Rabbit Hunting Trip

[Rickhem]

This past Sunday, my neighbor brought his beagle down to my property to do a little rabbit hunting.  He says that she (the dog) is 9 years old and has been his best dog for hunting.  I've never hunted with a dog for rabbits and it was fun listening to her howling away on the trail of whatever it was she scented.  She is so old and low to the ground that the bell on her collar was dragging along the whole time.  That made it easy to locate her when she got into really thick stuff. 
We didn't get any rabbits, but we did put up 5 or 6 grouse from one area.  Must be something in that area that they like, since I've seen them in that area on my trail cameras too.  I never fired a shot, but my neighbor did, and he got a grouse. 
We were out for about 3 hours, and it was nice to walk around with the shotgun like that. 

[walkabout]

That's a great day.. he's lucky to have gotten a bird them things usually flush way to far away..

[Rickhem]

I had three flush where I could see them.  You actually hear it first, then your eyes catch the movement.  All were in an area where the trees were anywhere between 1" to 4", so about the diameter of a baseball bat handle and barrel.  They were thick enough that if I did get a shot off, I doubt any pellets would have made it all the way to the bird.  We laughed about that, and how every bird that went up seemed to fly dead straight away from us and out over a hayfield.  How could they fly that straight with all those trees in their way???