SEC T I ON T WO
“It is always a thrill to hear a beagle puppy bark on
a rabbit for the first time and throw that rabbit voice
into the wind...I call it the rabbit voice, and when my
pack of four beagles is all contributing to a chase, it
is better than any four-part harmony, at least to my
ears.”
R U N N IN G IN CI RCLE S
by Bob Ford
Winter can be dreadful for some people, but I look
forward to snow.
When I was a kid, there were very few snow days, and
no Weather Channel to give a name to 6 inches of snow
either. Now, it is routine for school to be delayed for
rumors of snowf lakes. Oh, and there are lots of snow
days.
When panic turns to milk and bread
purchases in advance of a winter storm, I go
rabbit hunting. I take the beagles and head
for some briars. When I go to the store
later, it is for the ing redients necessary for
rabbit stew.
As the television scrolls the delays and cancellations
the next morning, I put the stew in the crockpot and
then head out to get more bunnies. Fresh snow is my
best aide in f inding new hunting spots. I just look
for the tracks in the fresh powder. Forest f ires, gypsy
moth devastation, and logging clear cuts all make great
habitat after a few years of new growth. I make sure
to talk to loggers about where they have been working,
and write the info down.
There is just something about the voice of
beagles that makes me whole. When their
voices echo off the hills, I feel most content
and contemplative.
I never make a big decision without hours of beagle
concerts. If you have ever seen a beagle chasing a rabbit,
then you have seen what contentment looks like. The
stubborn breed is notoriously hard to house break,
or keep out of the garbage can. But the same tenacity
allows them to chase a rabbit until it either goes in a
groundhog hole or runs too close to the hunter. Their
hound song is so wonderful, that I train dogs year-
round, even in the non-hunting season. But winter is
my favorite time, and rabbit is a staple on our supper
table for 4 months each year.
Volume 03 No. 01 | 2019