Jays 2014/15 rabbit season thread

Well opening day is upon us and I'm going too try and do a detailed (somewhat) rabbit season thread with all the highs and lows that come our way.... I hope too do a lot more hunts this year then I have in the past few years and do a better job of documenting them with photos and some videos.... That's my goal and I may have too enlist some tech people for some assistance on he uploading of videos lol....

Today is opening day and if the weather would have cooperated there would of been a couple more beagles added too the mix with Bluedog making the drive down too hunt with OhioSam and I but with the crappy weather and the drive she would have had I felt it wasn't worth it. So hopefully a reschedule will be in the works here in the next few weeks.....

I picked up the ladies after doing some tidying around the house since we're in the middle of a little updating of the the old homestead and when I was done the rain seemed too be dying down some and by the time I got all my gear together it had changed from rain/mist too snow.... Nothing heavy just a light dusting that never really stayed on the ground.....

Picked up the ladies and headed too my first spot only too be met by three vehicles that belonged too some deer hunters so I moved up the road a little only find the owner had parked his truck in the middle of he drive blocking my entrance and nobody home lol.... Scratch #2 lol....

Headed over too another farm that I passed up going too the first stop and got too the barn (dairy farm) and entered the milk parlor too be met by the owner artificially inseminating a cow.... Greg looked at me and said I guess rabbit seasons in huh????? Which I replied would you like some alone time with Betsy???? He said naw I'm about done lol..... But you probably don't want me signing your slip right about now..... I agreed and about that time his son came by and said he'd sign it for me..... What a morning so far!!

Well I didn't have any smokes too offer him so I said my goodbyes and was out the door lol.... Drove too my parking spot unloaded the ladies and off too the races we went.... I hadn't been here since late last season but it's always good for a few runs not my best place but not a scrub either....

We go across a pasture and then here's a it a 20-30 acre crp that has a mixture of briars and scrub brush.... But for some reason this year it's really thick and I can't ever remember seeing it this thick and I've been hunting here close too 20 years..... Oh well we'll give it a try and see what happens....

Make the first thicket with nothing popping out out of it, go a couple hundred yards more and nothing.... Hit the far opposite corner and the ladies bumped one and ran it for about 10 minutes and lost it in a thick briar patch.... Let them work it for another 10 minutes then we're off too another thicket.... When we got too it I jumped a good sized rabbit out of a treeline and called the ladies over and they were off hot on it.... They ran it about 20 minutes and lost it, worked it for about 5 minutes and picked it up again ran it for about 5 minutes and lost it again.... They were struggling in the real thick stuff and I had a hard time getting thru it also too try too roust it up.... Oh well let's see what some over the other thickets produce....

Well apparently the rabbit gods weren't favoring us today as that was it.... About an hour and a half and one short run and one decent run.... I headed back too farm #1 and instead of three cars they were down too one.... Still didn't want too tromp into someones deer hunting area with them on stand and booger it up for them.... And driveway guys driveway was still blocked so I called it quits for today and figured I'd give it a try either Sunday or Monday..... I'm off till Wednesday so I'll be out a couple more times this week....

Sarah



Candy



And last but not least our senior citizen Miss Katey...... 10 years and going strong.....



One thing I will mention.... Trying too get three beagles too pose in the same frame is virtually impossible hahaha......

To be continued.....

Wish I can take credit for that Jesse lmao....

brock ratcliff said:

Enjoyed the read, J! I look forward to more bunny hunting stories.

I had four older fellas come in on me today while I was deer hunting. They had a pack of 6, and they all had nice voices...lots of fun to listen to their approach, though I suppose not all deer hunters would feel the same.

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Yeah I've ran into deer hunters accidentally and apologized and backed out soon there after.... Most are cool about it although they man be a little upset they never really showed it.... Haven't been yelled at for screwing anyone's hunt up too date.... Hopefully that'll stay the course lol....

bluedog said:

Glad you got out today. Love the part about talking to the dairy farmer. Very funny. And yes it is very hard to get three beagles in the same view.

I finally rounded up the dogs and got out too. I'll start a thread too so as to not piggyback on this one. Feels good to be in the house and warm.

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Thanks, glad too hear you got out and I over dressed for the occasion and was glad I did by the time I quit.... Taking tomorrow off and spending the day with the wife.... We're heading too cabellas and some of the outlet stores down there in wheeling..... Back at it either Sunday or Monday.....

cotty16 said:

The way my deer season is going, I'll be bunny hunting a lot sooner than normal this year.

Glad to say the ladies got out!

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Say the word and we can meet up and do some running with all four of them.....

