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Last couple of days

Oh boy. All this rabbit talk has me wanting to get the kids' beagle out and see how she does. Never hunted rabbits with a dog before. Where would one start outside the obvious teaming up with someone else? I don't know anyone locally that rabbit hunts. I think my biggest fear is seeing Izzy come up missing and trying to explain it to the kids. Suggestions? Time for a new thread? Sure sounds like fun!
 
Picked up a deer for a friend of mine and while I was there started talking too a guy who ended up asking about rabbit hunting (Owner told him I run beagles) he said he has access too some land that is next too where he lives and said as long as I give him half the rabbits we get that I can hunt it anytime..... Now there's an offer I don't get very often lol... I shook his hand thanked him for the invite but kindly told him I wouldn't hunt it unless he went out with me on the first hunt.... His eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas...... He said his knees are bad and can't walk very fast but he'd welcome the opportunity too go after bunnies and watching the dogs do their thing.... Pretty cool encounter.....
 
Well just got the logistics worked out for the mornin, will be heading too the new property with Sam and beagles in tow.... Talked too the landowner and he sounds like a kid @ Christmas he's really looking forward too the hunt..... Will be there around 0900 and hit it as hard as we can, really liking the new snowfall we just got about 4" of the white stuff so it should be a great morning too hunt the little buggers lol.... I'll post up the results afterwards and we'll see if the camera guy (Sam) can take some snapshots as well :smiley_clap:

This is my first trip too this propery and if it's half as good as Jim (LO) says it is we should be in for a real treat..... :smiley_coolpeace:
 
"J" said:
Well just got the logistics worked out for the mornin, will be heading too the new property with Sam and beagles in tow.... Talked too the landowner and he sounds like a kid @ Christmas he's really looking forward too the hunt..... Will be there around 0900 and hit it as hard as we can, really liking the new snowfall we just got about 4" of the white stuff so it should be a great morning too hunt the little buggers lol.... I'll post up the results afterwards and we'll see if the camera guy (Sam) can take some snapshots as well :smiley_clap:

This is my first trip too this propery and if it's half as good as Jim (LO) says it is we should be in for a real treat..... :smiley_coolpeace:
Click to expand...

Oooooooo, looking forward to hearing tales about this one! :)

I've got to work today, but then later hope to have the triplets out for a run. Probably won't carry a gun though. We have over a foot of snow and it will be tough going.
 
I’ve started this post about a dozen times and have deleted every one of them….. It’s going too be a long winded post so I apologize up front….. I’ve rabbit hunted since I was 12 years old, my neighbors SIL and grandson always had beagles and had always hunted with them when my neighbor went with them…. I had always looked forward to getting out with them and at first didn’t have or was able to use a shotgun I just tagged along and carried the leash but I always had so much fun being there with them….. A couple of years (actually 4) I got a 16 ga. For Christmas from my parents, before that I had bows pellet guns and a .22 but once I got the 16 ga. I was a hunter…. Fast forward I joined the Air Force and rabbit hunted down in Arkansas and Illinois with people I was stationed with and I could get my fix….. I got married and moved around some more and hadn’t did any serious rabbit hunting from 84-88 when I moved back to Ohio and got my first beagle and I’ve been hooked ever since….. A friend of mine was always rabbit hunting with me when I would come home on leave or after I got off of active duty…. Mike and I have logged more hours in the woods chasing bunnies and deer than anyone else that I know….. We’ve known each other since 79 and he’s been an avid bunny hunter like me he also keeps my dogs for me since I live in town and we have a kennel and ground too let them run at his place about 15 minutes from where I live……
As I stated in a previous post I ran into a guy who had access too some acreage (250 too be exact) and how it was overrun with bunnies and I could hunt it of I wanted too…. I don’t get offers like that very often and a lot of the properties we hunt have low numbers on them….. So I jumped at the chance too hunt some new property, I contacted Sam and worked out the logistics and Saturday morning I picked up the dogs and Sam and headed too the new property….. We got there around 0915 and talked with Jim the landowner and he stated his friend who was also coming was running late…. Wally showed up about a half hour later, we had already had the dogs out and they were in the process of running one which went on for about 20 minutes and they lost it and came back, Jim said we should leave the woods we were in and go over too a thicket in a ravine on the other side of the lane we walked in on, sounded like a plan and bunnies like thickets and from the sign I had seen too this point the thicket should really be packed with them…..
Off we go too the thicket…. Wally was walking and talking too me and Jim was over with Sam…. The dogs got on one right off the bat and brought it around too us and I watched it go into a hole…. A little while later they were on another they brought it around and Wally shot it…. He was using a contender in .410 which I have really wanted too start using I was happy he got it with it and I had actually backed off too allow him too have the first crack at it…. He allowed the dogs too get too it and Penney was the first one on it and she left too go find another…. Wally grabbed it and walked up too an old foundation and laid it on the block wall and came back down where I was…. Katie was running one on her own and then Penney started another run so they were running two separate rabbits at once which is odd because they usually work them together I have seen them start two separate track before and Katie would back off of hers and go too where Penney was and pick it up and work it with her, but it was something different and actually was pretty cool…..
 
