With deer and duck seasons wrapping up this month, a dedicated group of hunters and their dogs finally get their opportunity. Rabbit hunting has a rich tradition in the South. It mostly started as a way to put food on the table and take advantage of an abundant resource, but nowadays it’s more just an opportunity to enjoy the hunt and good times.
If you’ve never been, rabbit hunting behind an experienced pack provides constant action, lots of fun and some great table fare. Hunts tend to get big, with several packs and hunters running on several areas. Some friends of my family would host one every February on a deer lease in Washington Parish that culminated with a skeet shoot and rabbit jambalaya later at the camp.
Beagles
Beagles are really the only breed used for rabbits you’re likely to find. There are two sizes recognized by both the United Kennel Club (UKC) and American Kennel Club (AKC), the 13-inch (13 inches and under) and the 15-inch (between 13 and 15 inches.) Size is mostly a preference, and you’ll commonly see both in the same pack. Beagles are compact and sturdy, which allows them to penetrate briars, treetops and thick covers where rabbits hide. Beagle voices are distinctive, and like most other houndsmen, the owners can recognize individual dogs by their howls.
Hunts begin usually not long after daylight. Hunters post in areas where a pursued rabbit is likely to offer a shot in the open, such as across a lane, clearing or logging trail. Hunter orange is a must, as well as coordination and being certain of the target and beyond. The dogs are turned out and it doesn’t take long for the chase to begin.
When one dog strikes a hot trail and howls, the others converge and the hunt is on. The howling gives the hunters the direction they are moving in and distance. Some hunters try to get ahead and cut the rabbit off, while some stay back. Rabbits will often circle back to where they were jumped, along with crisscrossing its trail to throw the pursuing dogs off the pack. “Tally ho” is yelled when a hunter jumps a rabbit to call the dogs to that location to start the chase.
Training young dogs
Gary LeBlanc is the treasurer of the Louisiana Rabbit Hunters Association. I know him through training Labs together. He has always kept a pack of beagles and considers rabbit hunting his first love.
When it comes to training young dogs, LeBlanc starts with puppies from proven parents. He runs them in a 5 to 10-acre pen specifically designed for training rabbit dogs. The perimeter fencing is composed of net wire with strands of hot fence at the outside bottom and top to keep out predators such as coyotes and bobcats. The pens are allowed to grow up in cover with lanes cut through them.
The dogs for the most part learn on their own with the instincts kicking in. After they catch on, LeBlanc will run them with an older, slower dog so the young ones learn to move slower. This is his preference, though others may prefer dogs that move at a faster clip. From there, he moves the pack to a much larger pen and runs the dogs of all ages together.
Deer learn quickly that the pens are havens from predators and that they can easily jump the fence to get in and out. This is a bonus since it provides a controlled environment to keep the dogs from wanting to run deer. My parents have a neighbor with such a pen, and a doe has raised fawns in it for the last three or four years. The dogs will run right past a deer when after a rabbit.
Equipment
As far as equipment is concerned, LeBlanc uses GPS collars on all of his dogs. It enables him to keep track of where they are and where they’re headed. The track functions show the dogs’ movement, and he can recall them if they get close to an area that they aren’t hunting. He uses a tone to recall. If they don’t start making their way back quickly, he can “nick” them to drive the point home.
Rabbit hunters love to hunt new areas and take those that have never been. With social media, it’s easy to find a group to go with if you’re eager to experience it. It’s a great way to introduce kids to hunting since the action is fast paced and kids love dogs. It’s also a good resource for landowners who would like to host a hunt. It’s a great time and rabbit sauce piquant is hard to beat!