Well got bored around 9:00 and told the wife I'm grabbing the girls and going out.... They're hanging siding today and the banging got too me lol.... We had Belgian waffles for breakfast so I needed too walk them off lol.....
Stopped by grabbed the girls and my buddy Mike decided too go out as well.... Mike and I have been rabbit hunting and have owned beagles together for close too 25 years.... He's got bad knees and doesn't make it out much but loves beagles and bunnies lol.... We went too a property that's fairly easy too get around and has a decent population of rabbits.... I tried too hunt it opening day but it was a little crowded with deer hunters.... Or so I thought lol.... Dropped the tailgate and the girls hit the ground running and after their usual rituals (bowel movements) lol.... We were off and running lol.... Sarah has the most bowel movements I have ever seen coming out of a beagle!!! I swear she was stopping every 10 minutes for the first hour too squat and poop.... Boggles the mind lol..... Anyway, we had gone about 30 yards and Candy opened up on one and they were off too the races with all three working it right off the bat..... It ran about 50 yards and made a 90 degree turn and went up over a hill and down into some pines and came out of the pines just about 10 yards from Mike.... I was about too tell him too let it go for another lap and boom..... He dropped it, oh well it's been a while for him so I didn't give him too much grief lol.... Let the ladies get up too it too find it and mall it and then we were off looking for the next one.... We beat the brush and didn't have another run until we hit the backside of the property where there's a big fishbowl area surrounded by brush..... Had a short 5 minute run that ended up with the rabbit hitting a hole.... That area is a black hole, every time we kick one up over there it vanishes into a hole or there's some worm hole into another dimension there......

We got the girls back and hit a small thicket above a stripper cut lake and they jumped another one.... This was a good run that lasted about 45 minutes and it ended up like the last one... Headed too the worm hole area and dove into a hole.... Mike saw it once and I saw it twice but no real shots offered.....

We walked the logging road back too the truck and ran into the property owner on the way out.... Shot the breeze with him for 20 minutes and found out the 3 vehicles I encountered Friday weren't deer hunting on his property..... They were just parked on a right of way old railroad bed.... He doesn't like it when hey park there but he's got no legal standing too stop them.... Something for the memory banks..... If I see them in the future.... Screw it were hunting.....

Well we headed up the road a couple hundred yards too another property that's very Small and has a lot of briars.... We hit it and had a rabbit up within 50 yards of the tailgate..... It ran across an open field and into a thicket and we made it back there too see the girls head too the neighbors property which I know their grandson and hunt with him occasionally but don't have permission myself..... So we just watched as this rabbit ran those girls back and forth between a briar patch and a cornfield for the next hour and a half.... I'd seen that little bastard go back and forth a half dozen times with the girls in tow and there wasn't a darn thing I could do about it lol.... Worst part about it, two of our training collars had died.... Unbeknown too us at the time..... After an hour and a half of this nonsense I hit the tone button too let them know we want them back which for the most part works pretty good.... Candy came back but Katey and Sarah were still looking for the scent because hey hadn't opened up on it for almost 10 minutes..... After a few tones with no response I turned he setting too I'm being stubborn lol.... I started at the lowest setting of one... No response.... Which is strange.... At that point I told Mike I've got a bad feeling about this.... If you've run dogs before and they're in a corn field then you know what I'm talking about lol.... Like hotel California you can check in you just can't ever leave!!!!' lmao..... Well I was too he point of handing off my gun and go tracking them down when I caught movement and it was Sarah coming our way.... Well that's a good sign lol.... She made it back too us but no sight of Katey..... Well after some calling and down right yelling here she comes.... Finally..... Well her and Sarah's collars are dead..... Well off too the truck and back into the box they go.....so tomorrow I'll be calling tri tronics too see what they can do for me lol..... I'm figuring two battery replacements are needed... They are close too 10 years old so I guess I got my monies worth lol...... So no running them until I get the collar issues fixed, well at least one will be able too make it out lmao......

Stay tuned.....

Everyone thinks it's all glamorous lol.... There's good days and not so good days lol.... Yesterday wasn't a bad day, just thinkin about the two collars not working gets me a little nervous when you always use them.... They know they're wearing them but if they call your bluff a couple times and nothing happens then they realize they have the upper hand and really push the envelope lol!!!!

I remember as a kid hunting with dogs and my friends dad and grandpa would be ticked when those rabbits ran into a cornfield..... Then they'd say alrighty youngins.... Go get them hounds lmao..... It wasn't nothing for us but as I look back at the age I am now..... It wouldn't be fun chasing hounds in the corn lol.....

