My good friend Ronald Phillips calls a few weeks ago wanting to go rabbit huting in Mississippi. He knows my wife is nine months pregnant and there is no chance I can be gone for three days hunting. That doesn't stop him form asking to borrow a few dogs. :) Seriously, Ronald has some really nice young Star dogs and I ask him to write me a story. It sounds great. I can't wait to go next year:

Hunting Trip in Mississippi
By: Ronald Phillips

I got invited on a rabbit hunting trip to Mississippi to provide the beagles. We hunted two miles northeast of Brooksville, Mississippi. We arrived on Thursday afternoon in a rain storm with lightning. After the storm passed, we turned out some beagles for an hour to have some fun. We harvested three rabbits in that short period, but the dogs had a little trouble in the water. Water does not run off on the flat ground of Mississippi like other places. Also, I learned that running rabbits on alkaline Okolona silty clay soil might be a little different. We were hunting a little different terrain from hunting in Georgia. A man could hunt 6 beagles for a week and never get them scratched up. They don’t have the briars that grow in Georgia. Only the thickest briars in Georgia will have a rabbit. The dogs could not account for a couple of rabbits which was not acceptable to me. You have to account for your rabbits in Georgia because you might walk a few hours to find another one. Thankfully, they were more abundant on this day.

On Friday, we had five rabbits at lunch with four hunters. We consumed the normal pork and beans and changed out the dogs (not needed due to lack of briars). At the end of the day, we had accounted for 14 rabbits. I thought that we had an excellent day. The country store was the gathering place for locals and hunters in the morning. I learned from an older gentleman ( in his early 60’s) whom was a beagler that morning: running rabbits had been very difficult for the past few weeks, his male won a trial and then the next time he got a third because field trials are all political, and you need to get rid of all your young dogs because they can’t run a rabbit.

On Saturday morning, the same crowd plus some new beaglers and fox (coyote) hunters were gathering up for the daily events. I learned from the beaglers that the average was 12 rabbits harvested a day. I was a little ashamed of our 14 at this point. We only had three hunters for the day, so we were going to have to do a little better than we did on Friday. We hunted for four and half hours and had 13 rabbits harvested. We decided at this point to clean rabbits and head back to Georgia. We had 30 rabbits in the cooler and that would be enough for fried rabbit.


Would like to say, “Thank you” to Andy Brady for the fine rabbit hunts that he provided us this year. He can find the good places from Georgia to Mississippi. Take your truck because his likes to break down in Birmingham, Alabama and makes for a late night and long wrecker ride.

Observations:
rabbits don’t run as small a circle in the more open cover
rabbits don’t stay in the weeds and fields, they immediately head for cedar trees and big woods up and down drainage ditches
rabbits don’t slow down to slip and slide, they just try to put a large distance between themselves and dogs, they will double occasionally
harvesting 12 rabbits in Mississippi is easier than harvesting 4 in Georgia
Okolona silty clay loam soil makes you taller as you cross the field and don’t wash off your truck
as many dead coyotes on side of road as deer and rabbits in Georgia
the alkaline soil must produce as many rabbits as volunteer cedar trees
you can show your dogs in a show immediately following the rabbit hunt because they want have the cuts from briars
don’t need a “jump dog” or as hard a hunting beagle
go to Mississippi to get a cooler full of rabbits to fry
Cottontails are everywhere
No blue tails
where are the big swamp rabbits????? They got the water for them

This was my first experience trailing rabbits in Mississippi, but I will return again if God willing. I had hunting experiences in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland; but this one will be remembered. Take a hunting trip to Mississippi and enjoy the golf course type hunting for a few days.

Well, My wife Amy is still tuffing it out. Our son Mason is due to be born any day but.....I hope he gets here soon. I can't get very far away from the house until she's delivered and all is well. I'd love to get one more day of huning in. In the mean time here is a picture sent from my friend Tony Martin of one of his Star pups over a pile of Swamp rabbits they harvested. Don't they look huge...

A note to judges:
This is not the place or time to try and make you read the rule book. You've read it. You know what it says (although a refresher may help many of us.) I just wanted to talk to you about how to place weight on a hound actions. Good or bad. It's vitally important for you to determine what effect the hounds actions are having on the race.
It would indeed be short sighted to quickly pick up a top performing hound with things that don't detriment your race. Like wise you should never credit a hound with score accomplished with some type of gambling type action. Running hit and miss or bounding off at the checks should never be tolerated. Dogs with these faults should be eliminated as soon as you determine the action is indeed a habit or method the hound uses. A single time of being out of place is not a habit! The other thing I see is the advancement of dogs who do not have quality performances. Simply not being faulty, and picking a check or two should not guarantee advancement into second series. Judges, you should insure every dog you bring back to second series can indeed run a rabbit. Even if that means running the pack down to one dog and watching him run for a few minutes. Most competitors will understand this and look forward to their hound getting a chance to display his qualities. If the dogs is unable to run satisfactorily by himself he should not be advanced. The handler will understand if he is a hounds man.

