10/14/2012 - Island Pond, VT

Date of hunt: 10/14/2012

Location: Island Pond, VT

Weather: Wet/Raining

Tempearture: 38 (Start) 45 (End)

Dogs of mine: Flander's Ridic

Other dogs: Chuck, Casey, Star, Steel

# of Rabbits Ran: 2

# of Rabbits Shot: 2

Distance ran by Ridic: 7.1 miles

Saturday night brought rain and it was still raining when we woke up. The plan was to hunt out in front of camp this morning to cut down on the travel time back to camp to pack up later and head home. We worked all of the honey holes I remembered from the hunts with my Uncle Greg. They sure had grown a bit, but were still thick and looked promising. The hounds worked through thick spot after thick spot without anything. John jumped a hare as he stepped out of a thick spot into an opening. The dogs were right there and all took off together. What good music! They brought it out down in front of the camp meadow, out towards the old car and down along the West Meadow Road. They turned down towards the railroad tracks and then back towards us. John, Logan and I were all set up for the hare to come back by. The hounds were getting close, and we were ready. It sounded like the hare was going to come out near Logan, but it turned and jumped out in front of me. I got a shot from about 10 feet when the hare stopped to look back for the dogs. The dogs came in, smelt the hare and then took off looking for another. 

We worked down through the woods to the edge of the brook, crossed the railroad tracks and then started to work back up the other side. Ridic got into a blow down and barked once. The other dogs came in, but nothing was started. They started to range out a bit and then Casey got a start. She took off out into the alders toward the river. The other dogs packed, but none of them barked. John came across the radio and told us it must be a moose. They ran out about 400 yards together and then Ridic broke off from the group and went back to the blow down that he barked in before. He got a start and started chasing the hare out towards the brook and then turned up towards the river. The other dogs were out by the river but were on their way to pack up with him. Halfway between the railroad tracks and the river the hare turned and headed towards us. We were ready but the rabbit turned back towards the railroad tracks before it came into sight. All the hounds were in on the run now and they went back down past the blow down where the run began. We told everyone at home that we would be back home from our weekend by 2 o'clock. It was now 11 and we still had to get back to camp, pack up and winterize it. We knew we had to end this race on its next circle to ensure a timely arrival back home. 

We used the GPS to help pick our spots to stand. Logan and John were set up in a spot that should give them the first shot, I was setup in a back-up location. I could just see Logan's orange vest from where I was and it sounded like the dogs were barking at his feet. I thought the hare had snuck by them and I would soon see it. John's shot surprised me, and aparently it surprised him too. The hare came in on an odd angle and was 5 feet from him when he shot it. He looked up and Ridic was leading the pack and only 20 yards out. They were pounding on that hare!! I cannot believe that Ridic was leading that pack, and the pack was only 20 yards behind the hare. I was pumped!! 

We got together and gathered up the dogs and were one dog short. Star was missing. John could hear her howling off in the distance and thought she must have her collar hung up on a branch. Logan and I took the rabbits and dogs back to camp and John went out after Star. He radio'd that he could see her, but couldn't get to her. She was on an island in the middle of the river. She must had got out there during the moose run and was too scared to come back across. John found a shallow spot that he was just below the top of his boots and worked his way towards her. Once he was part way there he was able to coax her back to him and got her to come back across the river and made their way back to camp. 

Our weekend ended on a high note! We were very happy with the day and looked back at how much better the weekend could have been if the conditions were more favorable. If there wasn't such a drop in temperature from Friday to Saturday, or if it hadn't rain so hard Sunday morning, maybe the rabbits would had been on the move more, and resulted in more starts. However, we can't control the conditions, and we did manage to each shoot a hare. I guess it was a good weekend. 

Vermont's deer rifle and muzzleloader seasons take up most of November and December which means I won't be out after rabbits until either late December or early January. Its not so much that I am a die hard deer hunter, because I'm not, but my concern towards deer hunters with rifles. Too many times I have heard of deer hunters shooting someone's hounds saying that "they were running deer". I can't afford to take that risk. Maybe if I got out in the remote areas of the NEK with less chance of meeting a hunter I might go, but we'll see.

