What Do Beagles Hunt?

Beagles are renowned for their exceptional hunting skills, particularly in tracking hares, an activity known as “beagling”. 

Their compact size and endurance make them perfect companions for hunters of all ages and economic backgrounds. Elderly hunters favored beagles because they could comfortably follow them on horseback, while young hunters found it easy to keep pace with them on ponies. 

Additionally, beagles were an economical choice for hunters who couldn’t afford to maintain a stable of high-quality hunting horses. This adaptability and practicality have established the beagle as a beloved and reliable hunting partner.

Learn how the beagles’ role in hunting has evolved, what animals beagles hunt, and what it is that makes them such effective hunters despite their diminutive size.

What Were Beagles Bred For?

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Before the 19th century’s foxhunting craze, hunting was a day-long affair where the thrill was in the chase rather than the kill. The beagle was perfectly suited for hunting hare, given their need for a daily exercise and activity.

Unlike Harriers, which quickly finished the hunt, beagles, with their excellent scent-tracking skills and endurance, prolonged the chase (but were almost certain to catch their prey eventually). 

Beagle packs ran closely together, preventing stray dogs from obscuring the trail. Their size and agility also made them preferable to spaniels for hunting pheasant in dense undergrowth.

In the United States, beagles were primarily used for hunting rabbits from their earliest imports. The mid-19th century saw a resurgence of hare hunting with beagles in Britain. 

Beyond organized beagling, beagles have been employed in various hunting activities. They are used to flush out or hunt a wide range of game, including snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbits, game birds, roe deer, red deer, bobcats, coyotes, wild boar, and foxes. 

Beagles have even been used to hunt stoats. In most cases, they serve as gun dogs, flushing game for hunters’ guns.

What Animals Do Beagles Hunt?

Beagles, though bred to hunt in packs, are highly capable of hunting alone. 

Many experienced hunters and trial participants believe that solo hunting enhances a beagle’s confidence and field performance. 

Solo beagles often become more proficient at searching for and locating prey, as they learn to navigate cover independently without relying on the support of other dogs. This self-sufficiency makes them versatile and effective hunters across various types of game.

Here are a four animals beagles can hunt:

1. Cottontail Rabbit

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The cottontail rabbit, named for its cotton-like fluffy white tail, has unique adaptations for survival. Its 2-inch parabolic ears are finely tuned to detect the faintest sounds, and its legs make up a third of its compact body length. Its coat stays brown year-round, providing excellent camouflage.

This nocturnal mammal thrives in semi-open habitats, including grasslands, forest edges, and urban areas. While primarily found in North America, its range extends into South America. The Eastern cottontail is the most widespread species among them.

Cottontail rabbits are highly reproductive, making them a favorite among North American hunters. Their diverse diet of grasses, leaves, and berries often leads them to invade gardens and crops, heightening their appeal as game animals.

Typically, hunters use a pack of about ten beagles to pursue cottontail rabbits on foot. However, a single beagle can hunt, track and flush out cottontails from their hiding spots.

2. Red Fox

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The red fox, the most prevalent fox species in North America. It is distinguished by its striking russet coat with white markings on the belly and throat, a pointed muzzle, erect ears, and a bushy tail. This clever mammal is also a common target in fox hunting.

While beagles can be trained for fox hunting, it is more common to use a pack of scent hounds, such as foxhounds. 

Foxhounds are specially bred and trained to follow the fox’s scent over long distances, making them ideal for the traditional sport of fox hunting.

Beagles and foxhounds have many of the same attributes: their intelligence, sense of smell, stamina, and natural hunting instinct. However, foxhounds are typically 6-10 inches (15-25 cms) taller than beagles. They can weigh twice as much, too. 

3. Snowshoe Hare

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The snowshoe hare is a preferred target for hunters using beagles. These animals, related to the eastern cottontail rabbit, inhabit northern regions and favor dense coniferous forests, which offer good cover from predators. 

Snowshoe hares are larger and have longer ears than cottontails. They are particularly notable for their white winter coat, which provides excellent camouflage in snowy environments.

Beagles play a crucial role in hunting snowshoe hares. Their exceptional sense of smell and persistence make them ideal for tracking the hares through dense forest underbrush. 

Once a beagle picks up the scent, it will follow the trail, flushing out the hare from its hiding spot, making it easier for hunters to spot and capture the game.

4. Birds

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Beagles can also be trained for hunting small game birds like partridge, pheasant, quail, woodcock, and sometimes even ducks, though this is less common. 

These scent hounds, with their acute sense of smell, can be effectively used to locate and flush out birds. 

However, while beagles can be trained for this purpose, they are best utilized in hunting hares and rabbits. Their natural instincts and skills are perfectly aligned with tracking and chasing these small mammals, making them exceptional in their primary role.

Why Beagles Make Exceptional Hunting Dogs

Today, beagles are one of the most popular breeds for small game hunting. Here’s what makes them so outstanding:

• Exceptional sense of smell – Beagles possess an extraordinary sense of smell, one of the best among all dog breeds, with about 225 million olfactory receptors, similar to German Shepherds. They are, however, outpaced by the Bloodhound, which boasts nearly 300 million receptors.

• Distinctive barking – The loud, melodious barking of beagles is music to the ears of hunters, signaling the discovery of small game. Their barks carry clearly through the forest, making it easy to track their location.

• Determination and perseverance – Beagles are known for their relentless determination, courage, and persistence. These traits make them excellent companions in the field, especially under tough weather conditions.

• Endurance and energy – Their impressive stamina and boundless energy are crucial assets for hunting small game, allowing them to maintain high activity levels throughout the hunt.

• Vigilance – Hunting dogs must remain alert and vigilant to avoid dangers from larger animals like boars, lynx, or deer, and to prevent being mistaken for game by other hunters. Beagles are always on the lookout, ensuring safety and effectiveness in the field.

It’s one thing to say beagles are good hunting dogs and another to say they are hunters. Their keen sense of smell, stamina, and persistence makes them ideal hunting companions. However, beagles are friendly, mild-tempered dogs. They make for great companions for children.

Give your beagle ample physical and mental stimulation and they won’t hunt your patience either!