Here are some example I have seen or heard of dogs being eliminated for that don't seem to hurt the race: In these example Dog B will get picked up.When a dog A strikes the track of jumps the rabbit, dog B tongues with excitement as he harks to dogs A's location. Dog B gets picked up four being mouthy.
At a check in and around a small briar thicket and all the dogs are searching. Dog A picks up the check and drives into the briar thicket, Dog B is already forward and off to the side of the thicket searching and meets dog A as he emerges out the other side of the thicket. Dog B is eliminated for skirting.
The pack is driving and a dog back in the pack pops out off the track. He stays out for a couple seconds and them pops back in the pack in roughly the same relative position. The dog get's eliminated for "getting out."
The dogs are running good with dogs A and B both doing the majority of the scoring. A long check arises and after 2 minutes dog B opens exactly at the point of loss as he hunts back across the check area. Dog B gets picked up for being mouthy.
Now these are things I pulled off the top of my head but I want to point out these things probably were not hindering the race.

Here a some reasons that should get a dog eliminated: In these example dog B will get picked up and assuming first series in a reasonably large trial.The pack is driving hard. Dogs A and B are in the front racing. All of a sudden dogs start pulling up as dog B continues tonguing another 50 feet. The dogs work back where dog A finds the loss and the pack is off. Dog B races to the front in an attempt to run the lead. Again, dogs start pulling up and we find Dog A and dog B 50 feet past where the rabbit turned. Dog B should be eliminated for racing and over running.
The pack is running smoothly with little down time. Naturally there are checks but most are solved in 5 - 10 seconds. A hard check arises and 20 seconds later we here dog B 100 feet out with a rabbit track. The dogs hark to him and the race is on. More good running with several different dogs running the front and solving checks. Another long check and in less than a minute we again here dog B over the hill with a rabbit. Dog B should be eliminated for lack of patience and bounding off.
The pack is running and come to a check. Dog B indicates he solved the check by tonguing and pulling all the dogs to him. After they get to him he stops barking and continues hunting. The check is finally solved and the dogs are off again. Dog B repeats the same process of tonguing where no rabbit can be found. Dog B should be eliminated.
You've been struggling with this pack and have picked up several faulty dogs. You are down to three dogs and are not running very well. Dog C starts giving extra mouth and you pick him up. Now you are down to dogs A and B. Dog A is getting most of the work and dog B is really nor scoring. Dog B should be eliminated.

There are so many variable it is nearly impossible to simply put every scenario on paper. You really need to follow a lot of dogs. Develop an eye for what hurts a race and what has little effect. Let the little thing decide between successful performers. You shouldn't start a race looking for reason to "pick up" dogs. Look for good things the dogs do to contribute to the race. You will have plenty of time to eliminate dogs as your scoring goes along.

I wonder why so many people have a hard time understanding our sport? They really do. Even folks who have been at it for a long time really don't always get it. They like to spout the reason their dogs don’t do well is because "all the clubs" in that area are too conservative, or any number of excuses. I guess it helps them feel better about what they are doing. The fact is they shouldn't need to justify their dogs or breeding program to anyone but their self. They should enjoy them. They got into beagles to have fun. Wonder why they spend all their time complaining? Still others have their dogs and are completely kennel blind to everything else. They have their dogs and they run just fine for them. That's great and is as it should be. They loose all credibility when they start downplaying others dogs or the dogs that do well in field trials. The fact is this type person is simply kennel blind. They will never move forward with bettering the breed until they pull off their blinders. Of course bettering the breed is not why they stay involved in the sport. They have a few dog they love a lot (and that's great) and they insist they must be field champions. No matter the dogs don't fit the judging standard.
The judging standard is another topic. The reason the founders of this sport way back in the 1890 created a standard was to give breeders and exhibitors something to shoot for. These standards are not mandatory for the hound to suffice rabbit hunting, although a rabbit hunter will definitely appreciate the hound that gets close to this standard. In fact, the closer to the standard the hound, the more enjoyable he will be to hunt with. The truth is, the perfect hound has not been found yet. One that has every aspect. Hunt's hard and finds every rabbit, pours his tongue rapidly with the loudest of sweet notes, keeps the rabbit tracks between his legs at all times, and overtakes the rabbit in short order as his strength and endurance is much greater than the rabbits. Of course these are just four traits I mention and a hound is made up of many more variable than these.
The Bass Masters tournament is in our town this week. I understand they are fishing for over half a million dollars. Have you ever seen this fishing tournament deal? The fishermen all spend the day fishing and see who gets the most fish by total weight. They have to use imitation lures and try to catch the bass.
They all know they could do better with other means of catching fish. Live bait, explosives????? The thing is, they have rules and have to fish using those rules. Just like we compete in a field trial under rules. The hound that leaves the point of loose with out first searching close in hopes of finding the track quicker is simply not following the rules. Just like the fisherman who does not follow the rules, this hound should not be allowed to win (assuming there are other successful performers.) Maybe you can think of some other examples that would apply.

FOUR ACES
Left to right. Queen of Five Forks, Bell Star of Five Forks, Five Forks Lady Byrd, FC Tate's Yogi. Four outstanding Star pups.

I had a chance to visit my friend Mike Newman of Lincolnton, Georgia today. It was hot but we had a good time. Mike has some really nice Star dogs and knows a little something about rabbit hunting. This was also the first time I got to take FC Tate's Yogi rabbit hunting. Ken has taken him a time or two here close and shot a few each time but this was his first time in a giant pine thicket of pure briars. Needless to say, he is all that I thought he was. You just can't beat superior genetics.

