"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name IMMANUEL." Isaih 7:14

"And she shall bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS; for he shall save his people from their sins". Matthew 1:21

JESUS CHRIST ; the reason for the season!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2006.....The temperature dropped a lot last night and when we arose in the morning the thermometer registered 20 degrees.A heavy frost covered everything and standing water was frozen. Matthew would join Kenny and I again like we did last week and do another local hunt. We'd run the "Old men" once again; Tim "The Toolman" and Jack the "Hammer". The two old boys as it turned out would not disappoint.
We decided to try a spot not too far from Kenny's place, but the cover was sparse and it looked more like deer country rather than hare country. There were a few pockets of cover here and there so we had to walk over quite a bit of ground with our fingers crossed in hopes of getting a start. After a pretty long jaunt around the woods thing; Jack started a cold trail and Timmy would join in with him a little bit here and there. Then Timmy got into it with a bit more authority and with the Big nose that Jack has the pair got a hunt underway moving pretty well. It was a controlled, deliberate run over a frozen dry oak stand and all was high ground. Not the usual place where hare are found. The two "old dogs" couldn't be shaken off the line and their forward progress though slow was without interruption. I never hunted this place before so I just took up a stand in a likely looking place and waited. The hounds were far off when I saw the hare coming down a long stretch of hardwoods with a few hemlocks scattered around and I plowed the hare right there in the oaks leaves "dead as a door nail". It took the pair of hounds ten minutes to make it to the dead hare. We picked up the hounds and high-tailed it out of there for another cover miles away.

The next place we tried was the same cover we hunted last week when we had to listen to all that noise from the logging operation that was going on. Well, the loggers were still there so we moved off to another place. This other place I've hunted many times over the years and where I thought we just might find a hare or two. After fifteen minutes in this place Timmy jumps one hot and Jack harks in. The two old guys made this run happen with few checks for an hour and twenty five minutes before the hare gave up the ghost. Remarkable running is what we got when considering the frozen everything the dogs ran on. We got another long run that went extremely well too and it ended up with a loud bang that finished the chase. It was getting a bit late but I figured we had time to get another bunny if we could find one. We would work some hemlock pockets on our way out. Kenny jumped a big doe that ran back between us and close to the dogs. Not a whimper from each dog as luck would have it. Timmy will not run a deer and is a pleasure to hunt anywhere anytime and is easy to handle. We jumped a hare where we thought one might be and both hounds did their great job on this one as they had done all day long on the others. Matthew fired three shots at the flying snow ball to no avail, but the shot fired by Kenny ended another great day in the woods. This bunny was all white except the brown on his head as seen in the photo. Hunting hare at this time of year without snow isn't as easy as you might think. They sit real tight and are hard to find. Ground is usually frozen stiff and very dry. Then the critters run really wild and you need very good hounds to keep 'em going WITHOUT A LOSS.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2006.....It's 2:45 A.M. and I beat the alarm clock by fifteen minutes again. Some of you guys know how this often happens when a pending hunting trip is about to get underway! I have to pick up Matthew along the way and meet up with Neal and Wayne at DYSART's truck stop in Herman at 7:00 A.M. Right now it's snowing out and the temperature is 22 degrees. The forecast is for light snow ending by mid morning with high winds 20-30 MPH. I hurry to get things gathered and loaded in the truck so I can get on the road ASAP, 'cause the snow storm would slow me down some and I didn't want to be late getting to the truck stop. It's snowing hard and the wind is blowing a gale. We only have about an inch on the ground but that's all you need to slip and slide and run the risk of an accident. On board I have RUTH and the youngster HANNAH who will team up with CHASE and HANNAH's littermate NYNAH. I bred all four of these dogs and the four are heavy in BUCKSHOT MR BILL breeding. The four dogs hunt hard, with a line control style as well as a bit of snap. The two young dogs get a bit over anxious at times but are still learning the dynamics of pack running. All four dogs have big noses and RUTH will NOT let you lose a rabbit. CHASE is a control dog with a forward motion style and his runs are often described by us as "RELENTLESS".
