Rabbits... Why not?

[JoshHaker]

Ok does anyone out there want their dog to point rabbits? To me this could be pretty desirable. Now don't get me wrong I don't want my dog to be looking for rabbits only and passing up bird scent but can they actively search for both without favoring the fur.

[RayGubernat]

Josh -

It takes a very well disciplined dog to hunt both fur and fowl properly. Yes it can be done. The folks in Europe do it all the time. As I understand it, European dogs are often valued more for their performance on fur than they are for their performance on birds.

For me the issue with fur is not the pointing of it. It is what comes after. I want my dog to stand his game until it flies. But rabbits don't fly, so it tempts the dog to move, then to stalk and finally to chase. If not kept under control, the pointing dog can and will become a flusher, which is something I do not want.

I always found that when I was hunting, if a rabbit got up and ran out behind me, I could shoot it and retrieve it without the dog. If rabbits are plentiful as they sometimes can be, the opportunity to bag a couple will present itself, without getting the bird dog involved.

RayG

[JIM K]

even dogs that are not v dogs will hunt a rabbit. my lab does and i seen many setters do it also.do i want that? no i dont.
how to break a dog of doing it i cant answer.

most dogs if you yell at them for chasing rabbit,will stop.same with deer.

[Trekmoor]

In Britain pointers and setters are neither expected to point fur nor encouraged to but the "versatiles" ....what we call H.P.R.'s -Hunt, Point, Retrievers - are expected to point hares and rabbits, be steady to flush (our dogs are required to do the flushing) and then retrieve if required. I've had points on rabbits and hares in field trials here. I might have been eliminated from those trials if my dogs had only pointed birds.
Getting dogs to point rabbits isn't any more difficult than getting dogs to point birds. It's only us humans that attach more value to a bird than to a rabbit. The dogs don't really care which they point ..... unless they are encouraged to care.

Bill T.

[Mike50]

Ok does anyone out there want their dog to point rabbits? To me this could be pretty desirable. Now don't get me wrong I don't want my dog to be looking for rabbits only and passing up bird scent but can they actively search for both without favoring the fur.

This is from a 5 hr. hunt at a GF. was he only hunting rabbit?
I only allow this when hunt alone with my dog. If there is another person with I tell them no rabbits.
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[JoshHaker]

I hunt wild quail here in FL if I were to encourage pointing rabbits this would definitely increase our options. The quail are somewhat hard to come by

[Sharon]

Ok does anyone out there want their dog to point rabbits? To me this could be pretty desirable. Now don't get me wrong I don't want my dog to be looking for rabbits only and passing up bird scent but can they actively search for both without favoring the fur.

This is from a 5 hr. hunt at a GF. was he only hunting rabbit?
I only allow this when hunt alone with my dog. If there is another person with I tell them no rabbits.
[url][/url]

You tell them "no rabbits", and what do they say? Ah , fooey , no rabbits to day. Just feathers in our mouth. He should have told us that before we left home." ( just teasing you).

[jimbo&rooster]

I've shot many a rabbit over my labs. I don't have any desire for my poiinting dogs to point rabbits though.

3abit and quail fired in the same pan, covered in gravey and searved over biscuits is a hard meal to beat.

Jim

[Mike50]

Ok does anyone out there want their dog to point rabbits? To me this could be pretty desirable. Now don't get me wrong I don't want my dog to be looking for rabbits only and passing up bird scent but can they actively search for both without favoring the fur.

This is from a 5 hr. hunt at a GF. was he only hunting rabbit?
I only allow this when hunt alone with my dog. If there is another person with I tell them no rabbits.
[url][/url]

You tell them "no rabbits", and what do they say? Ah , fooey , no rabbits to day. Just feathers in our mouth. He should have told us that before we left home." ( just teasing you).

Ya the people I hunt with really hate that they can only retrieve feather and not fur when we bring the dogs with JK.

[JIM K]

we eat NO RABBITS now in my area of pa.

THEY ARE COVERED WITH TICKS.

[Mike50]

Ok does anyone out there want their dog to point rabbits? To me this could be pretty desirable. Now don't get me wrong I don't want my dog to be looking for rabbits only and passing up bird scent but can they actively search for both without favoring the fur.

I think they can hunt for both. And be pretty darn good at if if you allow them to. To me it's a bonus to have a pot of rabbit stew now and then. As long as their pointing first and I can do the flushing I shot rabbits when I can.

[Mike50]

we eat NO RABBITS now in my area of pa.

THEY ARE COVERED WITH TICKS.

This time of year or ever??

[JIM K]

we eat NO RABBITS now in my area of pa.

THEY ARE COVERED WITH TICKS.

This time of year or ever??

no, i stopped eating them all together.i was walking toby near my home last year in july.
i saw 2 rabbits .i could not believe ticks around their necks.
i bet 20 each .they were 1/2 long too.

ticks will fill with blood THEN fall off so you dont know what was on rabbit before you shot it.