Waiting on a response from tri tronics... If I'm reading right they'll repair for about 90 a piece vs new at 140 a piece..... We'll See how it washes out....

I bought a 2014 tundra and I had a for sale sign in my Z71 and a guy drove by while I was talking to the land owner and he asked for my phone # because he had a buddy who was looking for a truck, gave it too him and he called yesterday evening and came over and looked at it, came back this morning and looked again and drove it and bought it.... So my Z71 is no longer making any trips too any too functions.... Stroud's was the last one lol.... Look for a like truck with Toyota on it now..... Which reminds me, I'm going too need a TOO sticker for it now.....

Sorry this wasn't too rabbit related lol....

Here's the new rig







And a picture of the outgoing rig.....

Well went out yesterday with the intent of hitting a property for a couple of hours with my daughters boyfriend and just get the girls and ourselves some exercise....

Picked Mike up after he got a couple of hours of sleep at 9:00 (he works midnight shift) went and picked up the ladies and went too the first spot and dropped the tailgate as a pick up pulled in.... It was a couple of guys who have been trapping coyotes the past few years.... They let me know where their traps were and that changed everything I had planned.... So we hit areas of the property away from their tail line and it didn't work out for us too well.... Spent the first hour and a half hitting. Brush piles and nothing jumped while doing this.... By the time we were done doing that we were at the backside of the property and there's a thicket that's about 50 square feet and they hit that and popped one out and hey we're off too the races.... Well as luck would have it the bunny kept circling on the other property and getting further out on every lap.... Not good for us.... Then after the third or fourth lap a Kubota comes driving up and it's a guy who has hunting permission on that property who was planning on deer hunting.... Yeah I'll get the girls and let you have at it... He was pretty understanding but you can tell he wasn't happy, oh well stuff happens... So I handed my gun too Mike and off I went and retrieved the ladies.... 20 minutes later we were at the truck calling it quits.... Not what I had planned but oh well that's the way it works out some times....

Told Mike I was going too drop him off so he could get some sleep since he had too work that night as well, so dropped him off and was heading back too my buddies too drop off the girls when I said the hell with it I need too get them on some more bunnies and turned around and headed for another farm not far from where I live and when I got there dropped the tail gate and within minutes we were off too the races.... They rant his rabbit for about a half hour and we're going strong when one of the land owners pulled up an parked next too my truck.... He hasn't seen my new truck and I figured I'd go talk too him.... Walked out and he started laughing saying I was just getting ready too call you too see if you knew who owned this truck lol.... Well I saved you a phone call I said lol.... He asked what I was doing and I said listen too the girls and that'll give you a clue.... He's not a hunter and wasn't sure what all the racket was and I clued him in and he thought that was cool that beagles would do that as all he's seen of beagles is eating and sleeping lmao.....

Well we talked for a few minutes then he told me he was expecting some friends who were coming out too (get this) hunt for Bigfoot sign!!!!! I'm thinking WTF???? I looked at him with a are you kidding me and he said yep, there's a local group who goes around looking for sign of big foot.... Holy smokes..... Well I didn't want too make it sound like I was making fun of them but I said well you gotta have a hobby right???? Oh well, takes all kinds.... So he went too the house and I went back too listening too beagles run... They've been running this rabbit for close too 40 minutes and I've seen it a couple of times with no intention of shooting it.... Just wanted too give them a good workout.... When the Bigfoot people showed up I figured when there was a lull in the action I'd grab and go lol.... The girls lost it finally and that about the time I see some vehicles pulling in so I grabbed them and got them in the truck and the 5 vehicles drove by waving when one truck stopped asked what I was hunting..... The smart ass in me wanted too say Bigfoot but the I don't want too piss off the owner said rabbits lol.....

I left shortly after that and on the way out I called their neighbor who I deer hunt with and told him too get out on stand because there's a deer drive fixing too start lmao.... He laughed and said he may go get his Gilley suit on and go still hunt, and I told him too make sure he swings his arms lmao.....

Oh the season that been going on so far lmao.....

Anyways they had a good workout and ran that bunny for close too an hour so it all worked out.... Snow is coming this week so we'll see what happens.....

CJD3 said:

That Tundra is badass J
:smiley_bril:

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Get your backside down here and we'll go get it dirty chasing some bunnies....

xbowguy said:

Just got caught up on all this J. Yes, that truck is nice. Brings back a lot of memories reading this. Thanks Buddy and Good Luck on the next one! Shoulda sent the big foot fellas over here......With just a little heads up I'd of had a ball with them!

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Rick, I was just about too bust a gut when he said that.... I mean really????