Moments after pulling out of the driveway I Pray to God for traveling safety as well as a safe successful hunt in the northwoods of Maine. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths" Proverbs 3:6, It works for me. On the Maine turnpike the snow is coming down hard and it's hard to see at times. I get to Gray Me., snatch up the Matthew and off we go together, rolling north. Our drive up goes Ok but a bit on the slower side than usual, but because I started a bit earlier than planned we arrive at DYSART's only five minutes late. I anticipated that Wayne and Neal would be there waiting for us, but that was not so. We ordered breakfast and enjoyed our company and waited for the rest of the guys to show up. Well; they didn't show up, and around 8:00 o'clock I called home to see if Neal had called, and my wife said he had not. At 8:15 Matt and I hit the trail for the hunting grounds we had chosen for the trip and perhaps the other two would make it up later. No doubt the storm had something to do with this situation. A while later we get a call from Neal on the cell phone and he said that some "WHITE OUTS" on the road from some heavy snow squalls interferred with their vision and they were forced to pull over at times for safetys sake. They would meet us where we would hunt and Matt and I would just wait for them there.
It was about 10:A.M. when they pulled up besides us in that harsh weather of 22 degrees with the wind blowing hard. Another tough day in the north woods. Not a place for a "Beegler" to be found in but for a "HUNTER" this is normal. Neal said that when they left home the storm was intense and they couldn't see the road and had to pull over for a while. So we'd get a late start today; so what! We collared the dogs and decided to hunt close to the trucks and save the long walk into another place we had planned to hunt, for tomorrow. This would be the first hunt on a powdered surface for Hannah and Nynah; we hopped for the best. RUTH can run on this stuff and as well as any hound around here and CHASE proved himself last year in winter situations in remarkable fashion. The aim is to have the group run in a steady consistent manner and to account for every rabbit they would find.
My my what garbage can be read on the Better Beagling website at times? I just read some more unbelievable statements???. Our dogs won't catch hare as others proclaim theirs do, but they will run consistently well to the gun on a high percentage of rabbits started. Well the weather was cold on about 3 inches of snow with the wind blowing and the trees covered with snow. Not easy! We cast the dogs and RUTH began a little cold trailing on some tracks that were a bit covered with snow. Here's one you can believe, and that is a hound can often smell scent covered with several inches of snow. RUTH has a great nose and can handle tough scenting and loses very few rabbits. In a few minutes CHASE is getting into it too and is shortly followed by the two young hounds. In minutes we have a drive going steady with the two young dogs tongueing liberally. Everybody is into the act and I stand there listening to the pack run with a smile on my face. Shotguns got blazing a few times on this rabbit and the hunt continued until at the forty minute mark Neal dusted it with one shot.
This run stirred the pot a bit and within minutes the hounds found another good line and we were off and running once again. We only had a little snow but except for the depth of the snow we were running under average mid winter conditions and the hounds performed in a relentless fashion. This second rabbit we started would give the group a real test as the chase went far and wide, a sort of driving affair with few checks. On and on it went with shots fired here and there by all the "gunners". We wouldn't stack up many dead hare on this day, but only because the hunters couldn't hit their mark. But so what anyway, the hounds ran great filling the air with sweet music and the two young dogs doing their share of the work; performing beyond expectations.
The driving wind and the cold 22 degree snow hadn't diminished the ability of this foursome to perform well. They were doing everything the hunter could expect. Drive their quarry in a contolled fashion for long periods of time without a loss or until the bunny died. This rabbit took the hounds far and wide and when he passed by a hunter his leaps and bounds only offered a "snap shot" and a miss. That is until the third hour plus fifteen minutes of steady running that ended when a load of number 4's drilled holes through the hare's rib cage. WOW; Neal exclaimed "WAS THAT A RUN"! It was quarter to three now and a decision was made to try for another bunny. I put RUTH on an old track in the snow made by a stray rabbit that passed there hours before during the long run we just finished. She followed it by sight a ways then began to cold trail a bit and within fifty yards or so CHASE gave her a helping hand. Moments later all four dogs exploded into a drive as the bunny was put out of a squat. The minutes ticked off the clock and at three forty five P.M. the hare got shot at crossing a tote road and the hounds were caught. NOPE; the bunny didn't die as the hunter "missed again". It would be dark here in another thirty minutes, so catching the hounds now was the safe thing to do. Sure was a great day and the hounds couldn't have done much better. HALLELUIA!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2006..... We got up real early so we could make up for some of the lost hunting time we suffered because of yesterdays late start due to the storm. It was eighteen degrees out, but the winds had died down a lot. We hit the local McDonalds for a quick bite to eat and in a short time we were collaring the dogs by six forty five. Man it's just getting light out under dark cloudy skies and we're out hoofing it towards the cover we want to hunt a mile away from the trucks. This is a good way to shake the frosty feeling out of your bones early on a fridgid morning. Take a hike with all your winter gear on and walk the dog! None of this stuff is easy and that's why not many "Beeglers" get it out of the fenced areas with a gun in hand.