Field trials Defined

Have you been thinking of taking your beagle to a field trial? You've seen all these ads for trials but are not sure which ones are for you? What do all the different formats mean. I thought I'd make a quick run through of the types of trials that could be available for you to enter. There's a good article on attending your first field trial that you probably need to read before getting ready to go. I'm going to try and do my best to explain the different trials.
Some things are command to all formats and other things are different. Let me first mention some things that are common to all the formats discussed here. Beagles are divided up into four classes. 13" and 15" dogs and 13" and 15" bitches. Each class is assigned two judges. Game for all beagle field trials is rabbit or hare. Game is never released in front of the hounds and is found in it's natural habitat or semi natural habitat of beagles clubs where the ground is "farmed" or specially cared for to enhance the game population. The AKC publishes a booklet detailing all the rules and regulations. I would advise reading through this book as a top priority if you are interested in competing in a field trial
Brace Trials (traditional)
The first types of field trials held in the U.S. were run in the brace format. You may see these simply called brace trials or referred to as traditional brace trials. At a brace trials entry's are split into braces or pairs for head to head competition. The two judges follow each brace and agree on how to score each hound. After all braces are ran, the judges determine which dogs had the highest performance and call those dogs back for a second series. The second series is divided up into braces again. The judges run these dogs in a modified tournament type format until they derive at a winner.
Large pack on Hare
Another type of field trial is called Large pack or Large pack on hare. Almost all of these trials are held in the northern most part of the country. The game is nearly always the Snow Shoe hare. In this format the entire class of hounds is released and ran for several hours. The judges do their best to view the hound work and score dogs according to their ability and contributions to the chase. I have no personal experience with this type of trial so I can offer very little input.
Small Pack
The Small pack format was authored by John Landrum of Skull fork fame and adopted by the AKC in 1957. In this format hounds are divided up into packs of 4 to 7 dogs and judged. After all the pack are evaluated, the judges bring back the ones they scored the highest to compete in a second series. Additional series' are held until the judges have reduced the number of hound to 5 - 7. This final group is called the winners pack. Judges choose the top dog from the winners pack to be the field trial winner. This small pack format was a better test for a hunting dog as most rabbit hunters hunted their dogs in small packs. These small packs naturally trailed a rabbit faster than just two dogs and put more pressure on the hounds. Faults that are not evident in the brace format are more easily seen in this format.
Small Pack Option
In the 70's beaglers and rabbit hunters began a movement to find a method to compete and evaluate their hunting dogs. After several years of working on this it was finally decided to use the same rules as Small Pack (listed above) but with a few exceptions. Hounds would be cast to search for game and would be tested for gun shyness. Today most field trailers' who also rabbit hunt compete in this format. You will hear this format referred to as SPO.
Gun Dog Brace
In the 90's their was a strong up rush of gundog folks wanting to run in the brace format. These trials late became known as Gun dog brace. They run under the same rules as Brace (listed above) but hounds are cast to search for game and tested for gun shyness.
More History
Originally, beagle owners competed with the same hounds they rabbit hunted with. As time progress more and more importance was placed on trailing accuracy until nearly all ability to circle the rabbit for a gun shot was lost. Small Pack trials normally run the same type of hounds as traditional brace trials. The inability to account for game disenfranchised most rabbit hunters and led to a steady decrease in field trial entries. The decline in entries worsened up until the time SPO trials gained popularity.

Scott Wilson

Rabbit hunt on Feb 2nd. It was a hot day but we had a good time.

What's the difference between a rabbit hunter and a houndsman.HMMM.. A simple question at first, but is it? I gave this some thought this week. I wasn't able to come up with a whole article on the subject but I did come up with a few key differences.
A rabbit hunter is focused on one thing, shooting rabbits. A houndsman on the other hand is focused on the hounds performance.
A rabbit hunter keeps beagles to increase the number of rabbits he kills. A houndsman shoots rabbits for the sake of the beagles.
A rabbit hunter will normally be found standing in the road, waiting on the rabbit to cross. A houndsman (assuming he is still able bodied) will be in the thickets watching for tell-tell signs of how his dogs are performing.
The rabbit hunter is quite content if his dogs can bring a rabbit back around most of the time. A houndsman is concerned the hounds are working in a manner that is pleasing to him and his senses. For not only must he hear good hound music, he must see hound work that is in his eyes efficient and intensive.
A rabbit hunter will bask in knowing he has one "jump dog." A houndsman will be gratified to see an entire pack of dogs eagerly searching cover.
A rabbit hunter will look at young dogs as a liability. A houndsman will know the young ones are the reason he's hunting.
Let me make this very clear, there is nothing wrong with being a rabbit hunter! If a person loves to shoot rabbits, so be it. In fact, we as sportsmen need to stick together or the anti-hunting groups will be upon us.
Of course there are many folks who may fall somewhere in between. I just want to point out one important reason people will not agree on dogs. The fact is, what is perfectly acceptable to one man, may be terrible to another.
Happy running.

Time is a little short this AM as I have been off hunting the last several days. I just wanted to pass along a couple pictures from yesterdays hunt.

The two black and tans you see are outstanding prodigy of the late FC Cocoa Star. On the left is Preacher Griffith with FC Slab Town Boogie man and on the right is Ronald Phillips with his female Queen of Five Forks.

The other picture is for those who have never seen Swamp rabbits. You can see the standard cottontail Andy is holding compared to the two swampers. For size reference, Ronald is 6'4" tall and the swamper is as long as his torso.