NO WAY I AM TAKING CHANCE WITH LYMES ETC GOING AROUND.
none of my friends are eating rabbit anymore.

[birddog1968]

Your not gonna get lyme from cooked rabbit......

[Georgia Boy]

We use our dogs for all types of game. Teach them to handle and be steady to furred game just like birds.

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Georgia Boy.... Great pics!

Quail, chukers, pheasants, woodcock, grouse, rabbits... they all eat. There are just not enough days in the field to be picky for some of us.

[JIM K]

Your not gonna get lyme from cooked rabbit......

we have cleanest streams in usa. they told us,JIM FISH ARE FINE TO EAT, TROUT ETC.[BASS]
now they tell us ,DONT EAT MORE THAN 1 FISH A MONTH DO TO MERCURY IN FISH.

[birddogger]

Georgia Boy.... Great pics!

Quail, chukers, pheasants, woodcock, grouse, rabbits... they all eat. There are just not enough days in the field to be picky for some of us.

+1.

Charlie

[Georgia Boy]

Georgia Boy.... Great pics!

Quail, chukers, pheasants, woodcock, grouse, rabbits... they all eat. There are just not enough days in the field to be picky for some of us.

+1.

Charlie

Here are a few of many pics from the last couple years, as you can see we don't discriminate If the dog has the ability and is trained accordingly it can be used for all types of game.

[TraditionsGSPs2010]

Now we're talking! More great pictures of a truely versatile hunting dog. If you don't mind me asking, what the heck is that your dog has fetched in the last picture? It looks like a pope and young squirrel or a raccoon who left the paint shop too early.

[Georgia Boy]

That my friend is a NC Fox Squirrel. That day we took a few Greys and that huge Fox, a couple Woodies that evening and a small 150 lb boar.

[cjhills]

Rabbits do have Tuleremia, which can be very bad, you need to use caution when cleaning.
Are swans legal? CJ

[Trekmoor]

Great pics of some good versatile dogs !

Bill T.

[JoshHaker]

How do you guys use them for the foxes? Do they just run them to you? My GSP loves to chase foxes! One night around my home we were walking and he got on the trail of one. He was running around like crazy and them I saw him in the street lights chasing what I thought was a cat. As them came running by me I realized it was a red fox. This fox was running for his life with my dog just about two feet behind zig zagging and running in circles. I think he could of caught him if he wanted to. He didn't look to be running full speed.

[Georgia Boy]

Rabbits do have Tuleremia, which can be very bad, you need to use caution when cleaning.
Are swans legal? CJ

All animals have the chance of carrying disease. The swans are legal in a few places if you are fortunate enough to be drawn for one of the very limited permits.

How do you guys use them for the foxes? Do they just run them to you? My GSP loves to chase foxes! One night around my home we were walking and he got on the trail of one. He was running around like crazy and them I saw him in the street lights chasing what I thought was a cat. As them came running by me I realized it was a red fox. This fox was running for his life with my dog just about two feet behind zig zagging and running in circles. I think he could of caught him if he wanted to. He didn't look to be running full speed.

Often times the Fox are bonus animals, flushed and shot or chased down and caught by the dogs while hunting other game. Sometimes we will bring the dogs when we are calling them in, to assist in tracking or if we are in very open areas and can bring them in close, we will release the dogs. Also when doing den work with the terriers the DD's stand guard over possible exits and can catch the fox if it escapes.

[JoshHaker]

Georgia Boy.... You gotta tell me more about this! Terrier? Sounds like something you hear about watching a dog show or something... Not actually done. It sounds awesome! I like that pic with the caught fox. I thought my dog could have caught that fox if he wanted to.

Btw I've got lots of property in south ga with way too many foxes!

[Trekmoor]

I know of a few Wirehairs used as fox killers here in Scotland. Much the same method is used, terriers get the fox moving then the wiries kill them. Same thing is also done here with lurchers and terriers. It's just occured to me to ask .....do you have Patterdale Terriers and Plummer Terriers in America ?

Bill T.

[Sharon]

Yes. There is a National Club.

http://www.ptca.00go.com/

[JKP]

You have to train dogs to work rabbits/hare. Most folks don't want to take the time. Its not that hard. My dogs will work both...chasing is not allowed. Since folks just want to shoot birds, its easier just to "juice" the dog with the collar.

[Georgia Boy]

I know of a few Wirehairs used as fox killers here in Scotland. Much the same method is used, terriers get the fox moving then the wiries kill them. Same thing is also done here with lurchers and terriers. It's just occured to me to ask .....do you have Patterdale Terriers and Plummer Terriers in America ?

Bill T.

Some folks here do have Patterdales but we prefer the Jagd Terriers.

[OUBobcat06]

Wonder what the odds are of my wife letting me teach her new Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier how to fox hunt? He looks like a cold blooded killer to me!!

http://imgur.com/M56gC