We arrive at the cover we wanted to hunt and the dogs were cut loose. We found some deer tracks, coyote tracks and some rabbit tracks in the little bit of snow we had on the ground. This cover was real thick and because it is very low ground there was a lot of thin ice which made traversing through this area difficult. All the dogs did some cold trailing here and there and pretty soon RUTH got into it with a bit more authority, CHASE joined her and before you know it the four are underway with a drive. As soon as this happened a COYOTE howled a loud shriek not fifty yards from us. We apparently walked into a lone COYDOG and he utterred his displeasure. I remember two years ago in washington County that Bruce McNeilly a great hunter himself, had some hounds attacked by coyotes and one of his hounds was killed. We were on allert for the critter but it disappeared for the day as far as we could tell. The hounds continued to run in unison without a check, but in the thick cover seeing the hare wasn't easy. At the forty minute mark MATT hollered "tally ho" not far from me and then I saw the hare hit a small opening and I drilled him. As he flopped around I broke open the breech of the over-and-under to replace the spent shell ASAP. The mechanism was frozen I guess and didn't extract the shell as it should have. While keeping an eye on the still flopping bunny, in my haste I grabbed the wrong brass in the breech and threw the shell over my shoulder and into the snow. I put another round in the now empty barrel, then noticed I had extracted the wrong bullet. The spent shell was still there as I had thrown a good round away. Another AARP moment! The body slows down at 66 and so doesn't the brain!
This hunt went about the same as it went yesterday but maybe a bit better as we got several driving runs over 2 1/2 hours and other runs over an hour. On one rabbit I missed 6 times and Neal helped me out a bit by racking up a few spectacular misses of his own. Took 9 shots fired to get one bunny stretched out in the snow; PHEW! The hounds sure did perform well though, and the performances turned in by the two young hounds far exceeded my expectations. Toward days end we decided to work toward the truck for one more run. RUTH again started an old line from scratch and a drive was underway. Twenty minutes into the run the dogs checked and it was a hard check for some reason and seven minutes passed without a bark. RUTH later hit the line and started to make some progress. NYNAH got with her and then walked a long stretch of that faint scent about thirty yards alone and the run got back into a drive. All four hounds drove steady another forty five minutes when Wayne killed the rabbit that luckilly had stopped in the tote road, in stead of flying across it as the others had done all the day long. This ended a GREAT hunt with GREAT running turned in by the four dogs. On the way out I Thanked God in a private moment of prayer for our safety, the safety of the dogs and the GREAT fellowship we enjoyed.  OH YA...NO LOST RABBITS!!!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006..... After the warm temperatures yesterday followed by last nights radiational cooling down to 22 degrees, everything was white with frost this morning. Reggie was actually going to hunt something other than deer today. HALLELUIA!!!! I picked up Kenny and his JACK dog but before heading out I had to see the two day old LABS that Kenny just got. Ten little "YELLOWS" all doing well. After the photo session we headed for Reggie's to get him and his dog SPIKE. We would get in the woods late because "Crambo" had an early morning dentist appointment to make so we didn't hit the woods until 10:00 A.M. It was cold and the swamp we'd hunt was ice covered and thick, with alders, swamp grass, cat tails, blowdowns, and water. The water had partially frozen in places but wouldn't support the hounds. YUK!! We cut the dogs loose and SPIKE goes ballistics for five minutes or so and at about 10 pounds over weight and the lack of activity his brain was pretty scrambled. He settled down after a while and JACK did some grubbing on an old line. TIMMY got in with him and pretty soon brer rabbit was out of his hideout and moving. We got thirty minutes of run time before this Mr. Bunny expired! When the dogs came in to the dead hare they got a few bites into him and started another line not thirty yards from where this one got shot. Our second run went very well with the "WHITE FUR BALL" high tailing it all over the tangled water bushes trying to shake the trio for nearly two hours before it too died. We got lucky again, found a rabbit quickly and got another steady, hour plus run. Man this is getting repetitious; but that's what we came to do and we have the dogs that can do it. One more long run ended in a dead bunny and as we were heading out, SPKIE and TIMMY hit one in this miserable to get through swamp and we ran this one until 3:30 P.M. before we had to pick up. JACK had a super good day as his big body handled the tough terrain remarkably well. We're heading north Thursday late afternoon, for another two day hunt up north. The way the hounds are running we should do good. We've done well lately with NO LOST RABBITS so far!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006..... It's about 4:30 P.M. and we are rolling out of Reggie's driveway with Christopher and Joshua on board for a trip to the northwestern mountains in Maine for another two day hunt. Like last week I read more "FANTASTIC CLAIMS" on the Better Beagling website, followed by a short prayer, Neal was late meeting us at a predetermined rendezvous point, the driving was dangerously slow, our living accommodations were excellent. ALL OTHER SIMILARITIES TO PREVIOUS HUNTS ENDED THERE. On the way up the climatic conditions evolved such that a heavy fog rolled in but the air temperature was below freezing. This caused a black ice build up on the road that made driving difficult. But the salting trucks were out on the road and this additive allowed us to keep moving but at a very slow pace. It's a different world in these western mountains compared to other areas in the State and the bare ground we left back home was contrasted by the ground being covered with frozen snow and colder air temperatures.

