6/1/2009 - Lowell, VT

Date of 6/1/2009
Location: Doug Duffy's
Weather: Light Rain
Temperature 51 °F (Start) 51 °F (End)
Companions: Alone
Dogs of mine: Bailey & Remi
# of Rabbits Ran: 1

Opening day of running rabbits happened to fall on a Monday this year. I left work at 5, and went home to load up before heading to Lowell. Pulled on to Robtoy Road at 6:30. By they time the dogs and I were fully geared up it was 6:45. I dropped Remi first and left Bailey in the box with a bark collar. Remi and I went down the log road at the entrance of the NC Camp and headed towards the softwoods. Remi started to bark on something within 10 minutes and took off on a scent out of hearing. I quickly got nervous as the moose sign was active in the area. I ventured in the direction of the last bark I heard and started to try and call her in. I bumped her and she barked closer than I had expected. Still a long way out, but within hearing. I called her in and she was by my side within 5 minutes. She started working again got a scent going within a minute. I let her take it without any worry because the thicket she was in could not possibly hold a moose. She again ran a line right out of hearing. I let her go and about 2 or 3 minutes later I could hear her again. As she got closer I was able to see the rabbit run by me at about 15 yards. It was a really good size snowshoe. Remi was having a hard time working the trail and I called her in using the “I just saw a rabbit” call that they dogs have got accustomed to. Remi came right in and got on the trail again. She circled the rabbit up along the side of the NC Camp and then back down by me again. It sat still for about a half a minute before taking Remi back out of hearing again. Remi lost out on the trail on her way back up towards me. I called her in and brought her back to the truck. Remi got a good hour and a half run in before I switched her for Bailey.
I dropped Bailey at about 8:15pm and headed back down the NC Camp driveway. On the edge of the woodline I noticed a rabbit sitting up looking up towards us. I quickly got Bailey on the track and off she went. She was like a loose canon. The rabbit made a straight line out of the area while Bailey made it look like it had zig zagged around every tree and then back again. She was just so excited to be running scent that she was barking all over the place. When she finally settled down a bit and took the line the rabbit had brought her out of hearing. She came back up towards me and the rabbit had snuck by me without me seeing it. Bailey was working the line slowly and I’m guessing the rabbit was probably a county line ahead of her. I went up to the truck and brought Remi down on a lead in hopes of having the two pack together. Bailey was barking a bit and I let Remi go. Remi had no interest in helping out Bailey, she just wanted find a line herself. I leashed up Remi again and made my way closer to Bailey again. As I sat and listened to Bailey work the line Remi started to get a bit antsy and had a bit of spark to want and join in with Bailey. I think I will have try this tactic a bit more to get Remi excited and want to honor Bailey next time. Darkness closed in at around 9 and I all of sudden felt quite small in the big wilderness. I called in Bailey and brought the two dogs back up to the truck to head home.