bailey and headed down into the lower clearcut, where Logan and I had hunted a few weeks ago. Uncle Greg's dogs worked together and Bailey did her thing on her own. Bailey got the start, the same hare that Logan and I ran a few weeks before. She was alone and took it down by the stump where Allen, Beau, Logan, Carter and I had stood last month, and then out into the alders. Uncle Greg brought his dogs down to where Bailey was running. When we got there Bailey checked for the first time. A full loop by herself, I think we turned the hare when we got down in there. Katy started barking on old scent, which pulled Bailey off from her check to pack up with her. Katy has a really good nose, but will bark on really old scent, which throws the other dogs off. I suggested working into the softwoods where the hare was heading before Bailey lost it. We fanned out as we walked inside the softwood canopy and Uncle Greg bumped the hare. The hare bounded towards me, and then out into the alders again. I gave the "Weee Weeee" call and Bailey came in with a full out excited bark as she got on the trail that I was pointing to. She knows what it means when I give that call! All four dogs packed up and took the trail deep into the alders. Uncle Greg and I headed into the alders to an island of tall pines that provided a better chance of a shot if one would present itself. The dogs brought the hare down to us but just out of sight. They kept on it as the hare ran out and then turned back towards us. The dogs were getting closer and then the hare sprinted into softwoods about 10 yards from us. I waited to shoot knowing that a 10 yard sprinting shot from right to left was hard, but when I did shoot with the .410 it was behind it. I pumped and pulled the trigger again, click, a bad shell. The last shot was in desperation as it scooted under a log. Missed. The dogs kept on the trail and again followed the hare as it brought them out and back towards us again. This time it went above us without showing itself. As they brought the hare out the dogs split into two's. Bailey and Katy switched up and Ginger and Chloe were bringing the hare back to us. Bailey and Katy were taking a hare up towards the NC camp, and Ginger and Chloe were almost back to us when they checked and lost out. After waiting to see if Ginger and Chloe would pick up the check we picked up and headed up to Bailey and Katy. They ran the hare up along the side of the NC camp and were on their way back down to us when they checked. Katy kept barking on some older feeder trails, and Bailey would check in with her but the trails were to old for her to bark on.
We worked the dogs down along the side of the logging road with little luck. As we were heading out to make our way back in the direction of the truck Bailey began to bark on a feeder trail. I let her work since this was her first time barking in over a half hour. The other dogs joined in on the search. I hopped up onto a log with an overlook of the area that the dogs were working. The hare bounded out of the thick stuff, across the open softwoods and into the thicker softwoods. The dogs took off on the trail and were running well. They made the turn but checked when they were closing in on Uncle Greg and I. We waited for quite a while with hopes that they would pick it up again. We helped the dogs work the woods in the general direction that we believed the hare went. Chloe, Uncle Greg's 1 year old, picked up the scent first and the other dogs quickly packed. The hare bounded out of the thicker cover and presented a good shot. I hit the hare in the rear end and Katy quickly got on it and finished it. She picked up the hare and carried it back to him as he called her in. Uncle Greg's dogs played around with the hare for a bit before we put it in the game pouch, Bailey just kept looking for more scent.
We worked our way back through the pine island and towards the clear cut to get to the logging road that led back up to the truck. On the way back Bailey picked up a hot scent between the pine island and the clear cut. I had Ginger and Chloe with me as well, but they didn't pack. Ginger did go over to where Bailey started and she begand to run the line with Chloe packing up with her. Ginger and Chloe were running about 80 yards behind Bailey. Katy joined in the run with Ginger and Chloe as Bailey was still leading by a long ways and bringing the hare back to me. I caught a movement and readied, it was Ginger. She came back and found me, was shivering and tired. She must had turned the hare and Bailey missed the check. I got a phone call from home about 5 minutes into the check and my wife needed help with the kids at home. We gathered up the dogs and headed back up to the truck. We briefly talked and then hit the road. Overall a good hunt.