We bunked the two nights at the property of Mark Gonneville who is a friend of Neal's and he accompanied us for this hunting trip. The place is absolutely beautiful and will become Mark's permanent home someday in the future. Inside; on the knotty pine finished wall are a number of trophy animals, so I took a flick of the large moose head hanging on the wall. BAD OMEN as bullwinkle would come back to haunt us. Also with us on this trip was Wayne and his son Jacob who is a college student on Christmas break. "JAKE" is studying achitecture and gets good grades in school. He'll be designing houses someday after graduation.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2006.....It's 24 degrees out with a bit of wind and the ground is covered by three inches of frozen snow. It's suppose to warm up today and we expect to get some good running despite the crusty snow. We have RUTH, HANNAH, CHASE and NYNAH to hunt over and we're anxious. Neal and Wayne make breakfast and before long we're out there in the woods. None of us have ever hunted this area so we're in a kind've scouting hunting trip. We cast the hounds in a likely looking place and we're off. We walk around in the cover for a while but not a peep from the hounds. RUTH will generally cold track some and so won't CHASE but nobody opens. After twenty minutes or so we get a few barks here and there from MYNAH then later on a bit from CHASE. Then alls quiet again for a while. HANNAH comes by me and starts working a track near me and gets it into a run. The others hark in and the run lasts about two minutes before it breaks down. The dogs work hard and pick the line into another short run only to check again. They had an awful hard time pulling the scent off the frozen snow that was softening a bit by the moderating temperatures. They got a good drive going and took the hare out of hearing. As they started back toward us they checked several times and ran in a sporadic fashion. The whole morning went like this. Picky running then get a spurt only to check again. The rabbit ran big and without any particular pattern and we were hampered finding a good place to stand because of the inconsistency of the run. We spent 4 hours doing this on and off running and only one bunny died. After a fairly good drive the dogs checked again down near where we started the mornings hunt, then only RUTH could be heard running a line with some steadiness. She ran too long without another dog barking so I knew this was a suspect situation. I maneuvered myself toward her but couldn't make much of a gain on her and still no other hound was honoring her. I called Christopher on the phone, because he was the closest to me to try to catch RUTH. While I was hustling to get to RUTH, NYNAH came by me so I caught her. Chris came by and I took his gun so he could run faster after the hound. YEP- she was running a MOOSE and Old Bullwinkle was screwing us up. Go figure, after 4 hours in a section running rabbits she takes a moose track. Christopher did a good job trying to catch her in big unknown country and getting lost is always a potentially bad thing that can happen. After about an hour of this moose running all the dogs came in to the horns Reggie and I were blowing and that ended the morning. We tried another spot up the road but once again the dogs could not run well.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2006.....With conditions about the same as they were yesterday we braced for another tough day. And that's just what we got another tough day. Without getting repetetive I'll quit this report right here. Our hounds do pretty good as a rule but this week end we got thumped pretty good by "THUMPER". We saw some nice country shot but a couple rabbits, had some good fellowship and some memories that we won't forget soon. Not pleasant memories but the kind that will make us appreciate the better days........

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2006..... It's 3:15 A.M. right now and I beat the alarm clock by 15 minutes again. Got to get rolling to pick up Kenny in Acton by 4:15 A.M., then truck up to get Reggie at 4:45 so we could meet with Neal in Gray Maine at 6 A.M.. We did all that O.K. with a stop at Dunkin Donuts to boot. Then we had to drive to another country; called Poland Maine, where we would pick up Neal's friend Peter Brown. We have other countries around these parts too like, Sweden, Denmark, Siberia, Peru, Mexico and Lebanon! Peter is an avid outdoors guy. A hunter and fisherman, stuff like that and he owns and runs an asphalting business in them parts between these hobbies. We made this trip under clear skies and 28 degree temperatures and as we head toward the White Mountains of Maine the temp drops a bit. It was 50 degrees at my house on bare ground yesterday. Most of the other places in the State have bare ground too. But when we got into the mountains where we were going to hunt, the temperature had dropped to 24 degrees and five inches of old snow covered the ground. These conditions would be considered pretty good for a typical mid winter hunting day.
