Location: Lowell, VT
Weather: Sunny/Humid
Temperature: 68°F (Start) 72°F (End)
Dogs of mine: Belvidere Bailey & Wild Seasons Mountain Snickers
# of Rabbits Ran: 3
Runs like this keep the excitement going and the desire to keep hunting! I woke up at 5 and dressed for cool weather to become quite surprised when I walked outside to load up. It was warm and humid and the air felt thick. The drive to the spot was tough as the fog was thick and the windows kept dewing over. I arrived at my spot and cast the dogs at 6:30. The ground was really damp and I was hoping the scenting would be ideal. Bailey barked on a few feeder trails near the truck without a jump.
We worked our way down towards Allen's Stump and the Corner Crossing. Bailey got a start and excitedly started running up towards the Buckley's camp. Snicker's joined in and the race was fast and solid. According to Bruce (during a later conversation) the rabbit ran out into the meadow in front of their camp and Bruce and Sue got a chance to watch. The rabbit ran out into the meadow and up towards the camp and sat and waited. The dogs weren't far behind and as they entered the meadow the hare took off into the woods again. I was standing down at the start of the run wait for the hare to show himself. The dogs were getting close and I figured the hare had pass through without showing itself. The hare ran right at me, stopped about 8 feet away and looked back at the dogs. The dogs were only about 30 yards behind. The hare noticed me and took off on a fast sprint and the dogs were still on its trail as it headed out towards Pine Island. I must have turned its swing as it started to make small circles out by the Island. I ventured out to the Island and waited for a sighting. The hare passed about 40 yards from me and the dogs were still right on its' tail. A small figure eight out in the alders brought the hare back to me and stopped about 10 feet from me and then continued on its way. I managed to take some poor quality video of the hare on my cell phone when it came in. The race continued for a total of an hour before the dogs checked. Bailey worked the check for about 20 minutes with no luck, and we moved on to another spot.
We found our way down to the end of the log road and worked the edges. I jumped a hare on the edge and Bailey took the line after I called her in. Snicker's joined and they ran it out on a deep circle, but not quite out of hearing. It was a tight turn and they ran back up towards the start and checked about 60 yards from the start. The search continued for about 10 minutes and I had them work up through the alders towards the Buckley's camp. I entered the camp meadow and started to talk with Bruce for a little bit. Bailey stayed down in the woods and kept looking, while Snickers stayed by my side. Bailey started a hare along the moose trail between the camp meadow and the log road. Snickers ran off to join her, and Bruce and I sat around and conversed for awhile.
The run lasted over an hour while Bruce and I talked over coffee. Thunder started to move in closer and I decided to bid farewell to Bruce and go join Bailey on her run. The GPS showed that she ran many small circles out near Pine Island. As I made my way down towards the dogs it was interesting to see that the ground was still damp from the morning dew at 11am. No wonder the runs were so good. I caught up to Bailey and Snickers at the Corner Crossing with them still on the line. I caught both of them as I could hear the thunder getting closer. We made our way up to the truck and headed home. I met up with Doug and Missy on the road as they were heading out for a four wheeler ride with a few friends. I got out of the woods at the right time as the strong rain came in and made it hard to see and drive. Good timing.
No comments:
Post a Comment