FC Covington Cocoa Star Aug,1, 1998 - Jan.6, 2008.
This weekend started out pretty normally as far as beagles go. Tony Martin brought a bitch by to breed to Star on Friday. Star did his job just like he always did. I was up early on Saturday and Ken and I went down to Poplar Branch to run a pair of young females. While I was at the trial my wife called to say Star was in the yard playing. Star was never the kind that got out of his kennel. Mostly staying in his dog house unless it was feeding time or he could here the sound of a dog lead giggling. The point is, I was quite surprised to hear he had escapes his pen. Amy was kind enough to catch Star and place him in one of the whelping pens. When I got home I saw that Star had simply torn through the chainlink wire. I've seen dogs do this but never Star. I fed Star a little extra Saturday night as I thought I could see he had been loosing weight the last week or so. On Sunday morning I went to the kennel to load some started pups to go for a run. I was surprised to see Star laying stretched out in his pen, His body was cool but not stiff. I buried Star on the hillside opposing the kennel.
I've heard it said the most important contribution we make to the world is those we leave behind. Star certainly made a large contribution to the world of beagles. We are blessed to have a number of very high class females sired by star. They will allow us to continue the work we have started. Most of the dogs that carry Sta's genes are owned by rabbit hunters. This very fact may keep him from his just recognition as one of modern beagles great sires.
While discussing sires, I remember reading years ago a beagle writer who wrote "If your hunting buddies aren't breeding to your stud dog something is wrong." I can't remember who the writer was or the exact quote but I can tell you this. Houndsmen who saw Star work, breed to him. Anyone who hunted with him knew, he was a rabbit machine. Many hunters had never seen so much intensity from a dog that straddled the track. A couple years ago I got a call from a rabbit hunter wanting to look at some dogs.It was Jimbo Williams. I didn't know Jimbo and he didn't know me. I told him I was running the next day and he was invited to come watch dogs run. I ran Star for him that day. We talked and watched dogs, pretty much the norm. The next day my phone rang, it was Jimbo. He told me he wanted to get some dogs like he saw and how much he liked Star. I think I caught him by surprise when I ask him, "what did you like about Star." He answered me " I just liked the way he ran, I liked how he just turned right where the rabbit went even when the other dogs missed the turn."
I was fortunate enough to co-own Star with Doug Grant since Star was three years old. Star taught me a lot about rabbit hunting. What traits and actions were important and which ones are not. Thanks to Star I was able to make friends and meet people I would have never met. I am lucky to have known such a fine specimen of the breed. Star lived a long life for a stud dog. He was rabbit hunted right up until his death. Star was in the truest sense of the meaning, A RABBIT DOG.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving! The first real day of rabbit season for me. It marks the first day I can really go rabbit hunting as I have a hard time counting anything that ends before 4:00 PM as a day's hunt.
The anticipation was high as the normal hunting trio, Preacher Griffith, Ken Murray and I are joined by my friends from NC, Todd Herndon and Brian Michaels. These two had left the comfy confines of Tobacco Rd for a day in the South Carolina Pine thickets. I always enjoy taking a person hunting for the first time in the pine thickets. If you've only hunted hedge rows and farm land, pine thickets present an entirely new learning opportunity.
The day started off on a bad note as the first thing we noticed as we rolled into Greenwood, SC was that our normal breakfast joint, Gary's, was closed down. We looked around and found the Waffle House (no other café's in town.) Finally a few minutes after 8:00 we cast the hounds. Six dogs hit the ground, Daisy, Wilma, Nita, Blue, FC Cocoa Star and FC Slab Town. As we make our way into the pines I can see right off the dogs are smelling a bunny. They are all excited and the tails are going. As I stand their watching I see Mr. rabbit bust out of his cozy bed and 6 little beagles in hot pursuit. They travel a 100 yard or so and I hear a split. Five dogs still going strong and Star is headed back in our direction in hot pursuit. A minute later preacher shoots. "Thank you Star" is all you hear as Preacher collects his rabbit. We all fan out in the direction of the other race as Star rejoins the other dogs. Back and forth across the hill side the dogs run the rabbit. Shots are fired but Mr. Rabbit continues on. Finally an hour and change later Brian breaks the constant roar of the hounds with a shot that brings the race to an end. A few minutes later one of the hounds speak and another race is on. About a half hour into the race a split occurs. Two rabbits going and I am in prime position. A few minutes later I see the rabbit sneaking by with Star, Wilma, Daisy and Nita in hot pursuit. A quick shotgun blast later I end the race. Meanwhile Slab and Blue are pushing another rabbit towards me. Within a minute I hear Ken's 410 sound off and start to walk out to get a drink as by now the temperature has climbed into the upper 50's and my briar clothes are getting hot. Ken reports he missed the rabbit. Oh no I figure, I've missed my chance. I decide I can wait a little longer on the diet Mt Dew and head deeper into the briars for a shot. Just as I get into position I realize I only have one 28 gauge shell left. I need to make it count. The race continues on another hour of more and I really start to need something to drink. I want to just catch the dogs but I have no lead. I figure I can shoot the rabbit and then tease the dogs up out of the thicket. Since I only have one shell I have to make the shot count (I may have left out that I had shot a few times already and missed.) Finally at 1:00 I just head out toward the truck. I let everyone know I am going to the truck to get something to drink. We all leave the dogs running. We have our ritual Vienna sausages and oatmeal pies and guzzle down some MT Dew. After a quick lunch break Todd and I grab some leads and head back off to collect the dogs. We don't even carry our shotguns as we had no intentions of killing the rabbit. We just wanted to catch the dogs so we could get some more. We get the dogs and switch packs for the afternoon hunt.
The second pack consisted of Boot Scootin Boogie, Pete, Star Rocket, Lady Bird, Cinderella, and Bell Star. The after noon was more of what we had that morning. Several long runs with very poor shooting. I think I killed a couple more and the Preacher did too. Ken missed a few times and Todd never got a shot. We finally just caught the dogs as the last few rays of sun was still keeping the ground visible. We packed up and headed to the Dixie for Cheeseburger plates and making fun of one another's poor shooting. A good time with good friends. I go to sleep that night wishing for more.