The hounds we had today were HANNAH, BILLY, NYNAH, and CHASE. Forget last week, today's a new day and the hounds will determine if the scenting is good or not. Everybody has an opinion about scent but nobody really knows for sure. I determine a good nose to be such when one hound can consistently keep a rabbit moving when the others can't! Pretty simple stuff. Everytime you hunt new spots it takes a while to figure out where to stand and how the hare will run. After letting the dogs go it took a while to get a start but "Chase" jumped one a we were off and running. The other three hounds harked in and they ran uphill and out of hearing in a "jiffy". We all moved up the mountain to keep up and to try to find a likely place where the hare will cross. The dogs are running steady but all of a sudden the dogs are out of hearing? Then in a few minutes they're right on top of us as they drive the bunny down toward the road with dispatch. As it turned out there was this sharp drop of into a ravine three quarters of the way up the mountain that made them seem to go silent for a period of time. They ran a couple circles around us without the hare being seen, but before long Kenny gets a whack at the rabbit and manages to get "HAIR" only. And the hunt continues until Reginald fired a one, two punch at the bunny and it died. Trooper couldn't have made the kill alone however if Neal hadn't been there to show him where the rabbit was about to cross. POOOOooowww POOOOWWWW; dead bunny. Man that's great. The dogs ran real well for almost two hours before this bunny died, with no long check and mostly steady controlled running. You never know how the dogs will perform on a given day but for the most part good dogs have few bad days. A hunter knows full well that in a hunt situation there's a whole lot more important stuff going on in a pack other than who goes across a path first. Not many get it; not many hunt! All four dogs had their moments of glory during this chase and for me this kind of stuff is best said with a HALLELUJAH and an AMEN!
It took us a bit of time to get another hare started and it too was another real good run. This bunny gave us fits though as he ran all around us without getting seen for quite a while. Down the mountain and up the mountain; then down the mountain and up the mountain, into the ravine then out of the ravine round and round. I had a good spot that I moved from twice and each time I did that, the hare crossed there. Finally I was determined to go there and stay put. And that did it as after two hours and fifteen minutes the rabbit was laid to rest with one POOOOOWWWWWWwwwwww out of the old Browning! We had to walk around to get another start and taking the path of least resistance, everybody seemed to walk downhill until we found ourselves in the road not far from the trucks. We never used to do this before some of us became AARP's. But these days AARP's "DO DAT" kind of truck stuff. I hate getting to the trucks though during a hunt because it usually means losing an hour or so of hunt time. After a cookie or two and a bit of conversation we decide to try another cover down the road. So we move!
This new spot had plenty of cover; cover so tight you couldn't see your boot in the stuff. The hounds get a start right off and they run O.K. but with some checks and definitely not like they did earlier in the day. Were into the afternoon now after the two long runs we got earlier; the sun was gone and clouds were rolling in. The wind picked up a bit and the storm they had forecasted for later this evening was coming. Scenting had changed some but still they kept it going. Neal found a spot where a rock grew out of the firs and from there he got a birds eye view of all the "Christmas trees". He couldn't see the bunny but he could over look a good part of this cover. After we became acquainted with the place, we all found a little slot in the maze where we could watch for the hare to cross. I was planted on one of these crossings and managed to get a snap shot off at the critter but the shot never made it down to the hare through all this cover I guess 'cause the run kept a going. "Peter Pan" (aka Peter Brown) had found himself a tree stand of sorts where mother nature felled this big pine tree years ago, and from this elevated position Pete was able to cover a fairly large area. After I missed, brer rabbit ran by Pete and he let go two shots out of the old Ithaca 37 he was carrying and that got the job done. The kill not only finished the rabbit but the hunt too. It's after three o'clock, threatening skies and with a three hour drive to make, nobody said one more rabbit. We often say one more rabbit but sometimes that comes back to haunt as some of you know! We didn't kill a lot of bunnies today but we did get some real good running and everybody got some shots fired. A good time had by all. On the way home the storm did hit us but we averted any of the freezing rain they forecasted. Nope, not too much snow anywhere in Maine right now but we've hunted on the stuff three weeks running now. Dogs did great today too with no lost rabbit.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006.....Got the pedal to the metal in the early A.M. once again heading for Neal's house to hook up with him for a trip northwest where winter is alive and well. A new face making his first rabbit hunt ever was Neal's friend 15 year old Brandon Solari. On board were the dogs HANNAH, NYNAH, and CHASE. We zipped off the "pike" an hour into the trip, made a Dunkin Donut stop and continued. Next stop was another hour north where we tangled up with Peter Brown once again and continued with him to hunt out of his camp in some of the most remote land in the State. On the way north we had to stop three times to see moose cross the road ahead of us. About two hours from our intended destination it started snowing and snow fell on us for the next two days at moderate to light intensity. As you can see in the photo the kind of snow conditions that greeted us when we reached Pete's camp. For sure a "WINTER WONDERLAND" but a "HARE HUNTER'S NIGHTMARE". It was 28 degrees when I left home hours ago on bare ground and here we are in the Northwest on 10 inches of snow at 24 degrees.
