I don't doubt what you are saying at all. But it is a logical conclusion for someone who spends a lot of time and money to make his land as deer-friendly as possible, that if his property has dogs that occassionally harrass the deer, and his neighbor's land does not have dogs that occassionally harrass the deer, then the deer would prefer his neighbor's land. It doesn't have to be true, it just has to be logical.
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Where have all the rabbit hunters gone?
- Thread starter Wifeshusband
- Start date
across the river
Senior Member
Why is always the deer hunter’s fault that the small game guys don’t have somewhere to hunt? If 5 or 10 guys pitch in together to lease land to deer hunt, I don’t understand why they should feel any obligation to let someone rabbit hunt. Same goes for a landowner.
Why don’t 5, 10, or more of you guys get together and lease a place like the deer hunters do, and then you can hunt it anytime you want to for rabbit, squirrels, raccoons, released quail, whatever you want to. Heck you could have a lot more people on the lease because you would have different people hunting different stuff, some at night some during the day, etc..... I just don’t get this mentally that people have that just because they have some dogs, someone owes them a spot to hunt. Heck, you could even lease out the deer hunting rights as supplemental money under the conditions that they only hunt certain days, areas, etc..... Since the dogs don’t impact them at all according to you, there should be plenty of deer running around for them to hunt.
Hillbilly stalker
Senior Member
Buddy...nobody owes me nothing and I never said they did. Deer hunting is where the moneys at. There’s no way 3 or 4 or even 10 small game hunters can compete with Doctors, lawyers accountants and the high rollers for tracts of land and the huge amount of money they sink into it. There’s not that many small game hunters around anymore anyway. So many prople think that a deer is the only animal in the woods. Y’all lease up the land , greed kicks in and then people cry and whine if they see or hear a dog.If I wanted to hunt your land, I would come up and ask you....you say no, then that’s that and I’ll do my best to keep my dog away from it. You don’t like dog hunters....your prerogative. I have places to hunt, but it’s kinda sad that most beagle guys don’t. Change in habitat and this deer disease that infects peoples minds is the reason that the rabbit hunters are dwindling away. And that’s a crying shame to end a long standing tradition over a stinking deer. Most of the rabbit hunters I know are some heckuva good guys, and most are letting their packs die off with no desire to restock....
all because it’s so hard to find a place to hunt for a couple months. They feed and care for them 12 months out of the year. Can you name many if any pieces of state land that’s managed, planted, burnt or manipulated for rabbit hunters ? I can not. If the dogs ran all the deer off, those clubs would only be able to run once a year now wouldn’t they ?
greg_n_clayton
Senior Member
True !! That would be a exception. My skwerl dogs will run one 50-75 yes if they jump it up in front of em.
specialk
Senior Member
90% of deer hunters just deer hunt.....90% of rabbit hunters deer hunt too.....i share deer leases with deer hunters, always have....i hunt when deer season is out...problem is the state opened up the december break then added 2 weeks after xmas.....less for them to share with me now.....i deer hunt too and don't wont anybody or anything messing up my deer hunting either.....i get it....
chrisn1818
Senior Member
Not sure anyone blames the deer hunter. I would hope you would agree running rabbits in January and February shouldn’t have an effect on what the deer are doing in deer season ?
. Feeling like you got a little hurt about the post. No one wants to rabbit hunt “your” land ??. But if you think anyone can afford $20/ac to rabbit hunt you must have more $$$ than brains.
chrisn1818
Senior Member
Man I wish it wasn’t such a ride. I have twin 7 year olds and they would love to have other kids to hunt/play with.
across the river
Senior Member
Not sure anyone blames the deer hunter. I would hope you would agree running rabbits in January and February shouldn’t have an effect on what the deer are doing in deer season ?