Although our season opened up on Thanksgiving day, most of the rabbit hunting in our part of the world starts January 2nd (when the deer hunters have to go back to their wives.) I will try my best to take some notes of how the season goes this year. I did have a chance to go for a couple hours on Thanksgiving day and then again the following Tuesday.
First the Thanksgiving morning hunt. Ken, Preacher and myself had to meet at the local Hardee's for breakfast. We normally eat at one of several breakfast joints where a fellow can get a good breakfast, but the Holliday had them all closed. Not to be deterred, we came out of Hardee's and it was raining! Can you believe, the upstate of SC has scarcely seen rain for the last year and now it's raining! We made out way over to the little wood patch we were going to hunt. B/C it was Thanksgiving we had only planned to hunt a couple hours. They are both whooped and have to be back for the in-laws or some nonsense. Ken earlier than Preacher so we decide to hunt until 11:00 AM then Preacher and I would head over to the beagle club and run some puppies until he had to go.
The hunt started off fine. We had an instant split. Three dogs Cinderella, Lady Bird, and Call girl go left, while Nita and Slab Town go right. Just what the Dr Ordered, two rabbits. We all took up position and waited for one of the bunnies to be run by us. At one time I was sure I was going to get both rabbits without moving as both sets of dogs were pushing towards me. I did get a glimpse but it was just to quick and too far away for me to shoot. A few minutes later and the report of the Preachers Remington 1100 20ga light lets me know the rabbit had snuck past me and was dead. As the dogs come by I get in behind them as I wanted to see how Call Girl, a pup I raised last year, is looking on her first hunt. As we approach where the preacher I notice he is visibly shaken. He's all red faced and fighting with his gun. He tells me in excitement. I SHOT THAT RABBIT BUT ONLY WOUNDED IT AND AS IT WAS CRAWLING AWAY A FOX CAME AND GRABBED IT!. I've seen a rabbit I was chasing get snatched by a hawk but never a fox. That was amazing. Why didn't you shoot the fox I asked, MY STUPID GUN IS JAMMED, he tells me. Right then Ken starts in about him using that POS Remington shot gun.
In short order the three little Star females hear the race Slab Town and Nita are having and then take off to them. 20 minutes later my 28 gauge ended that race. By now it was time to go.

I have seen a lot of talk about entry fees as of late. The price you pay to enter your dog in a trial. Today most clubs charge a fee of $20 for entry. This goes to keep up the beagle club, pay the judges, pay fees of 3.50 per hound to the AKC, and probably a few other things I can't think of right now. I have some old hounds and hunting magazines and noticed in the 1940 the entry fee was normally $5. If you adjust for inflation that is about $93 today. $20 sure seems cheap.
Lets just look at the facts. If you were to burn a tank of fuel to go the a trial $75. You have to eat weather you are running dogs near home or at a trial so that is a wash. You enter two dogs at $20 each. You have a total of $115 in the trial. Now lets assume entry fees are at $25. The total cost of the trial is $125.. That is an increas of 8%. That does not seem out of line to me. I've heard the argument from folks who enter three or four dogs in each trial. I wonder if they really have 3 or 4 dogs they think may win the trial? If they do then they could easily sell one of the dog and recoup the cost of the entire trial season. That way they can continue to have fun. If in fact they don't have 3 or 4 that are good enough to win, they should cosider only bringing the best to keep their prices down.

Here's a little something that has bothered me lately. Let me set the stage for you.
I was at a field trial judging the 15" female class last week. We had 36 hounds entered. Not a huge class but fairly large for 15" females. Six packs of six. It was a terrible scenting day as the south east is still in the grips of a historic drought and high pressure. After running through the first series my judging partner and I decided to bring back 11 hounds for second series. There was one from a pack, three from another, none from a couple packs, you get the idea. We chose the best dogs (that day) from first series to make our 2nd series. A pack of 5 and a pack of 6. Keep in mind I've told you scenting is near nothing. Any one who has followed many dogs can attest that once you get more than 4-5 dogs the race will degrade on a poor scenting day. We ran our second series and then had a pack of 6 for our winners pack. They ran fair. The main thing is they did keep a rabbit going and they never stopped hustling around trying to find the scent at the checks.
Conversely across the hill, 13" judges went about their task in a completely different manner. They had 7 packs in first series. They ran them all and miraculously had a 21 dog second series. Not that big a deal you might think. True but wouldn't you think it even more miraculous once you've learned 3 dogs came from each pack. How about the odds of the best 21 dogs that day being divided evenly 3 to the pack. Even a rookie in the statistics field can tell you this is almost never going to happen. I even know some of the pack didn't really run at all.
To top this, they ran their second series and low and behold they had three dogs from each pack back to make a nine dogs winners pack! I'm not sure if it took 4 or 5 rabbits for them to get this winners pack run off.
Don't misunderstand, I know these guys are new to judging and for that matter fairly new to running dogs. They will get better as they gain experience. In the end, likely they will make good hounds men. This of course assuming they keep their minds and ears open to learning dogs.
The point I am trying to get across is this: judge with an eye at keeping only the top performers in the series. Don't worry about how dumb luck divided the packs. The trial that has more than one worthy dog in every pack is indeed few and far between. If you are not sure run the pack down to one or two dogs to insure they can keep the rabbit moving, if they fail eliminate them. Judge these trials like the fate of beagling itself rests on you decisions. Remember Accomplishment over style? This means the rabbit must be accounted for! So what if this dog is flashy and shoots to the front and looks like a world beater. He had better be able to run the rabbit without those behind him or he is of little use to the beagle breed.