10/13/2012 - Norton, VT

Date of hunt: 10/13/2012

Location: Norton, VT

Weather: Cold/Frosty

Tempearture: 22 (Start) 46 (End)

Dogs of mine: Flander's Ridic

Other dogs: Chuck, Casey, Star, Steel

# of Rabbits Ran: 3

# of Rabbits Shot: 1

Distance ran by Ridic: 18.3 miles

Plans were made back in early September to take a trip up to my family deer camp in the Northeast Kingdom for a weekend of rabbit hunting with my brother Logan and a friend, John Roberts. We headed for camp after work on Friday evening and arrived at camp a little after 8. We got the dogs settled and fed, warmed up the camp and got the water running. After dinner we got the dogs tucked in for the night and finalized plans for the morning hunt. 

We woke up to a hard frost on the ground, and over a 25 degree drop in temperature from the day before. Based on what I have heard in the past the rabbits would be held up tight. We took our time getting out of camp and got to our first spot around 7:30. We started by casting John's dogs Chuck and Casey. They worked through the brush for about a half hour without so much as a bark. We decided to cast all the dogs to try and get more dogs in the brush to bust something out of its hiding spot. We flushed partridge after partridge and were having a blast trying to get off a well placed shot for some extra dinner. No luck. Around 10 o'clock we decided to head back towards the truck and pick up to try a different spot. John made it back to the truck first with his hounds and I was lagging behind to get Ridic to stop his search for a hare. On the way out Ridic yipped on a track and I let him work it. With a little searching he managed to pick up the trail and took the hare out of the thicket and out on a run. He brought it out on a short swing and checked on the turn. John brought out Chuck to help in the chase. Ridic had picked up his check and was bringing it back to Logan and I before Chuck joined in. The rabbit had pulled a trick and with a lot of work and effort they still managed to lose it. We packed up and headed out. We ate lunch on the way out and stopped by my Uncle Eric's camp to visit. They were up getting the camp ready for next weekends moose hunting season. We exchanged stories, warmed up and headed out again. 

When we got to the next spot we wanted to hunt there was already a truck there. We could see the hunters up the road and went up to talk with them. They had been there for the morning and were planning on staying longer to get some scent time under their puppies' noses. We made our way back to the truck with the intention of find a new spot, but to our surprise there was a hare sitting next to our truck when we got there. We cast Ridic and Chuck and they took the hare on a tiny loop through the small thicket and then the hare busted back out across the road, through the woods and crossed the river. As far as I was aware this was the first time Ridic had ever had a hare cross a river and he hung up on the edge. I waited a bit to see what Ridic would do and them gave him a pushed into the water to give him some encouragement. Once his feet hit the water he bounded through the water, to the other side, and picked up the scent right off and brought it out fast. Chuck quickly crossed the river and caught up and the brought it on a circle up towards the other hunters. I was nervous that we were going to screw up their hunt or one of our dogs with drop in on their run. Sure enough at the first check Chuck heard the other hounds running and went and joined their run. I called in Ridic and put him back in the truck box, and we headed out after Chuck. Logan and I got to Chuck first and we had a good conversation with the guys. They were understanding of the circumstances and told us to keep an eye out for a lost dog from a group of hunters from the day before. When we got back to the truck the land owner was there and told us that he had found a dog and had placed it in the dog box of the other hunter's truck. I went back up to tell the guys about the found dog. When I got back down we talked with the land owner and received permission to hunt another area that John and I had talked about a few times in the past. Now knowing that we could be in there without getting in trouble we couldn't wait to get in there.

John had a spot in mind that he had hunted before and we drove straight there. The woods were thick, real thick! We cast all the dogs and walked into the woods with them. Ridic got the start and took it fast! It took a bit for the other dogs to catch up and the hare quickly went out across the road. They checked where the rabbit turned to cross the road and I was able to get Ridic in on the scent rather quickly. He again took it fast and the other dogs scrambled to pack. They caught up and the race was on. The music was unreal and loud! They made it through the turn and were coming back up to the road really fast. I stood behind Logan and helped him prepare for the shot. He was aiming for the outside tire track and the hare darted out across the road with a flash, but Logan was ready. He connected on the shot and the race was over. The dogs came in and each had their turn smelling the hare. The hare on the ground quickly became old news and they were all back in the woods again looking for another. 

