Rabbit hunting with a dog?

[ArmedBear]

We've had our Vizsla for just under a year now. We've been training him for bird hunting; he passed his Natural Ability test with flying colors, so he can find, track, point, swim, etc. Apart from his being an all-around terror , he's great! Okay, he's a terrible, time-consuming, obnoxious little jerk, but he's also affectionate, playful, and funny, and he's a natural hunter.



Now I've read that Vizslas can be trained "on feathers and fur", i.e. to hunt birds and rabbits. (Or does that mean something different?)

When you hunt rabbits with a dog, what does that look like?

What does the dog do, and what do you do?

How do you keep from shooting the dog?

 

[TrapperReady]

When you hunt rabbits with a dog, what does that look like?

Let's see here. I don't normally just hunt rabbits, but come across them while I'm bird hunting. It usually goes something like this:

Dog: sniff... sniff... run... sniff... run... run... run... sniff... sniff... HEY!!!

Me: Whoa! Whatdayagotboy?

Dog: I've got a rabbit. RIGHT HERE! What are you, some kind of dumb@%^? Can't you smell that??!

Rabbit: I am SO out of here. run... run... run...

Dog: Shoot it, you moron!

Me: Whoa! Whoa!

Me [thinking]: Are rabbits in season? Is that a cottontail? Where's the dog? Will the kids eat it if I make a stew? Yeah! I think they are in season. Dog's on point. The kids'll eat it if I don't tell 'em what it is.

Me: Crap! Where's the rabbit.

Dog: You are such an idiot.

Rabbit: Man, that guy's an idiot.

Me: OK boy, let's find some birds. Hunt'em up!

Dog: run... sniff... run... ...

 

[ArmedBear]

LOL

We have cottontails and jackrabbits. Cottontails are in season from July 1 through the end of January, and jackrabbits are a free-for-all.

That's one reason I'm wondering. Rabbit is about the easiest game to hunt, here. Or the most convenient, anyway.

What kind of dog do you have?

 

[TrapperReady]

A 2 1/2 year-old German Shorthair Pointer. He actually doesn't point rabbits (anymore). One thing that amazes me is that he'll routinely jump rabbits and deer, but he just ignores them and keeps going after the birds.

Of course, right now he's sleeping on the sofa.

 

[ArmedBear]

he just ignores them and keeps going after the birds

Just from being around both breeds a fair amount during training and testing, I think Vizslas have a bit more sighthound left in 'em than GSP's.

Ours will sit up on an ottoman and just stare out the window, watching whatever's going on down the hill, head up and alert, gazehound style.

A picture you might appreciate. I shot it for our club newsletter, during the NA test :

 

[marksman13]

We hunt rabbits with beagles. The trick is teaching the dogs to circle the rabbit back to the hunter. If your dogs don't learn this trick you will hear some really good runs, but you'll probably never see a rabbit. A rabbit will run a dog for days.

 

[ArmedBear]

If your dogs don't learn this trick you will hear some really good runs, but you'll probably never see a rabbit.

That's what I was thinking.

If you teach them to circle rabbit back, how do you safely shoot it?

 

[BlackJackal]

I prefer not to hunt rabbits with my dog, just for safety, he runs off ahead too some times and scares them out but usally to far for the shotgun. But i like taking him out some times because he really likes to be around guns and hunting, i dont no if its instink but as soon as he sees a gun hes up and wagging his tail.
But if your dog is trained to follow along side u and not run off then by all means do it its a great why to get rabbits out of a bush.. what i always remember is, "a rabbits always hiding somewhere where you would rather send your dog then yourself"..well problem solved

 

[ArmedBear]

Vizslas aren't exactly "follow alongside" dogs.

This is him, going on a hike with us.


You should see him when he runs on ahead!

 

[Thernlund]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlFzZEaFZB8

Some bad language, but funny...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-0_sL5AAVQ


-T.

 

[JR1]

I raised and hunted a lot of beagles for rabbits. Great news is that you don't need to teach the dogs to circle the rabbit, the rabbit will naturally circle for you 90% of the time. May be a big circle, may be a little one, but it will most always happen.

This makes shooting them pretty simple. You set up along a route the rabbit took on the way out and wait for him to come back. Rarely is shooting a dog a problem as the rabbit will be out well ahead of them most of the time. If he isn't, just let them circle again.

I would be very, very hesitant to allow a good bird dog to run rabbits. Seems something like that could ruin a good bird hunt.

 

[ACP230]

I used to have a Springer, a breed bred to chase birds and rabbits.
Hog would give out a yip when he started a bunny, something he didn't do when he flushed a grouse or woodcock.
The rabbit, or snowshoe hare, would then run off with Hog in pursuit.
They would often circle and sometimes we'd get a shot.
I also shot one during the first rush after Hog and another dog that tagged along jumped it.
It came out of a thick area going a mile a minute. I missed with the first barrel and rolled it with the second from my 20 gauge over and under.
The dogs took a couple of minutes to get through the thick stuff so they weren't in any danger. I was shooting away from them in any case since the rabbit was going away from the mutts as fast as possible.

 

[MCgunner]

God made beagles for rabbits. No finer dog for said animal. I've given though to buying a beagle or two, but I'd have to build a kennel being in town. And, frankly, I'd rather get another lab for my duck hunting. I miss my lab.

 

[Shawnee]

McGunner is right about Beagles and rabbits. That's basically what Beagles were bred for. Fast "rabbit dogs" don't live long so the hunting strains of Beagles were bred purposely to be short of leg and not particularly quick.
While the dog doesn't have to learn to "circle the rabbit back", it does need to figure out the right speed to push it to keep it moving as opposed to hiding.