So many people have wrote in wanting to know about the Preacher and Slab Town Boogie Man. While history had a chance of being written last weekend. It did not happen. On a day when it seemed everything might come together perfectly; things failed to line up. Slab finished fourth proving himself to be part of our elites by placing in every trial every entered. He will not go down in history as the only undefeated dog to make FC in just three trials, but he will surely go down in history.
I thought I might make a few notes on beagles and the production of first rate rabbit dogs. I wonder how many people actually think about their average dog. I was talking to a friend this past weekend on how to improve my dogs. He remarked, "Scott your running three of the best little females I've ever seen. They'll just need more running to get even better."
I knew right off he had missed my point. I didn’t mean how to improve individuals, as I feel quite comfortable knowing how to prepare a dog for competition, I meant how to improve the average. How to make sure the product I produce is very consistent across the board. How will I make the next leap in breeding that most pups from a litter are field trial winners and extreme rabbit dogs?
I know I could pad the numbers by finishing more dogs. For me it is not about that. I'm not going to take a dog to a field trial unless I've spent some time in a pine thicket killing rabbits behind this dog. Two many beaglers never hunt and never find out what their dog is really made of. I could give you a list of FC's advertised in the magazine right now that we have owned and sold because they just did not meet our standards.
There is another group of beaglers out their as well. I call them mug hunters. These are the guys who want to buy a dog ready to win a field trial. They don't want to do the work it takes to breed and develop first rate dogs. These guys will buy a good dog and if they can't get it to win in a few weeks they are ready to sell it and find another. A person like this is not going to find what they are looking for in this sport. They may be better served to look into softball or possibly golf. Don't misunderstand, I know we all have to start somewhere. In fact I think it wise to buy the very best you can when you get started. But at some point you need to know a good thing when you see it and stick with it.
Alas, just like with all things it does take all kinds to make this game work.
Since I'm rambling on, here is another thing that strikes me as odd. Why all the complaining about a single field trial. Have you ever went rabbit hunting with a deer hunter. They always have a great spot for you to bring your dogs to hunt. You set it up, you give up going to your normal good place to go with this guy. You drive up and the trees are so thick you can't walk in them much less any sun light hit the ground for a briar to grow. The days usually turn out bad for rabbit hunting. The same think goes for a field trial. Trials are run by people, judged by people, and the contestants are people and their dogs. All prone to the ebbs and flow of normal emotional stress. To having a good day, to having a bad day. One trial should not be weighted like the world hangs in balance. Sure, I would have liked it better if my dog could have ran a little longer, but the fact remains, I'm not going to get up in the air over it if the judges decide to run him for 30 seconds. Sometimes it just doesn't turn out. It's a sport, enjoy it. The idea of going to the trial is to see what others have. Go to the trials, watch the dogs, learn what others are doing and stay on your course. If you can't handle that then chances are this isn't for you.
The picture is one I took yesterday with my phone of two little Cocoa Star females playing in front of the house.

If you take the time to read my blog let me say thank you. I understand I am hard to follow most of the time. I'm not versed in forming paragraphs the proper way. Shucks, I feel pretty fortunate when I get a sentence complete. Only to be out done by the fact that I am one of the worst spellers to be allowed a public forum.
It's time I make sure everyone who follows my blog is aware of a an outstanding son FC Covington Cocoa Star. His name is G & S Slab Town Boogie Man. Slab is out of a very good rabbit hunting bitch named Carolina Judy. Judy was a no nonsense female. She was as solid as they come and didn't mind doing her work. She hunted very good, would run up in the engine room and would honor the work of her pack mates. I sold Judy to Rev. Jeff Griffith with an agreement he could breed her to Cocoa Star. The product of this breeding was a great litter. Their were 5 pups. Three male and two females. All 5 pups earned 1st place ribbons at UBGF Derby trials!
Of these 5 really good dogs one was something special. The kind you just don't see every day. Fact is you don't see a dog like this every year. I would venture to say most folks who might be a casual observers of the field trials and keep a good pack of rabbit hunting dogs may never get to see a dog like this in their life. Slab comes out of the box with a certain presence about him.
Any way, I started on this entry to let everyone know about a possible history making event. So far no AKC gundog beagle has earned his Field Champion title in just three trials. That would make him undefeated! Slab town has been entered in two AKC trials. The first was a Gundog Brace format held at Friendship Hill, Md. on Sept. 8th Where he won the first place ribbon out of 62 13" males. Slab was handled by Mr. Todd Herndon of Stokesdale, NC. Next Slab was entered at the SPO trial held at Quail Farm beagle club in Mebane, NC on Sept. 21. This time their were 92 little males in the class. Slab was co handled by Todd Herndon and Jared Griffith( one of Rev. Griffiths boys.) Once again Slab displayed his talents with an outstanding winners pack run to win the class.
The next trial on our fall circuit will be at Mountain Valley in Gretna Va. On Oct, 5th. Slab Town will have a chance to be the first ever undefeated AKC Gundog Field Champion. Wouldn't that be great! The fact is Rev. Griffith (Preacher) has worked very hard with his dog this summer. He allowed him to run nearly every day, including the month of August when it was over 100 degrees nearly every day. It is nice to see hard work pay off.
Whether Slab wins Mountain Valley or not, it should not take away from the fact that this is a very special dog. There are a number of good dogs at the trials. Several of them could win on any given day. They are breed good, they have owners or paid handlers who spend a lot of time running them. Those dogs will have their day as well, but for now, it looks like it's a Slab Town world.

