Hunting rabbits with beagles is music to many who believe that dog work is just as enjoyable as the hunt itself. With today’s modern farming techniques, many of the brushy fenserows and rockbreaks that used to provide surviving habitat for rabbits has vanished. No cover means no rabbits. Fortunately, enough abandoned fields, brushpiles, and marginal agricultural land exists for cottontails to multiply and they are fun to hunt especially with beagles. Although the dogs chase cottontails, they rarely catch them and hunters must be quick with their shotguns to hit a darting rabbit through a tiny opening in thick cover. Seasoned rabbit hunters know that rabbits tend to travel in circles and will hop well ahead of the dogs. As a result, sportsmen release their beagles and instead of follwoing them, as you might expect, back off and spread out waiting for the rabbit to come sneaking back to its starting point. This also gives the dog owner peace of mind since hunters arn’t shooting close to the dogs. Rabbits seldom run in a staright line and hunters will benefit by practicing at sporting clay ranges that offer “rabbit” clays that bounce unpredictably. Normally, hunters use #5 or #6 shot so that venison isn’t wasted by excessive shot pellets. Just as with ducks and geese, savvy hunters “aim for the head” to keep pellets in the lethal kill zone and out of the best eating parts. Rabbit hunting with beagles used to be a common occurance, yet today is not nearly as popular, primarily due to the lack of habitat for rabbits and places for dog owners to train their breeds. Luckily, video tape can give you a sample of the fun. Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NETu0_BRiM
