re: Hunting Dog Stories

My Granddad always had a pack of Beagles. Very good rabbit dogs, he regularly had other people bringing him dogs to train or wanting to buy pups.

When my dad and uncles were young, they rabbit hunted all over Mobile county. They would hunt the causeway area and the old ladies fishing along the bank would give them $2 / rabbit at the end of the day. Granddad lost one beagle to a gator hunting In that area. Dad says he remembers that particular dog was fairly stupid though.

About the time I was getting old enough to spend time In the woods, my granddad was getting too old to take care of a pack of dogs any longer. I remember going to the WMA here around age 8 or 9 with him to let the dogs run rabbits. He no longer cared anything about shooting rabbits, he just would let the dogs out to run them so he could here them bay. He sat on the tailgate with a tape player and recorded them.

Later years he would sit in his chair and play those tapes - could tell you every dog by its sound.

I have never had a hunting dog of my own. My dad did not get any of his knowledge of handling dogs passed down. Or rather what he did know back then was lost between college and career.