By Matthew Cumberledge, GCHS Executive Director
Sunrise illuminates the glistening frost coating the landscape in a blanket of beauty, the crisp, cool air is invigorating and it’s time to go! Where are we going? We’re going rabbit hunting!
Rabbit hunting is a delightful pastime that is a very popular sport here in good ol’ Greene County and has been so throughout history. It’s a family-friendly group sport and it even has a place for one of the most beloved animals, the beagle!
Our little friend the beagle can trace his genetic history back to England in the 1830’s, when the breed was developed from the Talbot hound, the North Country beagle, the Southern hound and possibly the harrier. Beagles have been around in a less standard form for much longer. Beagles can be found in stories and paintings going back as far as the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558 – 1603). Beagles may even predate the Norman conquest of England in 1066; small hounds that resemble beagles are mentioned in the Forest Laws of King Canute in 1016 that exempts them from an act requiring all hounds capable of running down a stag to have one foot mutilated.
By the 1840’s beagles had arrived in the United States, and by the 1870’s the breed was being refined to the standard beagle that we all recognize today, with the breed finally being recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885.
In the earliest years of “beagling,” (the term used to describe hunting with beagles) they were used primarily for hunting rabbits to supplement food sources. As time progressed however, “beagling” became more of a sport and recreational activity. By the early 1900’, beagle clubs started popping up all over the United States. Here in Greene County several clubs existed in the first quarter of the 20th century and currently the Waynesburg Beagle Club schedules events for beaglers from all over.
The beagles small size, good temperament and friendly nature y make them excellent hounds for the sportsman, and in recent decades they have become very popular pets. It’s not uncommon to see a sportsman traveling with a beagle in the passenger seat of his truck while out looking for game.
A beagle hunt often begins in the early hours of daylight during the late fall and early winter, when a group of people get together with their pack of hounds and find a place to hunt. Beagles tend to hunt best in packs – they prefer to do almost everything as a group. The experience of rabbit hunting with beagles is vastly different from most other forms of hunting with man’s best friend. In most styles of hunting, the hounds will act independently of one another even when hunting in groups, but with beagles, one dog’s strengths often make up for another’s weaknesses and vice versa.
The best locations to take beagles to track their game are in areas with brushy overgrowth with small clear sections. The game lands in Greene County are ideally suited for this purpose. Once the pack of hounds is cut loose they will soon find their way into the brush and use their exceptional scent and tracking abilities to find cottontail rabbits.
Excitement is quickly forthcoming. The Beagle sounds the “Barroo!” (Barroo is a common expression that emulates the bark made by the beagle when he finds the scent of a rabbit, this expression can even be seen in popular internet memes that circulate among rabbit hunting groups on social media.) The chase is on; rabbits can be challenging opponents, their quick movements and familiarity with their natural habitat can pose difficulty for younger and inexperienced beagles, so it typically takes a group to affectively stay on the track and run the trail to completion. Some older and more experienced beagles, however, are extremely good at their craft and will often keep the track moving on their own, affording the younger hounds the opportunity to hone their craft by following the more experienced hound and learning from his example.
Rabbit chases can last for varying amounts of time, and the length is largely dependent on what the specific goal of the hunt is. If you are out for a kill, perhaps in preparation for some delicious rabbit stew, the chase only lasts long enough so that a shot can be safely made to get the rabbit. If you are hunting for sport, many times the track may be run until the beagles are outwitted by the rabbit at a sharp turn or a den, or occasionally the dogs are called off the track to be released elsewhere to begin another hunt.
Rabbits will typically move in generally straight lines through the brush, however, one of the rascally rabbit’s favorite trick is to abruptly make a sharp right hand turn, called a check, that beagles will often run past, thus losing the track. More experienced beagles will be able to get past this check quicker than others. This requires them to search, or check, for the direction in which the rabbit went on the track, and gives the rabbit much needed time to find his way to safety. In many cases this check can be successful, with the rabbit finding his way to a den or hole or out of the area all together and the beagles being unable to locate him.
The importance of hunting in brushy areas where clear pathways and areas are present is to give the sportsman a place where he can see the rabbit. When the rabbit is seen exiting the brush and crossing one of these clearings it is called a line. In kill hunts, these clearings can provide the means for the hunter to make a clear shot. In recreational hunts, these lines allow the sportsman to see the beagles work. In competition hunts, these lines are also part of the scoring process. Points are determined based on the accuracy of the beagle working the line and the beagle that makes it to the line first.
Hunters will often continue their adventure well into the latter parts of the day, often enjoying witty conversations and experiencing the fun of being in the outdoors while listening to the hounds run, and waiting for the exciting moment when the rabbit is seen in a line! In fact, the excitement shown by the lucky person who first sees the line is overwhelming!
Whether hunting for a kill, or just hunting for a sport, rabbit hunting has been an integral part of Greene County’s rural heritage for many years, and undoubtedly for many years to come. Perhaps you are a rabbit hunter yourself or someone who just loves beagles. Either way, rabbit hunting is a sport that everyone can enjoy! Please see the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s website https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/SeasonsandBagLimits.aspx for more information on hunting seasons, laws and bag limits.