Dang Wabbits!

[jimbo&rooster]

Well for the first time in 10 yrs we have an over abundance of rabbits locally, and it is starting to effect my derby.... The last couple of weeks since the snow ,wind and rain have knocked down most of the cover our bunnies are holed up on edges. I had noticed my boy pointing with a low tail and he would let down and turn and look at me as I came in, as well as alot of flash pointing then moving on.

90% of my trash breaking has been on deer... Easy enough to judge the situation. For rabbits that are often in the same area that would hold quail, I assume that I wait till the rabbit has flushed before I make the correction? My gut tells me to just knick him and move him along when he starts to squirrel around on these edges, but I dont want to sour him on edges or the possibility that he is in fact working a bird.

So do I wait till the bunny breaks and burn him?

Jim

[cmc274]

Shorthairs are versatile, it's rabbit season right and rabbit tastes good right? Choot em! If you wanted a bird dog, should have got a pointer or setter.

Just messing with you, I've just ignored it and only nick them if they won't move on. Keep shooting em birds and they'll forget about rabbits.

[jimbo&rooster]

If I shoot rabbits over my shorthair then my lab wont have anything to do!

In all seriousness there havn't been enough rabbits around here in years to even worry about it, but for some reason they are thick this year. I imagine Ill just nick him and go about my business. My concern was more about the timing of the correction, like nick him and move him along or cook him after the flush.

Jim

[DogNewbie]

Have you tried a leave it command? That's what I've done with squirrels.

[Xhipi1]

my setter points out rabbits all the time when im walking him. he stands up tall and his tail is low which is the complete opposite of what he does when he points birds. i let him point and dont pull him away. i kind of wish i could shoot those rabbits but the city frowns down upon walking through the neighborhood with a 12 gauge I dont do competitions with him so i dont worry about it if hes doing it while bird hunting; a mixed bag is perfect with me.
in your case i would go to were hes pointing and kick up the brush, if a rabbit pops out and the dog starts chasing then knick him. like you said its difficult to know whether its a bird or rabbit so dont knick him in case it actually is a bird.

[RoostersMom]

I will only nick them with the collar if they chase. Pointing is o.k. in my book as far as a hunting dog goes. I run beagles too - lots of rabbits this year!

[Xhipi1]

As I stated before he loves pointing out rabbits when I walking him. This was taken today he spotted a rabbit so pointed it

[jimbo&rooster]

Well I got the goofball out last night and pushed him around from horseback, and he was a little less interested than the previouse couple nights, I did nick him a couple times and whistle him up, when he would stop and start goofing around, Then He moved on to goofing around mousing and I heeled him up and we roaded back to the truck.

With the CRP being knocked down and the cover being thin right now, alot of the wild birds my place tends to hold have moved on to thicker cover, so Im assuming that he may just be getting bored with the "forced marches" around the place. Also I generally run him with another young dog, and I have been running him more often by himself and I think we are still building some confidence.

Anyhow thanks for the replies.

Jim