Location: Lowell, VT
Weather: Warm/Cloudy
Temperature: 38 °F (Start) 41°F (End)
Companions: Allen Cushing, Logan Abell, Carter Abell
Dogs of mine: Belvidere Bailey & Wild Seasons Mountain Snickers
# of Rabbits Ran: 2
# of Rabbits Shot: 1
It has been a long time since I got out rabbit hunting with the dogs. Once Vermont's deer season starts the time in the woods rabbit hunting is practically non-existent. My spots that I rabbit hunt in are deer hunting spots for others. I would have to drive about 2 1/2 hours to get to a spot secluded enough to comfortably run the dogs. My wife surprised me yesterday and told me that she just called her Dad and he was all set to go hunting with me today. I guess that means I was going rabbit hunting, no complaints there! I took my 5 year old son Carter and my 12 year old brother Logan along as well. It was a bit of a scramble this morning with the new year and new hunting licenses required. I tried to work this all out yesterday, but the state will not sell hunting licenses for 2011 when it is still 2010. What a waste of time!
It was about 8:15 when we let the dogs loose. The warm temperatures and the fast melting snow would prove to be tough running conditions. It was a comfortable temperature to be out hunting in, but the 3" of snow was slushy and wet and disappearing quick. Bailey and Snickers worked a track for a bit before they both opened up and the race was on. They ran solid up past the spot where Allen and I missed the hare in October and out in towards the alders. The dogs kept on it, made the turn and were coming back before losing out. They managed to get the track again, but quickly lost it again. They checked many times while trying to run it and the run started to get stale. I let them work for a while before radioing Allen to find out what he wanted to do. After about an hour of letting them work and check we decided it would be best to try a new place and find a different hare. We started walking a logging road when I noticed a track that looked reasonably fresh. One more step and the white hare busted out of the brush and away from me. I gave the "I just saw a rabbit" call and Bailey came flying in from a long way out and was barking the entire way with excitement. Snickers came in pretty quick as well, I think she is starting to figure out what that call means as well. The scent was probably light on the wet snow and it took Bailey a minute to calm down enough to work a bit harder to find the track. Once they found it both Bailey and Snickers ran the track really hard and fast for about 3/4 of a circle. The way they were heading would surely push the hare by Allen and if he didn't get a glimpse it should come right back down to Logan, Carter and I. They checked. This check felt like eternity. It was a solid 5 minutes before Allen radioed me. He told me that he saw the hare cross the logging road just before the dogs stopped barking and that he had set up in a new spot to catch the hare come out of the back side of the softwoods it was in. I quickly made my way to Allen to find where the hare crossed to call in the dogs and get them going again. As soon as I got to Allen the dogs started on the track again and were coming fast. They quickly crossed over the logging road where Allen saw the hare cross and were coming towards us fast. The hare held up tight before busting out of the softwoods and into to the logging road. Allen shot and the hare took another bound off the road into another softwood patch. This patch was only about 20 yards long and another logging road would provide for another good shot. Allen and I were waiting for the hare to jump out again. Nothing. I decided to try and help bump the rabbit out to Allen by doing a quick drive. The dogs were coming out on the logging road at the same time I made it to where the hare crossed. The dogs followed the track in and found the hare lying about 10 feet into the woods. I picked it up, let the dogs play with it for a minute and then brought it back down to Allen. Logan and Carter joined us from their spots and we took pictures. Carter was extremely excited and was talking a mile a minute. He had plans all set to get home and help clean it, cook it and eat it.
We tried for one more, but never got anything going on the wide swing back up to the truck. Carter insisted on carrying the rabbit up the entire way to the truck, and we helped him by using my gun sling as a rope to hang the rabbit over his shoulder. He was so excited. Both dogs ran well, and Snickers did a little better actually looking for a rabbit instead of just looking for Bailey all the time. Although the weather was great for Carter, and he didn't get cold, it was really hard for the dogs. Hopefully next time will be better, although today turned out to be good day anyways. The ride home was full of excited talk about the hunt, but too much excitement for Carter as he fell asleep within the first 10 minutes of the ride home. Once home, he wouldn't get out of his wool hunting pants until we cleaned the rabbit. You would have thought I gave him the world when I let him use a hunting knife to help me clean it. He can't wait to tell his uncles tomorrow about it. Take a kid hunting, it makes quite an impression on them!!
No comments:
Post a Comment