Harrier Or Foxhound

[Shovel shy 4,033]

I hunt a pack of beagles here in ireland.i run a foxhound with them for marking.they seem to hunt well together

[Shovel shy 4,033]

My small pack.mostly beagles.have a few terriers aswell.only hunting fox.

[mr scent 665]

Harrier for me . We tried the whole fox hound thing for a while simply just for marking but as far as drawing cover I'd have to pick the harriers

[dytkos 17,784]

How ya doing Scent?

 

Cheers, D.

[harrier 46]

i cant understand people who expect foxhounds to be better to draw than harriers, if your harriers aint drawing then you have the wrong type. Nothing wrong with a mixed pack, i seen lads in open country hunt terriers with fell hounds and foxhounds and the terriers were up to them to go to ground when it ran in, believe me beagles will be there or thereabouts when hunting with foxhounds.

[Tracy Priestnall 83]

Most modern pack beagles are harrier's .. 17 - 18 " isn't a beagle in my view , its a small harrier . As for beagle packs , in rough country they under cover and away whilst foxhounds and harriers are ' bunching up ' trying to push through bramble.and any pack that riot on squirrel , hares , deer is down to the huntsmen not the breed/strain .

plus , the reason beagle cross foxhound are not often bred is down to size , I've seen first cross beagle x foxhound , 21 -22 " thick set , stocky hounds that weren't fast and would be left standing by foxhound or harrier.

i don't know enough about foxhound and harriers to comment but in rough areas beagles have the advantage and they only riot on rabbits - has do some hunt's - if the huntsmen is soft enough to let them .

last point , it's the bobbery packs and gun packs that are keeping the old type-the proper type - of beagle going most of the official packs look like harriers and hunt in the same manner , i know of one of 19 " how is that a beagle ?

great debate but lay off the beagles

[mr scent 665]

How ya doing Scent?

Cheers, D.

all good pal ain't been on in a while , how you been keeping its been a while pal

[dytkos 17,784]

Moved house (100 yards) new job, same old, same old otherwise

 

Cheers, D.

[foxbolter 447]

Good knowledgeable post Tracy

[spindolero 1,111]

i cant understand people who expect foxhounds to be better to draw than harriers, if your harriers aint drawing then you have the wrong type. Nothing wrong with a mixed pack, i seen lads in open country hunt terriers with fell hounds and foxhounds and the terriers were up to them to go to ground when it ran in, believe me beagles will be there or thereabouts when hunting with foxhounds.

 

having seen some good fell hounds on open country and farmland i would be stunned if a terrier kept up for any length of time,

[harrier 46]

 

i cant understand people who expect foxhounds to be better to draw than harriers, if your harriers aint drawing then you have the wrong type. Nothing wrong with a mixed pack, i seen lads in open country hunt terriers with fell hounds and foxhounds and the terriers were up to them to go to ground when it ran in, believe me beagles will be there or thereabouts when hunting with foxhounds.

 

having seen some good fell hounds on open country and farmland i would be stunned if a terrier kept up for any length of time,

 

then stunned you would be ................lot of the good fell packs used to do it

[spindolero 1,111]

 

 

i cant understand people who expect foxhounds to be better to draw than harriers, if your harriers aint drawing then you have the wrong type. Nothing wrong with a mixed pack, i seen lads in open country hunt terriers with fell hounds and foxhounds and the terriers were up to them to go to ground when it ran in, believe me beagles will be there or thereabouts when hunting with foxhounds.

 

having seen some good fell hounds on open country and farmland i would be stunned if a terrier kept up for any length of time,

 

then stunned you would be ................lot of the good fell packs used to do it

 

 

fair do's to the little tykes that could keep up with a fast fell pack for an hour plus,

[Tracy Priestnall 83]

which quarry requires the best nose , hare or fox ? i assume most agree its the hare ,beagles find the straight running fox easy work compared to hare.

has for beagles staying up with foxhounds , hard on big open areas but beagles stick tighter to the line. your foxhounds going full steam over run the line , take a big swing like a flock of pigeons ,come back on the line only to find the beagles are now in front..modern beagles hunt like mini foxhounds and over run nearly as much , old type beagles don't over run by hundreds of yards and make time not waste it ... only talking small gun packs and bobbery ,.. lay off the beagles and less of the' snobbery bobbery '

[the footman 10]

Have not looked in on this for a while. Jeez this thread grew legs. With out a doubt hare requires the best nose. For me no greater test on a hounds nose than to hunt a hare on a road, especially if she has tried to throw them off by doubling in and out of gateways and side roads, takes good hound work to straighten it

[DIDO.1 22,694]

It's ridiculous to compare alot of packs. Each pack and each country is a whole world apart. I think you can only judge a pack once you take into account it's country, availability of quarry, resources and what it's followers require. Our harriers cover a country so cut up with roads and railways that alot of people would think it un huntable....yet...if the riding followers (who pay the bills) have a great time and they hound people get to see some could hunting when things work out....if the pack was once considered as finished and given up on....how can you compare that to a foxhound pack in an open country?

 

One of the most able of packs I have ever seen is a pack of beagles hunting roe (not UK) they hunt 25 couple, iv never seen them riot. They stand being stopped numerous times when on the wrong animal, they hunt like stink and once hunting are the most capable packs imaginable. Often taking their quarry swimming in a river after a good point.

 

The most important part of making a pack is opportunity. There are packs that catch 50 brace by the end of autumn hunting.....there are packs that wish they had 50 brace in there country.

 

I often think we may need to find a slower, more steady and biddable cold scenting hound for hunting in modern England.