 

[JimmyN]

Basset hounds make the best rabbit dogs in my opinion. If not pushed too hard a rabbit will always circle to cross his scent track, since he's being tracked rather than chased. The basset will plod along relentlessly never pushing too hard, due to his having only two speeds... slow and stop.

The rabbit will come back by you, pretty much taking his time, since he's not under any real pressure to escape. I have had them circle around and stop right in front of me while checking to see how close the dog was, they are in no big hurry with old pokey behind them.

 

[marksman13]

Cottontails will naturally circle back. Swamp rabbits on the other hand.....well, get ready for a long walk to pick up your dogs.

 

[dogrunner]

The only real problem y ou'll have with that dog is his speed, and there's little you can do about that as it directly relates to h is size.

I hunt deer with a pack of walker foxhounds in our general gun season and try to run fox after that season ends. Mine will on occasion just decide to 'run rabbits' if they can't stir anything else up and it's more amusing than anything.....they will overrun a rabbit and nearly turn end over end in an open area trying to correct their forward motion....I'd bet that you'll see that in the open country you live it. Likely your best bet's to use that dog as a 'jump' dog....basically a flusher and it'll pay you to exercise some shooting discipline or you just might hit him with shot....he's gonna be awful close so you've gotta pick your shots carefully.

As the other posters have stated, that rabbit will naturally circle as he does'nt really want to leave home....deer are the same way, but the circles they run in are way, way bigger. Therefore the beagle approach is best, further, multiple dogs seem to work well as one seems to give incentive to the other (s).

That breed should hunt fairly close to you so using him as a 'jump' dog ought to be really easy. All dogs are 'show me' critters and once they get the nugget of the idea they'll pick up on it quickly...if your dog is inclined to be a hunter there's nothing you can really teach him....its hardwired into his brain...you can acclimate him to your style and that's the only real secret to using dogs....


By the way, Shawnee, a lot of folks here in FLorida us beagles as deer dogs and they are anything but slow in those chases.. ..They can't match a walker but they will move game faster than a lot of people believe.......I've also noted that beagles tend to 'start' easier than the larger breeds as a general rule.


Oh yeah, hereabouts that dog sittin' in the pond would likely wind up being a gator's dinner!!!

 

[ArmedBear]

Yeah, we have it pretty easy (that's my dog doing the NAVHDA Natural Ability test). Just snakes to worry about, really.

 

[308win]

Most bird dog owners I have known didn't want their dogs running rabbits. An uncle of mine had a couple of Bassetts that were good rabbit hounds; one of them - Claude - was a trials champion in Illinois.

My granfathers neighbors had an Irish Setter that would tag along with if he saw me hunting. He didn't have much of a nose and spent as much time pointing box turtles, ground sparrows, and horse turds as birds - he was a champ on box turtles.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

When you hunt rabbits with a dog, what does that look like?

I've never hunted with a Vizsla. I grew up hunting rabbits with Beagles.


A typical hunt: The dog either "jumps" a rabbit, meaning he bumped into one; or he picks up a hot trail. At this point he'll figure out which is the "hot" direction, and start calling. Its a good idea to go stand close to where your dog started calling. The rabbit will circle around and you'll get a shot at him. The cricle may be several hundred yars in diameter so it may be a few minutes before he comes back. But nearly always, they do circle back. He'll be well in front of the dogs when he does come back, so shooting the dog isnt much of a danger.

Again, this is just my experience.

 

[koja48]

Had a buddy with a Brittany . . . had the best nose I've ever seen & NEVER missed retrieving a cripple. Trouble was, he wouldn't "hold" a bird. We used to ask him when he returned (after seeing a myriad of feathered creatures erupting into flight in the distance), "What were they?" Larry sent him to a trainer, bragged him up all summer regarding how well he was holding birds & performing. When we went out opening day. Zeb leaped out, then ran plumb out of sight . . . occasionally, we saw what we believed to be pheasants rise. As we sat on the tailgate having a cup of coffee later, Zeb returned from the opposite direction. I glanced at Larry & seeing he was about to explode, calmly asked him: "Lar? Ya think he went around the world?" Defused the situation . . . dog did retrieve many a long-running cripple, however, much to the chagrine of a variety of other dogs which had previously quit & returned. We all have our strengths & weaknesses & I've yet to have a Lab bite me when I missed . . .

That being said, I don't know squat 'bout hunting bunnies with dogs . . . from what I've read, however it sounds like a blast if the dogs are keen on making them circle (which cottontails are prone to do).

 

[woof]

I grew up hunting rabbits with the dog them to circle then shotgun them method. I found it not so sporting and bothering with the dog a hassle. I figured out myself that if instead of trying to flush the rabbit, I moved more slowly and got them to just take a few hops revealing their presence instead of bolting, I could then stalk them and get a head shot with a .22. More challenging and more fun I thought, and no wasted meat.

 

[koja48]

Look for a "perfectly round black eye" & you don't have to wait for them to move . . . not many perfectly round black objects in prime cottontail cover & that's exactly how I prefer to hunt them . . . and with either a .22 rifle/handgun or the same caliber in a high-power air rifle. Don't look for the bunny . . . look for the eye.

 

[OldCowHand]

I'll second the observation above about bird hunters not wanting their dogs to be distracted by rabbits. That can lead to "making game" on something that isn't game, or at least isn't today's game. Some dogs will also chase a rabbit clear to -- umm, heck and gone, thereby scaring all the birds out of everywhere within about half a mile. I sure don't want the dog to retrieve the rabbit for me, so I don't take the dog out when today's game is rabbits.