I'm not hurt at all, but I'm not the one complaining about having a place to hunt either. I just for the life of me don't understand why someone would get dogs if they had no where to hunt them. I grew up quail and rabbit hunting, but haven't had a beagle (had one basset hound too) or any bird dogs in many years. Primarily because the land I have doesn't have any quail and few rabbits. I have allowed a buddy to come put out flight pen birds, but I just can't get into it. I do deer hunt, but like a lot of people, it is primarily because that is what is available. If quail were running everywhere and mallards dropped down through the pine trees, I may never pick up a bow or deer rifle again. Since they don't, I hunt what I have to hunt, and go out of state where ducks and quail actually exist to hunt those. Personally, if I was going to go through the effort to have dogs, I would make sure I had somewhere to hunt them, rather than getting them and just complaining a lot about the DNR and the greedy deer hunters. As far as my comments regarding land, I still stand by it. If 5 or 10 guys can come up with the money to lease a place to deer hunt, how could you not get a combination of guys that rabbit, squirrel, and coon hunt that could all pitch in together in the same way and have a place to hunt anytime they want.
Hillbilly stalker
Senior Member
No ones complaing. A question was asked and answered. You might not like or agree with the answers...but it’s a fact. Now surely you are not naive enough to think someone would raise and train a dog or pack and not have a place to hunt ? There is less land to hunt every year, and even less good rabbit habitat. There was a time not so long ago when people were neighborly and would let you hunt their farm or lease after deer season was over. Very few will nowadays because of “their deer”. I applaud the ones who do, and I don’t even own a rabbit dog.
Wifeshusband
Senior Member
I believe that's one of the problems. The guy I hunted with in high school had a big pack, and invariably one of them would turn up missing, off on a deer. They would have to go back the next day and try to round the dog up. I recall they lost one. I think that turns off some landowners.
shawnrice
Senior Member
In the process at the moment selling out all my rabbit hunting stuff ..got a package deal going with a guy buying everything I own ... I dont have anywhere to run anymore . I Hate it but thats what its come too
Hillbilly stalker
Senior Member
Man I hate that and I know you do too. One of the reasons I went with squirrel dogs is you can find squirrels just about anywhere. Even state land and WMA’s.
shawnrice
Senior Member
Yes Sir I hate doing it but its over around here ..
Sure going to miss running them....
On a side note there is a 50,000 acre DEER DOG club 5 miles from my house I use to be a member of that wont allow me to run rabbit dogs ...Think I'm going to run the deer all off ..so there you have it ...just crazy folks thats crazy over a 80 lb Florida deer ...lol
WOW ...
bentleyboys02
Member
That is not true .A friend of mine was told ,by a deer hunter that he could hunt there land in late DEC. That they were done for the year, so they went an ran rabbits all afternoon .Loaded dogs up an called the guy an thanked him for letting them hunt ,told him they might wont to hunt some more for the big cut trees they saw there. Guy went over an checked his trial cams .Had one where the loaded dogs at 4.30 and the big deer walked out in same place at 5.15 same afternoon. guy goes in the next morning an kills the deer 140 .you tell me we run the deer off ,lol
Beagler282
“Rabbit Man”
Shawn I hate to hear this knowing that you have worked hard to build a good pack. So sorry.
shawnrice
Senior Member
Thanks Beagler282 ..its a bad feeling giving it all up .I just dont have many options left around here for running spots
Mack in N.C.
Senior Member
Going on a Rabbit hunt in the morning....plenty of land here in NC to run rabbits on..
we are starting off on our club land(1st year we have had this lease.) then we are heading over to some public land. 2 guys bringing 2 packs.
we are starting off on our club land(1st year we have had this lease.) then we are heading over to some public land. 2 guys bringing 2 packs.
chrislibby88
Senior Member
I jump shoot them. No dogs. I just make loops around my 15 acres and hit all the briar patches. My brother and I, and my two boys, and my flock of 5 domestic birds (they followed us gobbling every time we yelled or shot) kicked up 3 in an hour an a half yesterday afternoon. We went home with two. I try to get a handful of rabbits every year after after I’m done deer hunting.
Danuwoa
Redneck Emperor
People still rabbit hunt around here.
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