Our drive in to camp concluded thirty miles away from the hot topped road after traversing over many miles of tricky to maneuver logging roads, on packed snow of crusty mealy texture. It took us over an hour of "back roads" maneuvering to get to the driveway at the foot of Pete's camp with a picturesque view under the falling snow. It took about six or seven attemps to get up the inclined driveway next to the camp which is on the side of a mountain. We finally got the trucks up the incline and positioned where we wanted 'em and unload our gear while Pete started a fire in the wood stove. WOW! Nothing like a hot burning wood stove in a hunting camp. It takes a while for us to settle in and get a break from the long drive that began many hours ago.
After a fashion we get our "hunt stuff" on and jump back in the trucks to drive even a bit further to where we would hunt. We drive by beautiful cover just heavy laden with old frozen snow topped by this new powdered snow we've watched drop during the drive up. Along the route we come across some people out playing around with their snow mobiles enjoying Christmas vacation. YUP! There is snow in Maine; in some places anyway, and for sure not the kind of hunting conditions we like to hunt in. But "it is what it is" so we'll do the best of it. When snow comes in the way it has here the houndman can't hear the hounds the way he'd like and visibility is about zero in the woods.
We are rabbit hunters and we hunt as much as we can the whole season; from start to finish, no matter what the conditions might be. Not many do it 'cause it ain't easy. We hit the woods with CHASE and the two young bitches and this is their first powdered snow they have ever seen. It takes a while to get a start as nothing moved much during the night and there wasn't much there to cold trail. But after a while the dogs got a start but right off it was obvious that this hunt would be a tough one. It took no time to have the dogs get out of hearing as the snow hanging on the trees muffled the audio severely. They ran off and on for a while and getting through the stuff was a challenge. In places the snow was up to our knees and snow shoes would've been a help. Another complication was that this was new cover for us and we had no clue how the hare would run. The tote road we hunted off was a bit narrow and it was the only place you could see. And the dogs getting out of hearing always kept us moving the best we could to keep us in the hunt. They'd get a good drive going at times when we could hear them but they would check up a lot and I suspected that the two females might be messing up some and that we'd be better off to hunt just CHASE solo. After we kenneled the females CHASE ran pretty good but we couldn't see much and hearing was equally impaired. After a couple of hours of hunting this cover, it was decided to go back to camp and consider a different spot. Right there at the foot of the driveway I saw some old hare tracks covered in snow indicating that a few hare were crossing here. Also the trees growing up the side of the mountain near camp were large mature trees with some smaller trees interspersed round about, here and there. This made for seeing as well as hearing a bit better. We'll we hit the woods right here at camp and I worked CHASE along the side of the mountain and then curled down to the edge of the road where some thick cover ran along the edge of the road. CHASE got a start in this spot and he ran this hare for nearly two hours before the kill was made by Neal. It wasn't long after this that CHASE got another one going and the "CHASSER" as I call him ran real well and real steady once again. On two occasions Joshua came face to face with the bunny but couldn't shoot because his safety on the 20 guage pump was frozen thus the gun wouldn't fire. Well when we got back to camp from our first hunt in the morning some of the guys brought their guns inside the warm camp and evidently this caused some condensation to form in the mechamism of the guns and when the guns went back out in the cold, they froze up. I left my gun outside and didn't have any problems with my Browning. In fact, on this second run we were now getting with CHASE, I managed to kill the thing with one of my shooting exhibitions of rapid fire. With this bunny dead and another run underway the hound "DID BIG" once again. Round and round he went pushing that hare all around the side of the hill and down to the edge of the road and up again. Finally at 3:55 P.M. I told everybody on the radio that on the next turn to kill the rabbit or pick up CHASE. It was getting a bit dark now and this is no time nor is it a place to have a hound get away from you in the dark. The dog pushed the hare right near Joshua but he couldn't get a shot in at the "fur ball"so he caught the dog. The hunt began a NIGHTMARE IN A WONDERLAND but ended up as a HARE HUNTERS DREAM.