Thanks to all the people who came and joined us for the 2007 World Beagle Extravaganza. It was great seeing old friends and meeting a few new ones to boot. I met another man named Jeff Griffith. That's something you don't do everyday. I'm not sure the beagling world is ready for two of them :)
After things broke up at the club house; Doug, Bill and Chance Thomas, Jeff and Jacob Griffith, Preacher (Jeff Griffith), Gary Morman and his buddy Brad, Johny Finley, and I went to Doug's place to run dogs. I think we mixed and matched 5 or 6 different packs of dogs. It sure was a good time. It was the kind of day you hate to see end. Good people just enjoying dogs together. I hope we can do it again real soon.
For those of you who missed it, plan on being here next year.
PS. Preacher, please get permission to stay out and run dogs a little longer next year!!!

Isn't the internet a wonderful tool? There is so much information available for anyone who cares to sit and research it. When it comes to dogs you can get almost any knowledge you need about the health and well being of your dog. If you could get to needed medicines you could almost be your own vet for anything that didn't need surgery.
When it comes to a dogs performance, especially beagles, the internet is not the place to learn proper operating procedure. Have you ever considered how much time it actually takes to get a dog to it's full potential. How many dogs would a man need to follow to truly understand all the things he is looking at. Years ago hounds men used to poke fun at the tailgate hunters who would say "listen to old blue, he got that one." The man would say it so much he had everyone believing Old Blue was a super dog. The modern version of these dog running sessions (cause people don't actually go run their dogs every day anymore) is the internet discussion forums. Seems the person with the biggest mouth (or strongest fingers) is the one that is heard. This tends to mislead the newcomers to our sport. I always wonder how people have time to be on those boards all the time.
When I was coming up we ran dogs nearly every day. I sure used my share of flashlight batteries following my dogs or anyone else's who would allow me to follow. I can remember running my dogs at two in the morning worrying that someone was going to call the police. I guess what I am trying to say is take what you read in these discussion forums for what they are, peanut gallery bull sessions. You can learn a lot. For sure there is some really useful knowledge that can be gained. The drawback is, if you haven't put your time in and wore out a bunch of pairs of boots, you will not likely be able to tell the difference. Hope your running is good.
PRAY FOR RAIN!

Going to your first field trial.