We searched the same set of woods that the last hare came out of but after reaching the end of the thick stuff we crossed the road and searched over there. There were a few yips from multiple hounds but no starts. Ridic yipped on a spot and stood there waiting for him to get something going. He searched for the hare, without any luck. I turned around to get back into an opening and managed to bust the hare out from under a blow down. I called in the hounds and Ridic showed up first. He took the hare towards the road where Logan was standing, but the hare turned and went parallel to the road just outside of his view. They turned back out away from the road and had a check. The hounds all worked the check and then Casey picked up some scent. She ran out away from the road with the other dogs following, but not barking. She must had been on a moose or deer. Ridic peeled off from the pack and came back to where they checked on the rabbit. He picked up the scent and started running hard. Star and Steel came in to pack with Ridic, but Chuck and Casey kept on the moose. Logan and I waited on the road for the hare to cross, while John took off after his hounds. The GPS was showing that they would soon cross a road and Ridic was on a check. I went in and got Ridic and ran to the truck to go and help John. I followed the roads until I met the spot on the GPS where it showed the hounds had crossed. I quickly found Chuck and John was out near Casey. We soon had the hounds rounded up and in the box. 

We went to one last spot for the remainder of the evening with hopes of getting something going. We let Ridic and Chuck out. Chuck got a start, but Ridic had no interest in packing. Chuck took off on a deep loop, and Ridic got a second hare going close to us. Both hounds were running well, but the woods were so thick that we couldn't find a shooting lane that the hare went through. The hounds ran well and the tracks on the GPS turned the tan screen into a rainbow of colors. The hounds had been everywhere, and still no hare to be seen. It was thick! The sun was starting to set and we were at a good point to head back to camp. Dinner was waiting for us in the crock pot. Overall, as John put it, a fair to mediocre day! Ridic ran 18.3 miles for the day. 

9/29/2012 - Lowell, VT - Opening Day

Date of hunt: 9/29/2012
Location: Lowell, VT
Weather: Wet/Rainy
Temperature: 53 (Start) 53 (End)
Dogs of mine: Flander's Ridic
# of Rabbits Ran: 2
# of Rabbits Shot: 1
Distance ran by Ridic: 14.2 miles

Opening day of 2012-2013 rabbit season started off wet. It was raining at home when I left but I was hopeful, the radar only showed precipitation at home and I would drive out of it as we traveled Northeast. I was wrong. When Logan and I showed up in Lowell it was sprinkling, and had been raining all night. The woods were wet, and they weren't drying out. Ridic was excited and was running through the woods looking for a rabbit, but still wanting to know where I was at all times. Typical puppy! Ridic turned 1 back in August and had only ran one hare prior to today. He ran the last one really well and I was hopeful for a good run today. We searched some new area with hopes of finding some new honey holes and to find Ridics first hare. We searched high and low and the rain continued to come down and even pick up at times. We gave up on the new ground and started hitting the old honey holes. By 10 o'clock we were worn out, and Ridic was losing interest. I was getting frustrated with his lack of interest and having not found a hare, I needed to call it quits. I could see that I had lost patience and as a puppy it wasn't his fault. We made our way back up to the truck and stopped by to talk with Bruce and Sue at their camp for a couple of minutes. My plan was to pack up and head home, I had had enough. I called home to check in and was convinced by my wife to stay out, it was only opening day. The rain had stopped and after some lunch and some more conversation we had some new found energy. 