In camp the fire was roaring in the stove and every body got "comfy". Brandon donned his new I-POD and readjust his long stockings as seen in the photo. Now about this time I was making some small talk with Brandon so I asked him about him Mom and Dad and what school he went to and stuff like that. Then I hit him up with the "BIG QUESTION", " Hey Brandon, how's the girl friend business"? I got that funny look from the "YUTE" and he says "O.K.". So "what's your girl friend's name"? AMANDA! So now the conversation drifts around other stuff and I find out that Brandon runs a TRAP LINE as a hobby and I thought that was pretty cool. After a bit more conversation I hit up the "YUTE" once again with some AMANDA talk and I asked if the words like "I LUV U" ever passed BACK-FORTH or BACK AND FORTH between ya's. He replied yes but did not elaborate as to whether the words went BACK-FORTH-or BACK and FORTH. So I didn't persue the subject any longer. Great little kid that really has his head screwed on straight. Given the culture we live in these days it's a pleasure to have two youths like Joshua and Brandon getting some life long experiences hunting rabbits with us older kids. I also can include my grandsons Christopher and Daniel who couldn't make this hunt. So as we're settling in this home away from home, PETER is cooking up a storm on the gas stove and spaghetti is getting put together, biscuits and all. How sweet it is! Thank you Lord for this Blessed Day in your Great outdoors! It was a tough harsh hunt in the woods today as we're putting together experiences that the kids will treasure their whole lives probably and it's nice to think we're a part of it!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2006..... We hit the hay pretty early last night (7:45 P.M.) and it's six o'clock A.M. right now. Pete made a couple trips to the fire box last night to keep the camp cozy and right now it's 10 degrees out and still spitting snow. Looks like a clear sky but it still spits snow as this would continue all the day long. In camp people are stirring a bit and Peter is at it again cooking breakfast. Lets see; the menu is spelled bacon, eggs, fried hash browns, beans and for the older kids coffee. Joshua who is always a willing worker goes out and waters the dogs with Neal and before long we're all at the table enjoying some fellowship and exchanging a story or two. Brandon tells about his hunting and the moose he's shot and 2 deer so far. Not too many kids these days can tell stories about running a trap line. AWESOME!

We're in this country pretty deep and after the hunt today we'll want to make a quick get away so we decided to wash up the dishes and tidy up the camp so we can exit here expeditiously when it's over. Pete made a trip to the "throne" sequestered some 30 yards or so behind the camp and he sure didn't dwell up there too long with just a light shirt on. When he returned he mentioned that the Canada Jays were outside. He got some bread in hand and went out on the porch to feed the friendly little critters. Pretty awesome stuff bonding with God's creatures, and I got to snap a picture of him with a Jay feeding on his hand. The kids got out there on the porch too, feeding the birds and in the next shot you can see a bird on Joshua's hand as he tries to sneak a peek at the feeding bird without moving his head.
As soon as breakfast was eaten we started picking up our gear and loading the trucks. We decided that Neal would take the kids out to hunt the rabbit we ran 'till dark last night. Pete and I would do the dishes and clean up what was left. Pete's a lot of fun and with an outgoing friendly personality. I got on the radio to check on the hunters and it was reported that they found that rabbit not far from where we left him the day before and CHASE was running him steady. After a fashion I got myself geared up put the old Browning under arm and out the door I went. Pete said he'd be out there after me in a "jiffy". I could hear CHASE running and I waited to see where he was heading. I started into the woods and met up with Neal who was heading for the camp driveway. He figured that brer rabbit was gonna circle around and cross by the foot of the driveway. So I followed him from a bit of a distance to watch the show. CHASE was moving toward the drive way in a straight line and NEAL was ready. "BUT" too late the hare had already crossed. You never know how far ahead of the dogs that a hare will run. Neal said he was going to stay there a while and I headed back up to the woods and got there in a good spot that put me not too far from Joshua. Pretty soon his 20 pump went into action with 4 shots fired. HHHMMMMMmmmmm! This kind of shooting usually spells MISSED RABBIT and sure enough the run continued. Later after a fine performance by the dog, Neal ended the run in the driveway right where he had crossed earlier.
