Christmas Rabbits

Listening to beagles run on a cold, crisp winter afternoon is a great way to create a life-long memory that will stand tall in a child’s eyes for many years to come when they reflect back on Christmases past. If, at your family Christmas gathering, dinner is served early and you either live in a rural area or have quick access to a rural area briar patch, that span of time between Christmas dinner and dark, when most others are exhausted from the huge meal, is a great time to turn out the dogs. Not only will you work off some turkey gravy but the excitement of watching a beagle race with cottontail rabbits and then the satisfaction of harvesting the following day’s dinner, is an experience that the young will ask to repeat time and time again. And for the beagles, well, they are ready to go any time the dog box is opened in the back of the truck.

Beagles - what a completely happy-go-lucky, up-beat, and loyal breed. Short in stature, warm in demeanor, and large in perseverance, beagles will bawl at a rabbit’s trail all afternoon and then, after your long days hunt, they will jump in your lap in front of a warm fire and lay there all evening. When it comes to beagles if you are a dog lover then true happiness comes in multiples - the more the merrier. Hunting, while still possible with only one good beagle, is much more exciting and faster paced with multiple dogs. Likewise at the fire in the evening if you have several beagles competing for lap-time, between dogs jumping, tails wagging and tongues licking, it can be quite a trying experience! It’s similar to many young children all trying to get under the Christmas tree at the same time on Christmas morning.

Speaking of children, Christmas trees and presents, mixing Christmas vacation with hunting creates a great opportunity for a new hunting shotgun or rifle as a gift under the Christmas tree. A young person never forgets that first .22 rifle or .410 shotgun. The excitement is even sweeter when the recipient gets to use the gun the same day they get it. Some very inexpensive (as far as firearms go) yet sturdy examples of youth firearms for rabbit hunting include Rossi or New England Firearms .410 shotgun - .22 rifle combos, Cricket .22 rifles, Chipmunk .22 rifles, and many others. It is best to fit your child to the gun just as you would a pair of pants or shoes. Different brands have different youth sized stocks and so ‘trying on a new gun’ at the local sporting goods store is the best way to find the perfect fit.

A new perfectly fitted Christmas .22 rifle, a child bundled up in their hunting garb, beagles running, snow softly falling - what great excitement and what a great foundation for a Christmas tradition for years to come. This year rabbit season runs from October 1st through February 15. The bag limit is 6 and the possession limit is 12. With a limit that liberal opportunities abound for spending time in the outdoors hunting with friends and family. This winter I encourage you to take your child rabbit hunting with a pack of good beagles. It’s an experience both the children and you will forever cherish. The kids will want to go back again and again.

In closing, as a collector of valuable thoughts and sayings one of my favorites is the quote: “All that we are we will pass on to our children - our loves, our hopes, our dreams, our character. Therefore let your thoughts be planted in rich soil and let your actions stand tall in a child’s eyes. Just as fruit does not fall far from the tree, children do not stray far from their heroes.” As an outdoorsman with unsurpassed love for Nature’s Economy and the circle of life, I encourage each of you to introduce a child to the Great Outdoors. Remember, as their role model and their hero, children will emulate your example for the rest of their lives. Merry Christmas, good luck, be safe, and get a big one.