If you’ve never tried hunting bunnies with beagles, you’re missing out!
In the distance, I could hear beagles barking and bellowing! “Get ready, here they come!” whispered by friend Jerry. Waiting on a narrow trail, I readied. Sure enough, as the ruckus got louder, I soon saw a white Snowshoe Hare racing through the tangled woods. Shouldering my 410, I swung, gave it a lead, and pulled the trigger. The bunny disappeared and I have to admit, I thought I missed.
“Great shot!” exclaimed Jerry! Running up to it, he met the dogs, walked another 10 yards inside the scrub, and immediately retrieved my bunny. What a rush!
Dogs and hunting go hand in hand. For hundreds of years, dogs have been used to hunt all manner of game worldwide. Each breed has its own innate tendencies, and hunters have capitalized on those natural instincts to refine dogs for specific types of hunting. For bunny hunting, beagles are the perfect match.
Popular Off-Season Pastime
In the northeastern United States and far eastern Canadian provinces, bunny hunting with beagles is a big deal – both with recreational hunters and competitive field trials. An extremely popular off-season pastime, lots of hunters do it, and many invest heavily in their dogs and hunting. Over several decades I’d watched hunting shows highlighting, what I felt was a largely under-rated discipline. Then, one day, during a mid-winter round at my home archery club, I saw a fellow release his beagles and let them work. Organized and efficient, those small dogs meticulously scoured the woods chasing bunnies. Barking and baying, they meticulously worked the woods and I watched multiple snowshoe Hares race past me. It was at that moment, that I remember thinking that I wanted to try rabbit hunting with dogs some day. Another couple decades passed and, thanks to this fateful introduction, I would soon be going on my first-ever bunny hunt with beagles.
My Introduction
It was a little over four years ago, that I first met Jerry Wall. Perusing Facebook one day, I noticed one of Jerry’s posts. Celebrating an enjoyable day afield, he uploaded several photos of his dogs and the day’s take of rabbits. On a whim, I dropped him a private message complementing him on his success. We traded a few messages, and we soon decided to connect on the phone. Well, it didn’t take long before we recognized we had a lot in common. And just like that, a friendship was born, short thereafter, Jerry invited me to visit him in Red Deer, Alberta for a day of hunting bunnies with beagles.
Almost every hunter cuts their teeth shooting rabbits as a young person. Generally easy to spot in winter, and straightforward to shoot with a rimfire rifle, like Elmer Fudd wannabes, most of us took a rabbit or two on our first hunts. Preparing for this new hunting experience with Jerry and his son Tyler, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I routinely hunt waterfowl with retrievers, and upland birds with a variety of bird dogs, and I’d hunted cougars with hounds … but this would be a first for me. It had been well over 40 years since I’d shot a rabbit and that was with a .22 Long Rifle. Over those four decades, I’d continually heard about beagles and their penchant for chasing bunnies. It looked like fun, but it also struck me as an efficient way to collect a number of bunnies in one outing.
Fast forward to January a few years ago and, thanks to Jerry, I was finally given an opportunity to try it myself. We collected a good number that day and it was a sheer pleasure watching his dogs at work. Gunning was fast-paced, and I was able to make some delicious rabbit stew as a result.
Not Your Typical Rabbit Hunt
When I first considered doing this hunt, I subconsciously thought to myself, “how tough could it be? Afterall, it’s just a bunny right!” Having lost my dad in January of 2022, I decided to use his single-shot .410. Nostalgic, and very personal, it would be an opportunity to bring a small piece of my dad along with me – the one who taught me to hunt, and with whom I’d spent countless days in a waterfowl blind over the years.
Guns & Ammo
Whenever I try a new hunt, I do my best to research properly. So, I asked the obvious question. What firearm do most bunny hunters use when they hunt with dogs? The answer was surprisingly vague. Any single shot or better, will suffice, but veteran bunny hunters have their favorites. Most I know, favor a 20-gauge, but again, I used a single-shot .410 on that first outing, but I’ve since switched to using one or my over-and-under 12-gauge shotguns whenever I go out with Jerry.