Pete wanted us to try another spot away from camp so we moved to new ground again. It took a while to get a start even though there were plenty of old tracks. A while later CHASE got one going and pretty soon he was out of hearing. My radio crapped out so I couldn't contact the crew to get the scoop as to what was going on and it took me a long while to get into the hunt. I got to hear a half hour of it before Neal killed this bunny too. We decided to head for camp, get it closed up and drive out of here and hunt a cover back near the main road some thirty miles away. It was after 1 P.M. when we broke camp and because this place is so remote; getting securely out of here early made alot of sense.
We didn't hit the hot top until after 2:15 P.M. and drove to a cover a short ways away. Joshua saw a squirrel cross the road and wanted to get it. He and Brandon teamed up together and managed to find the quadruped and they shot him out of a big pine tree. The critter was eating a pine cone and it was still in it's mouth when it hit the ground. Guess the squirrel got a "BANG OUT OF THAT BITE". Given the time of the day it was, we decided to call it a hunt and head for home. We had a great hunt and those kids were great. Thanks go to Pete for hosting us up his camp and we're sure itching for another trip up there. Hopefully the snow will be off the trees next time.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2006..... We're gonna work our way up and east in the State today for a hunt on bare ground as this section, like most of Maine right now has no snow. Eastern Maine as a rule has much milder winters than does it's Western side. By happenstance We've hunted on snow the last 4-5 hunts because of the way we scheduled our trips as this one just works out the way it does. On this trip Daniel, Reggie and myself are in one vehicle; with Neal, Wayne, Jake and Alec in the other vehicle. Dogs are the same, RUTH, HANNAH, NYNAH and CHASE. The day is cold at 20 degrees with very dry frozen ground in an area that has some watery swamp areas that are currently frozen solid. These conditions can pose a challenge for the dogs and the ONLY easy thing about this condition is seeing the hare when he moves by. But finding them is hard as they sit so tight on their half a square foot of real estate somewhere in the bush. Then there's the dry, frozen ground and ice. Once found they usually run big circles; often out of hearing with irregular running patterns, and into the tightest cover around.
We don't get in the woods until after 9 A.M. so it takes a while to get a start. NYNAH does a great job cold trailing a night line and gets little help from the other hounds. Ruth is cold trailing a bit on her own several hundred yards away. But NYNAH gets her rabbit out of a squat first and into a run, so in a few minutes they're all packed up and running together. Nice to have the big nose on these sort of conditions. The dogs run real well with some checks and with slower controlled running on the ice, but with more authority and fewer checks in other areas. After the bunny died it took a while to find another one, then the process would repeat itself as the dogs continued to perform well. Danny got himself in a good postion on one of these runs and dumped a big hare running by him at thirty yards. He's just 13 years old and is doing really well getting the hang of this kind of rabbit'ing we do. It started snowing a bit by late morning as forecasted and it was still pretty cold and the air pretty dry. In the early afternoon we had a lull in the hunt as we couldn't get another start so we moved about a half a mile away nearer the trucks. By now the ground is completely covered with snow and the chore will still be to find another rabbit. It takes a long time to get a start and finally CHASE jumps one so we decided to let them run a circle or two in hopes they would move some other hare during the chase to make subsequent starts quicker. Snow makes it a whole lot easier finding game compared to hunting on bare ground. In a short while Neal calls on the radio to say he's cut another tracks so the green light is on and this bunny is now fair game. With the snow on the ground the scenting is a lot better and the dogs pound this bunny check free. As it turned out this "guy" gave us a merry chase for nearly two hours and at a quarter of four Neal called on the radio that we would run only another five minutes then we'd have to pick up the dogs. Darkness is not far away and corralling hounds can get tricky sometimes in the big woods. I give a hoot to stimulate a response back from the other hunters so I'd know where they were standing. The response indicates that we have this spot pretty well covered with standers but the dogs are nearly out of hearing. The snow on the trees is muffling their sound and again visibility is impaired. But now the circle their running is bending back toward us and all is quiet but the melody of the pack. HOW SWEET IT IS!! The dogs are getting closer and then, pretty close! Neal gets on the phone and says "O.K. that's it; this bunny wins pick 'em up"! Nobody returns his call as "we'uns" other guys hold fast our stands. Then POOOwww POOOOWWWwwww two shots ring out and Wayne hoots to declare the kill. As it turned out we began the day hunting WHITE rabbits with controlled running over frozen turf and ended the day pounding a BROWN hare for hours on pure WHITE snow. HALLELUJAH! What a run; and what a nice hunt to finish off the year.

              HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL and "TO GOD BE THE GLORY". AMEN!