We once again decided to try some new area. We searched some old honey holes on the way down to the new ground, still nothing. We crossed the power line and found some thick balsam patches. We made our way through them, nothing. Logan pointed towards a blow down and Ridic followed his command and went into it. He started yipping a little then was hot on a hare out the back side of the downed tree. He took the hare on a fast short circle around Logan and I. We saw the hare, but no shot was available. We quickly set up in new locations as he was coming back toward the blow down and we were hoping to spot the hare on his next circle. The hare decided to take Ridic deep. They went almost out of hearing before the hare turned to come back. Ridic struggled on the turn, but picked it up after a short check and started bringing it back to us. The hare came back to the blown down tree and I thought he was going to turn and go deep again. Logan and I were still setup on the original short circle. Ridic was close and I thought for sure the hare had turned and headed back out for another deep run. There was no way that my pup was pushing that fast and staying that close to this hare. The hare popped out of the back side of the blow down and headed right at me. I waited for it to stop running and took a shot at about 20 yards. Logan came in quickly and got their just as Ridic came in. Ridic was finally able to taste what he was chasing! The hare gave a couple of kicks as Ridic approached but a quick bite by Ridic and it was finished. He kept licking and biting at the hare and couldn't get enough. We toyed with him and kept him excited during pictures and he was wound up! 

We were pumped and wanted to find another one. There was no having to get Ridic interested, he was looking everywhere he could to get one going. We searched for a while with nothing new and decided to head towards the truck to make it home for some warm dinner. We took the long way through the woods instead of the easy walking trail, deep down we were hoping to get another one going. Ridic found the next hare on his own and took it up towards some familiar running ground that we had ran in a lot last year. He checked on the turn, but searched hard to pick it up again. I gave him ten minutes, but also knew we were fighting the clock. It was time to be on the road to make it for dinner, but wouldn't two hare on Ridic's fist hunting trip be something! I had to call him in. It took some coaxing but I finally got him to break from the search and he came in. 

As we drove home we looked back at the roller coaster of emotions and conditions. After all we went through we came out on top! We were extremely excited with the outcome of the day, and the potential I see in Ridic. Time will tell what Ridic will be for a hound!

Long road and many changes!

It has been a long time since I have updated this site, mainly because I didn't have anything worth writing about. I expected my 2011-2012 hunting season to be better than the previous year, my dogs to show improvement, and to end the year excited to start the next; that didn't happen.


As my children are starting to get a bit older, they are becoming slightly more independent and in turn easier for me to not feel as much guilt when I leave the house for an all morning or even all day hunting trip. Therefore, I was able to hunt a lot more during this past season. Every morning when I would leave the house I was hoping that this would be the day. This would be the day that the dogs are on fire and I shoot my limit of rabbits (which is only 3 here in VT). Every evening on the drive home in a state of depression, lost in thought trying to analyze the runs, try to find the good and figure out how to fix the bad. I had a good idea what my biggest problem was, but didn’t want to make any drastic decisions and regret them later. At the end of the 2010-2011 season I really felt my problem was my 5 year old female, Bailey. Bailey was a dog that I loved to have when I dropped the tailgate. She had a nose on her that could find a rabbit within minutes of hitting the woods and I never had any doubt that I wouldn't find a rabbit when I went out. She proved to me over and over that there were rabbits in the woods I was hunting, and helped me know that I was in the right set of woods. Once the run started, things began to fall apart. The run would start out hot, with the rabbit and the dogs being a small distance apart. The run would be fast paced and no checks until they made the turn to come back. The turn, sometimes gradual, sometimes tight, would challenge the dogs as the straight run became a corner. At this point the run should become exciting with anticipation of seeing the hare within minutes. This excitement was quickly squashed by the first check. Then the run would start again followed by another check, and another; excited anticipation of seeing the hare and then a letdown. This would continue on historically through every run and the result would usually be the same, no rabbit in my game pouch.

I couldn’t figure out why there were so many checks. Is the rabbit getting such a large lead that the scent is colder and harder to follow? Are the scenting conditions not favorable? Many excuses could have been easily used in discussions with other hunters, but I chose not to use them as I had a good feeling that it was my hounds.