Generally, a light shotshell is best suited for bunnies. It doesn’t take much to put them down. In my experience, average shots are rarely more than 30 yards, so even a light target load will often suffice. I’ll typically shoot 2 ¾ inch #8, or comparable, shotshell for bunnies.
It’s important to note that rabbits are usually on the run, and the gunning can be fast. For this reason, shooting practice on a sporting clays course with ground bouncers can get you ready for the field.
About Beagles
To say that beagles get excited when they chase bunnies, would be a gross understatement. They’re instinctively born to chase. Their passion for trailing and working bunnies is obvious and with a little experience, you quickly learn what their different sounds mean. If the dogs are on a scent trail, they make noise, but once they get close to a rabbit and the bunny is on the move, the dogs get worked up and their barking and bellowing gets louder and much more excited. When this happens, its time to get ready. When it happens, your shot window can be swift and short.
From a broad perspective, there are several different breeds and basically two sizes of beagles used for hunting bunnies – 13-inch and 15-inch. One of Jerry’s, Moxy, is a tri-color 15-inch beagle from Newfoundland. She has a lengthy pedigree. The other, Ky, is a Red Tick. She’s a daughter of Moxy and Jessie, a field trial grand champion that originated in West Virginia. Jerry also has a third beagle named Sky, that’s a 13-inch black and tan from Kentucky.
Our Target Species
When we use the term ‘bunny’ or ‘rabbit’, we’re generally referring to the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). An abundant species found across North America, they are the primary target species for rabbit hunters in the eastern provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario and pretty much throughout Canada. Similarly, hunters using beagles in the northeastern states of Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania, would also be targeting snowshoe hares, otherwise commonly called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit. In comparison to other rabbits, it gets its name “snowshoe” from the bigger size of its back feet that help keep it afloat on top of the snow when it hops or walks about. Additionally, the snowshoe hare’s feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from sub-zero temperatures.
Hunt Strategy
On my first hunt with Jerry and his son, I was given a crash-course in setting up and shooting bunnies. Essentially, they would choose relatively small woodlots surrounded by either cutlines or clearings, post shooters in areas with decent visibility, and then turn the beagles loose at one end allowing them to scour the woods, find a scent and then work the bunnies toward the hunters. Initially, I was a bit skeptical, questioning whether the dogs would actually be able to move the bunnies within shooting distance, but I was quickly reassured that they are good at what they do. With bunny after bunny racing by each of us, we began knocking down one after the other.
Just the other day in fact, I was out with Jerry again. This time we hunted an area that had distinct strip of excellent rabbit habitat, places that I would have difficulty walking in, but the dogs could do there thing without any problem at all. Pounded bunny trails were evident in open patches, crossing between woodlots and, like clockwork, Moxy and Ky would consistently pick up scent and chase the bunnies from one end to the other, and then out into the shooting lanes.
Excellent Table Fare
Rabbit meat is excellent! With a taste fairly similar to chicken, few meals compare to a well-prepared rabbit stew. Creating a broth – mixing in vegetables, flour-dipped and lightly browned pieces of rabbit still on the bone, then seasoning and adding a touch of red wine – finishes a fine stew to be sure. Add a side salad with a glass of red wine, and you’ll thank me later.
A Bucket List Must
Again, while I had been intrigued with the notion of hunting bunnies with beagles, I wasn’t sure it would be all that exciting. I love dogs, and I’ve always been enamored with their penchant for working game. For this reason alone, I really wanted to try it and I’m really glad I did. Thanks to my new acquaintance a few years ago, Jerry and I try to get out at least once or twice each winter to shoot bunnies together. If you’re looking for an exceptional mid-winter hunting experience with some bonus table fare, and especially if you enjoy watching dogs work, find someone with beagles and give it a try – it’s a blast!
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