Penney ran the rabbit up past us (Wally and I) and up towards Jim, he shot and about 10-15 seconds later I hear Penney (kind of when they hit a thorn bush wrong) and Jim said I missed it, I saw him walk over too the area where he shot and look around. Katie was working her rabbit close too where Wally and I had been standing and it popped out and I shot and missed Wally said he saw if run back into the thicket but didn’t look hit…. From the time Jim shot until I shot was about 5-10 minutes and Katie was still working the track but I hadn’t heard anything out of Penney….. Sam was on our far side but was able too see clear across the bottom too the other side…. I asked them if they had seen Penney since I haven’t heard hear for a while…. Jim said he saw her run down past Sam….. Wally and I started too walk down too Sam and when we got there Sam said he hadn’t seen her go by….. So I started calling her name and I run electronic collars on both my dogs and I started toning her which 9 times out of the will get her coming back too me if she’s not hot on a rabbit…. Nothing…. No barking no bawling and I’m getting a nervous feeling in my gut as she just doesn’t take off like this….. Jim kept saying she ran past Sam and Sam said he didn’t see her…. Jim is making excuses as too why she may have took off…. Does she run deer, or does she run fox….. No she doesn’t run junk….. Maybe she went too the truck…. Really? No I don’t think so but maybe she’s back out front and working something….. So I back track and follow our footsteps too where we were…. I pick up Jims track on the top where he was when he shot…. I followed them too where he walked down into the thicket too check on the rabbit he shot at and that’s when I saw the worst thing you could imagine…..
Penney laid there on her stomach noise buried in the ground like she was still on the track, her legs just buckled under…. Jim had shot her thinking she was the rabbit….. He walked down and from my perspective had too have seen her from where he stood realized he fugged up and try too cover it up….. I wanted too throw up, I wanted too beat him with my shotgun…. I wanted out of there…. I crawled through the thicket and picked her up and carried her too the opening laid her down and just was at a loss…. I didn’t know what too do….. Next thing I remember I had too get Katie out of there and I wanted too just get the hell out of there….. Sam heard me yelling and I think I yelled he killed Penney…. At this point Sam could fill in what actually transpired as I’m still a little foggy on it all….
I loaded Katie in the box when we got back too the truck with Jim saying the whole time he shot at a rabbit not the dog…… I just wanted too cave his skull in at that point but I did one smart thing through the process I gave my gun too Sam….. I put Katie in the crate and loaded Penney in her crate and I remember him just saying he didn’t mean too do it…. I said yeah I know you didn’t do it on purpose but you did it you know you did it and you walked away from her trying too hide it…… We got in the truck I started it and I just sat there trying too catch my breath….. I couldn’t breathe, my head was spinning and I felt like I was going too pass the hell out….. It seemed like 10 minutes before we moved but it was probably only a few minutes….
We got the hell out of there and I took Sam home, pulled in the drive and got out and just stared at the crates….. We pulled Penney out of the crate and Sam asked if I would want him too take care of her…. And I told him I would really appreciate it as I don’t think I could bring myself too burry her right now….. The ground was frozen solid and he has a bobcat with a bucket on it…. I stayed for a while saying my good bye’s and went too break the news too my buddy…..
I’ve been shelled shocked for the last couple of days and the family as well as my buddy is the same, Penney was shot by another hunting buddy a few years back but had survived that, but she didn’t have the same luck this time….. She was going on 12 years old and I knew her time was limited on this earth but she didn’t miss a beat and ran as good as ever and everyone commented on how good she was doing for her age….. I knew eventually I would have too let her go but I always felt it would be on her and Mother Nature’s terms not some stupid SOB who got so excited too shoot a friggin rabbit and totally ignore his surroundings…..
I feel a lot of guilt after this happened, I feel I let my guard down and for that Penney paid the ultimate price….. I feel like such a friggin fool, and I’ve taken something that I so looked forward too doing…. Too something I’m dreading of doing at this point…..

I want too thank Sam for taking care of my hunting buddy, not many people would have done that and it couldn’t have been easy for him either Sam and I as well as Penney and Katie have logged some hours in the field the last couple of years, so this had too affect him as well…. Sam again I appreciate what you have done for us……
Sorry for such a long winded rant but it’s taken me 2 days too get this far with it…….
 
Without a doubt the worst day ever in the field. You showed remarkable restraint.

I understand anyone can make a mistake but his behavior afterwards is beyond my comprehension.
 
Hind sight being 20/20 Jim's gun handling made me uncomfortable and somethings he said about deer hunting made me question his ethics. I wish I'd spoken up about my concerns, but I kept my mouth shut. That was bad mistake on my part.
 
Such a heart retching story J!!! So sorry to hear this. Friends like Sam are the best. Thank you for being there for J, in my mind it was a blessing.

Words alone can't express how sorry I feel for you buddy so I'll just leave it at that.

RIP Penny
 
Oh, one more thing, don't beat YOURSELF up for this tragic thing. The guy prolly is a slob hunter and he should be carrying that burden to his grave. IMO, he should at least own up to his stupidity and offer you another apology or something. Him trying to cover it up was incomprehensible!!!!!
 
J - you and I have been in a some places before where we didn't quite know what to say...I'm so sorry buddy. It really is a tragedy and not your fault...it brings up so many questions and worries...but the way I've seen it, and you've been in my thoughts constantly since Saturday, is that having hunted with you, Katie, and Penny, I know that you loved those dogs. Many a hunter will get rough with a dog, but you love them and they love you. That's a special sort of thing.

I'm glad that Sam was with you as that would be even more difficult to handle alone.

No shot is ever worth taking unless you can pause first to check your backdrop and properly identify.....

I'm just so sorry J.
 
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