Finally, I had the opportunity to see what was really happening and settle many of my questions. It was on one of my many trips to Lowell, it was March and there were only a few weeks left of Vermont’s hare season. There was about 3 inches of snow on the ground and scenting conditions seemed favorable. Snickers, my 13 year old female, got a sight chase of a start and Bailey quickly joined in on a fast paced run. They took the hare up over the bank and out of hearing. The GPS showed that they made it through the turn without a check and I could just start to hear Bailey’s bawl when they checked. The check was short and the run was on again; then a check and another start. This continued as the hounds started getting closer. I spotted the hare as he came down the bank and he turned just out of shooting distance and ran parallel along the bottom of the bank. It ran a nice straight line for about 60 or 70 yards before going out of sight. As I got up to where it ran through I could see its tracks in the snow and waited for the dogs to come through. I watched the dogs as they came down off the bank and then saw for the first time what was causing all of my frustration for the past few years. Bailey had the lead, as she always did, and was running right towards me on the line. She was barking on the line that the hare came in on for about 20 yards and then she turned. She turned left off the line and continued to bark for 4 or 5 bounds before realizing that she wasn’t on the line anymore. She would check, go back to the line, find it and start barking and running again. After 20 yards or so she turned left again and continued to bark as she bound off from the line, check again. This repeated itself as she ran out of sight in the direction that the hare went. Needless to say I didn’t shoot this hare either. I now realized what was going wrong.

The hare season came to an end in the middle of March. It was concluded with a traditional gathering of guys hunting in the Orleans Hare Derby. The day ended with 3 hare in the game bag, 2 of them were from Bailey getting in the rabbits’ living rooms and kicking them out for a quick shot by awaiting hunters. This seemed to be the only way to successfully shoot a hare in front of her.

Things had to change before the start of the 2012’s season, and I bought a new puppy in October with hope that this would help. By the end of the season there was about 2 feet of snow and my pup was only 6 months old. I opted to not start him until after the off season concluded. The off season, end of hare season in March to June 1st, gave me a chance to make plans and changes. I built new living quarters for the dogs, a new shed with indoor insulated boxes. My plan was to run my new puppy alone and give him as much solo time as possible. I didn’t want him to learn any of my other hounds bad habits. My biggest dilemma was how I was going to manage giving my puppy as much solo time as possible but give the other two hounds ample time in the woods as well. In the beginning of May I had my 13 year old female die of old age. One evening at the end of May I found my 5 year old female Bailey unable to get out of her dog box due to a paralyzed rear end. A slipped disc could only be fixed by an expensive surgery and no guarantee that she would be able to run rabbits again. Ironically on June 1st, the first legal day of dog training in Vermont, I had Bailey put down. I was then left with my puppy that wasn’t started yet. I guess I was forced to start from scratch again.
Ridic was ten months old when I got him started on his first rabbit. Vermont rabbit population contains both Cottontails and Snowshoe Hare. Where I live there are Cottontails, but about an hour to the northeast there are Hare. I was able to find a local piece of property that is abundant with cottontails. His first time out I was able to find two cottontails sitting out in the open. Ridic saw them before he smelled them and had a short sight chase after them into the woods. He quickly figured out how to scent them and worked them a little bit. By his third time out he had run a cottontail in a full circle and I was hopeful of his potential. I have taken him out on cottontails whenever I get a chance in the evenings and then scheduled time after work one night to take the hour trip northeast in search of some hare. The hare search was slow and only resulted in 4 barks, but no starts, before darkness started settling in. I admitted multiple times that I really missed having Bailey there to find the hare, and wondered how many hare Ridic passed over without running them. By 8:30 my brother and I had packed up and were driving up out of where we parked when a hare jumped off from the side of the road. We jumped out, threw the GPS collar back on Ridic and put him on the track. He was off. The thermals were starting to settle and the dew was starting to collect, I was hopeful for some good scenting conditions. He ran the hare for a total of 4 circles with some checks, but short ones. On one of his checks after darkness had fallen I called him in to call it quits. The ride home was full of lively conversation between my brother and I. We were pumped that he ran as well as he did on his first time out on hare and I look forward to seeing him improve over time!

This video is of Ridic on only his second time out in the field at 10 months old.

 

  This video is of Ridic on his first hare at 11 months old. The story of this run is written above, and because it was late there isn't anything to see, just music!