By Ken Murray
Edited by Scott wilson

Going to your first field trial can be confusing and a little bit scary. Where to go, what to do, what to say, are questions the first timer has to ponder. Scott and I thought a list of do's and dont's might be helpful and entertaining. "How to go to a field trial" will be an A to Z list of the usual things you will encounter at your typical AKC licensed SPO trial. Let's get started:
A. A subscription to Hounds and Hunting Magazine. It is known as the field trialers bible. All SPO trials are advertised in the magazine. You will be able to pick a trial close to your home to attend. The ad will include Entry fee, Dates, closings time (the cut off to have your dog entered) running order, directions, to the beagle club, and the most important information, weather they will be serving breakfast and lunch.
B: Which class will I enter?
Field trials are divided into four classes.
13" dogs
15" dogs
13" bitches
15" bitches
Select what you think is your best hound, either male or female, and show up on the appropriate day. Your dog will need to be AKC registered and it can't be spayed or neutered.
When you arrive at the beagle club, go to the secretaries desk and ask for an entry form. If the form is confusing, sit down next to someone filling out their's and ask for help. Everyone, for the most part, will be happy to help you. All the information you will need is on your dogs registration paper. After you have completed the entry form, go to the secretary and enter your dog. You will best be served at your first trial to have your dog premeasured. You will have to decide between 13" and 15" premeasure. Guess at which one fits your dog best because it really doesn't matter.
Now that you have your dog entered:
C. Eat Breakfast.
Support the beagle club. Eat meals, buy raffle tickets, they need your money and you like competing at trials; you need them to provide you with a place to compete.
D. Mingle, make new friends. There will be lots of folks telling all they know or don't know about beagles running rabbits. Try not to get confused by all the talk about bloodlines.
E. Premeasure.
You will be called for your dog to be measured and placed in either the 13" or 15" class. You will then need to go back to the secretary and get your dogs number.
F. Write your dogs number down!!!
For the remainder of the trial, you will need this number to identify your dog.
G. Roll call.
Announcements are made, various officials are recognized. Every entrant in each class is read from the roll. When your dogs name is called answer "here."
H. The Drawing
Each class will randomly drawn into packs of 4,5,6 or 7 dogs. Pay attention to which pack your dog is drawn.
I. Going to the field.
Most clubs have running grounds near their clubhouse. Some will require you to drive to the running grounds. It will have been announced during the announcements but if you missed it just ask someone in your class for directions or simply follow them. Be sure you don't get mixed up and show up at the wrong running grounds. Often 15" and 13 " will be in two different locations. When you arrive at the running grounds the other handlers will be busy putting the proper color collars on their dogs. The color of collar your dog needs is determined by the order he was drawn in his pack. For example. The first dog drawn in a pack will be Red, 2nd dog white, 3rd dog blue,4th is green, 5th is yellow, 6th is orange, and seventh is black. If your dog is the third dog drawn in the 2nd pack his collar needs to be blue. Once you have your dog collared you are ready to go.
J. Go to the field.You need to gather with the other handlers of you pack in the field. The group of you need to be ready when you are called for by the judges. Keep your dog quiet. Don't let him get his lead tangled with the other dogs Keep your dog in control and not to close to the other dogs. You are now ready to go.
K. Next Pack
You lead your dog to the judges and marshall. The marshall is in charge of you and your dog in the field. The marshall will call out each dogs number in the proper order and you are to answer with the color of your collar.
L. Cast the hounds.
The marshall will announce "cast the hounds" and you simply turn your dog loose. The marshall will indicate the direction you need to hunt your dog. The judges will be watching for dogs that fail to hunt. Even if they appear to not be paying attention, they are watching. Encourage your dog to hunt, just like you do when you are gun hunting. Stay close to the other handlers and dogs. If you dog starts to wonder off in a different direction, work him back towards the others. Handlers and dogs should all be hunting together for a rabbit. Often, dogs or handlers will roust a rabbit and not know it. If you were to see a rabbit watch the direction it goes and yell Tally HO. Yelling Tally Ho may seem strange at first but it announces to everyone that game has been jumped. Using the term Tally Ho any other time is just poor etiquette.
M. Call the dogs.
Once some one has yelled Tally Ho it is treated just as if a dog is barking. The dogs that have been at this a while will come on the run. If your dog does not know what it means don't worry. As soon as the other dogs start barking he will hark right in, if he doesn't then he is probably not ready for a field trial. If a dog jumps the rabbit their will not be a Tally Ho and the dog opening will signal the game has been started.
N. The run begins
Here is the order. Rabbit, dogs, judges, marshall, then handlers. Stay behind the marshall with the other handlers. Do not discuss any dogs performance where the judges can here. Always follow the marshal's instructions. As the run progresses we come to---
O. Picking up dogs.
As the judges evaluate dogs performances, some or all the hounds will be eliminated. This is accomplished by the marshall picking up the hounds the judges indicate. If the marshall calls out your color get your dog and leave the field. Your dog is through for the day. If your dog is not picked up you will soon hear.....
P. Handle the Pack.
When the judges announce "handle the pack" go and catch your dog. This means your dog has "stayed down" and is still in consideration. He may or may not be called back to second series. After your pack has run, you should…
Q. Watch the other packs run. You are free to watch the other packs. As you spectate you should not intervene, physically or verbally with the other packs. By watching with other gallery members you will become more accustomed to the actual happenings in the field at a trial. We are now getting to my favorite part of the trial.
R. Dinner (or lunch if you are up north.)
Same as breakfast, participate. Usually the cost is $5 -$8 and the quality is good. After dinner…..
S. Second series.
Same as first series but with less hounds. The dogs are redrawn into different packs and go back to the field for further evaluation. After second series, we have either third series (which is just like the preceding series) or we have the winners pack.
T. Winners pack.
Every field trialers goal is to get his dog into the winners pack. If your dog is still in the mix - Congratulations! If not, go watch the best of the best compete that day. There are four places given, 1st - 4th and NBQ. NBQ stands for Next Best Qualified. The field trial ends when the judges shout..
U. Field Trial.
The trial is over, awards are presented, and it's time to go home. There are a few more thought and I need to share them with you.
V. Attitude
Field trials are supposed to be fun, so have fun.
W. Judges
Never openly criticize the judges. Thank them for judging the dogs and keep your thought to yourself. Complaining accomplishes nothing good because the judges decisions are final. If you feel the judges have performed poorly, don't enter your dog in any more trials judged by them. Speaking of judging…
X. Honestly judge your hounds.
when evaluating your dogs abilities, do so with open eyes. There are no perfect dogs. Yours is no exception. Don't let kennel blindness cloud your vision when assessing your hounds. Viewing your dogs and those of others with an open mind will help you.
Y. Make friends.
A field trail is a great place to meet other dog men. When you attend future trials, it makes it more enjoyable if you know other beaglers. Besides meeting great people, the best advise I can give you when you attend your first trial is….
Z. TAKE A REAL GOOD RABBIT DOG!

Do you ever here peopel complain about the cost of fuel, bulding material, or just about anything else? I hear one guy say our government needs to stop sending our money over sees.
All that sound good but who is sending money over sees? The fact is, it ain't the goverment nearly as much as it's the Amercan consumer. Look at the parking lot of Walmart. Who is in their buying all that chineese product? The same people that complain about the price of gas! We buy cheap chinese product so the the Chineese need to buy fuel for thier manufacturing plants and cars. 30 years ago we were the only real market the oil companies had. Today any number of countries will gladly buy it.
Who's to blame? Ask your self, where were your shoes made? We've done this to our sleves. This insationable appetite for cheap goods will not end any time soon.
The next time you buy something, give a little thought as to the country of origian.