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Rabbit Season

After some exploring in Box Elder Canyon, I came across a hunter management area just west of it. Upon further investigation, I discovered that Duncan Ranch was owned by the State of Wyoming and that it was open for rabbit hunting.

Today I went online and got my permission slip. The land looks promising for rabbits - lots of sagebrush surrounding alfalfa and hay pastures; the last time I drove by there there were no hunters in sight.

My interest in hunting rabbits with the Rat Dogs is mostly recreational. I can't consider myself a serious rabbit hunter as I really know nothing about how a dog should hunt for rabbits. All I know is that my dogs flush them and give me voice that they are hot on something. I wait until I see the rabbit and shoot, and they bring it back. Tracker can sometimes hog the rabbit, but usually he brings it back to me knowing that I will gut it for him and the rest of the pack immediately. Evidently there is no better eating than a pile of hot rabbit innards. And yes, I worm the dogs as soon as we get home!

I did a little research and found this site to be more than helpful on desirable qualities for rabbit hunting dogs. My dogs do most of those things naturally - hound blood runs strongly in some lines of Rat Terriers - so I used some of my Google-Fu to see if I could find a competition that we could enter. No luck. The rabbit dog folk seem to be pretty exclusive! Most only allow for Beagles, but the American Rabbit Hound Association allows Harriers and Basset Hounds to enter their competitions. Too bad none of my dogs would pass for any of those breeds even with the most lenient of breed inspectors.

Ah well - breeding for rabbit ability is really not at the top of my list for any of my dogs. Perhaps we will bring a friend or two out with us when we go hunting so that we can earn a Hunting Certificate from the American Working Terrier Association. I just need to get my act together and find other members so that I can get a certificate and a flask!
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