When thinking about deer hounds the walker seems to rule the woods here in North Carolina. They are fast, powerful dogs that really push a deer through the block. However when I started my pack I decided that I wanted to take a different, more classic approach. I made my mind up that I was going to begin looking for a handful of beagles that were at least started on deer.
At sixteen years old I went and picked up two beagles from a man who decided that he did not have enough time to put into his dogs. From there my pack grew to fourteen beagles ranging anywhere from a few fourteen inch rabbit dogs gone wrong to eighteen inch blue-tick beagle crosses that I got as puppies. There are a thousand reasons why I choose the deer beagle but these are the few that make the decision easy.
In my area of North Carolina large blocks of woods are few and far between due to developments and roadways. Having large dogs that cover large areas of ground is not practical in some of the areas that we hunt. Having the advantage of the style that a beagle hunts makes it that much easier to have a bit more control of the hunt. The way a beagle moves game is much more adaptable to the land that is accessible to hunt in our part of the state. It also allows us to put more focus into areas we really want to cover by having dogs that hunt with me, not just for me. Having this advantage gives us more time to hunt and enjoy the dogs rather than be on the highway going from road to road.
Another reason why I chose the beagle was the accuracy of the track. In my experience with deer beagles I rarely ever see their head rise above the height of their shoulder. The nose stays to the ground and they stay true to the track and hardly ever lose the track. Even through swamps and conditions when the scent really is not strong the head-down hunting style allows us to have successful runs throughout the day. While I thoroughly enjoy occasionally hunting in front of walkers it seems that over running a track is a very common issue. Having a pack that focuses on working the scent and making sure every strike is on the track really makes a difference in the woods.
The speed of a beagle is something hunters either love or hate about these small hounds. For me, having dogs that do not blow through a block makes the hunt much more enjoyable than hearing them for a short moment before going out of my hearing through the woods. However I am not claiming that the pack is simply walking behind the deer but it is more of a marathon than a sprint. From the perspective of someone who is happy listening to the hounds run all season long and never firing a shot, this is monumental. Being able to sit back and listen to every aspect of the run and for them to sustain that run for long beings of time is thrilling. It also does not hurt that the slower nature leads to deer not running quite so fast when it is time to get a shot. But overall it leads to a more in-touch experience with the chase.
Houndsmen are just like the hounds themselves, there are different qualities and quirks that make us who we are. Therefore we all have different preferences when it comes to what we choose to hunt with and why we choose so. Everything we do we tailor to our style and our liking and my style is why I will always choose the beagle for deer.
