We started Saturday’s pre-season rabbit hunt a half hour later than we have been going. The days are getting shorter, hence daylight is later.

We pulled into a “new” area on the pine plantation where Cuz has a hunting lease. The area looked thin, with only scattered thickets. It didn’t matter. Julie announced a hot track with her high squeal. Dixie, Maizie and our newest addition to our pack, 16 week old Lucy came over and conferred for a few seconds before fanning out to sort out the track.

We haven’t expected much out of Lucy because of her age, but for the last two weeks, she’s decided that being with her Aunties is where the action is. Last week she got separated from the pack and we had to go get her. That didn’t deter her. Later that day, she went on another short run. I didn’t think she knew what she was doing, just that it was boring on the roads with Brag and myself.

The older dogs jumped the rabbit out of it’s bed and began to burn up the track. Lucy joined in, her voice cracking like a teenager. This time, she made a complete circuit. When she came past me, she was running between Julie and Dixie, bawling in her puppyish voice for all she was worth.

She spotted Brag as they went for another loop and broke off. For sixteen weeks, we are delighted with the way she is turning out.

Later while Dixie, Julie and Maizie were running a different rabbit in a close by hardwood bottom, I saw a rabbit run parallel across the hillside in front of me. I walked Lucy down the hill near where the rabbit had crossed the pie straw covered slope. Her head snatched down to the hot track and began back trailing , nose to the ground. After ten yards or so, she stopped and reversed course on the trail. When she had passed me going in the right direction, she suddenly through back her head, letting out two deep barks before continuing down the trail. Periodically, I could hear her bark, trying to summon her Aunties to help. After a bit, she came back up the trail to a proud pair of “boss” who stood there with their chests stuck out bragging about how she was going to be the best dog in these parts and wouldn’t run nothing but a rabbit everybody would say so.

Later we had a mini-disaster. Dixie hit a hot trail and Julie and Maizie joined in. They ra a fairly tight circle and crossed a briar patch in front of us. I was looking in a different direction and didn’t see it, but Brag said it might not have been a rabbit, to big and Brag and I both saw the dogs running with their heads up. Brag said it was to small to be a deer, a fox maybe?

We caught up with the dogs and broke them off the trail while chastising them. They weren’t wearing their electric pine limbs. We hadn’t a need for them all summer, but they’ll get a few trips with them now, including setting them out on a deer if we see one.