A light misting rain escorted us out to the property past the Dixie, Alabama community where we were going to close out the 04-05 rabbit season. Brag and Tiny decided to lay out of work for the last hunt to join Cuz, Rye and myself, rimfire.

The dogs jumped as soon as we let them out of their boxes near the old farm house amid the planted pines on the former pasture land. It was a long race with the five hunters jockeying for position. It was wetter than the inside of a cloud in the planted pines and I was soaking wet when I fired a shot at the bunny streaking through a briar patch. Julie cast an accusing eye as she followed the unhurt rabbit toward where cuz waited. A shot rang out followed shortly by the sounds of silence as the dogs shutup….only to open back up. Cuz told me later that it looked just like Julie gave him the dirtiest look as she went by. Heh, welcome to the club.
The dogs ran him for almost an hour and a half before Brag knocked him down.

By lunch the score was Cuz 1
Rimefire 0
Brag 2
Tiny 0
Rye 0

Julie, Dixie and Maizie are on a hunt for the first time without Brag or myself. I met Tiny at the old K-Marts in Phenix City to drop off the dogs after Brag canceled out on this Sunday hunt because of sprinkles. Sprinkles?

I'll be in Church, so I can't attend the hunt but it looks like it will be fun despite the rain. They had a truck load of teens and pre-teens. This hunt was important because because one of the participants was bringing his pre-teen son and he was the one who got us access to the 13 rabbit land.

All i can do is pace the floors this afternoon and hope the girls mind their manners and do me proud.

Update: The girls are back and they did do me proud. The rain was to much for Cuz and crew, but they did get 5 rabbits in an abreviated two hour hunt. A pair of deer ran out from where the dogs were running. Cuz feared the worst as the dogs approached the truck trail but Rye shot a rabbit that was behind and to one side of the deer. Mazie, Julie and Dixie were right behind the rabbit. Cuz reports that one time the pack of five dogs split up and had three different rabbits going.
We plan for the last hunt of this season to be on this property tomorrow. We've taken 29 rabbits on a 2 hour hunt, two half day hunts and one all day hunt.

Julie and Dixie looked wore out when I got them from the pen this morning for another hunt at the Capps place. Only Maizie showed any spark, but then she is always a happy dog.

The Rabbit Hunters decided to get while the getting was good and decided to go out to the Capps place for the third time in a row. After today, we've killed 24 rabbits in two half day and one full day of hunting

Uncle NoPass was going on his first and only rabbit hunt of this season, but canceled at the last minute. His eighty four years have caught up with him. It’s sad, but an era has passed.

was the greeting that Cuz gave Brag and I as we pulled up next to where he waited with Rye and Tiny.We were a whole ten minutes late. Nothing compared to how much time Brag and I often had to kill waiting as Cuz fiddle farted getting his gear together.

We were going to hunt the same property where Brag had pulled Cuz’s full sized Dodge out of a mudhole with his “Toy”ota city truck.
Heh

past Crawford, Alabama was a bust. Only one rabbit, but we talked to some pretty good ol boys. We did get one rabbit out of three races. The bunnies would race down the thick hillside into a bottom filled with sheets of water and a creek that had more twists and turns than I've seen in a while. One of them did get this

yesterday was only fair. We were two for four. But on the good side, the dogs, Julie, Dixie, Maizie, and Judy didn't run any trash.

Dixie and Julie conferenced for a minute about a scent before jumping the rabbit in the bottom below and running it to Dustin and Tyler

The Rabbit Journal Picture Show 2004-2005.
(so far)

that is rimfire's last as a free man are posted. I'm running late for church, so the details and notes will be added to the page later

the Brown Road hunt on Sunday ( I showed up after church) was a success despite only getting 3 and four rabbits respectively. The dogs did their part, it was a combination of to few hunters and some sorry shots that lead to the few rabbits taken.

I'll post more including some pictures, maybe tomorrow. I have to attend to some health matters in Opelika today. I get the results of the needle biopsy and acat scan on my neck today.

I told GF and her mom that I get the results of the needle biopsy and cat scan on my neck today and if I get the results that Dr. Blythe expects then there really is no reason to hurry up the ma..mar..marri..dang, the ocassion since I might live a good while. All that seemed to do was to put them into high gear in making the arrangements. It seems that they've forgotten the proper steps to all this.

Gf has bought a dress for the occasion and got the permit, not to mention arranging for the preacher. It looks like it will be on Monday, so as not to interfere with rabbit season. The reception will be the first weekend in March for the same reason.

I was hauled around to various stores yesterday on the theory that I can’t wear jeans or camo. I tried to put my foot down about wearing a tie but gf promptly put hers down on top. I won’t be buried wearing one but it looks like I have very little choice in anything related to the we wed er mar marri dang, the matters at hand

I’ve learned I have only one true function in all this and that’s to show up. I’ve received strict orders to not be one of the briar bitches on the rabbit hunts this week and weekend. Something about giving the scratches on my face and neck time to heal before the ceremony and picture taking.

today at Gray's place near Pittsview, Alabama.
"We" got four rabbits and lost two. Judy, Cuz's oldest, fattest and slowest dog jumped and caught the first rabbit when it thought it was hidden and waited for the dogs to pass before doubling back. Judy wasn't fooled.
I, ever the sportsman, speeded up two rabbits with well placed shots in order to make it more sporting when Bag and Rye killed them.

The final race was the best with the sound of six dogs boiling up out of a bottom as they ran a small sager in six large circles before Rye managed to put him down.

I would encourage the readers to invest in shot gun shell manufacturers. I shot three times for zero rabbits. Brag shot four times for one rabbit. Rye shot five times for two and Cuz shot twice for none.

All in all, it was a good day.

The day after Christmas, Cuz called to ask if I wanted to take the dogs to Pittsview and run some rabbits. He said that Dusty his grandson said he had seen rabbits every trip deer hunting.

Well, it seems that Dusty had been hanging out his Uncle Crass and Tiny. Both are known embellishers, unlike yours truly. We didn’t get a single race, if you don’t count them running an armadillo to his hole. Heck, we didn’t even see any pills. I personally believe that we are in the down cycle of the rabbit population with additional pressure from the coyotes and hawks. Things should rebound in a year or so.

We went to Seale afterwards to try for a rabbit or two before calling it a day. About thirty minutes into a drive, a yearling deer popped up in front of the seven dogs, five of who completely forgot their manners and said to heck with it . They were going to chase something and the yearling was cooperating.

Late that evening, Cuz and Rye were riding near the church on FireTower Road when Rye said “Look whats coming out of the woods. Sure enough there they were. Julie and Mazie were missing their collars.
Cuz asked Rye if these were my mine and Brags dogs. “Looks like them” was the reply. While they were loading the dogs, a out of county game warden rode up with the collars in hand. Seems a local was complaining about deer hunters on his property and he had gotten a call about my dogs who had slipped their collars when someone had caught them up.
You betcha.

But if djmed thought that by taking his boss on a rabbit hunt near the scenic Salem-Shotwell Bridge he could impress him and maybe get a raise or something, then I think djmed has been picking mushrooms off the cow pies in his front yard.. I’m just wondering if he still has a job.