The Dog Days Aren't Over
The Bayou State Rabbit Hunters Federation upholds the declining practice of hunting rabbits with beagles
Dog pens lined the back of Tommy Boudreaux’s property, full of about twenty-five beagles ranging from pups to wily old timers. They howled as he made his way past them—tails wagged and the cadence of their barks increased until his voice was barely audible above them.
“I’ve been around dogs all my life,” he said with a proud grin. “I grew up hunting with them for everything—deer, rabbits, squirrels, coons.”
It was late December 2017 when Boudreaux and I first talked at his Livonia home, which is nestled against a pastoral backdrop of cattle fields and sprawling rows of sugar cane. Clad in overalls, Boudreaux led me around the dogs as he explained with a distinct rural lilt that, despite hunting season opening in October, his pups had hardly been on the hunt since the end of last season in February. He was waiting for an opportune moment, one that wouldn’t come for almost another month.
Hunting clubs and leases mostly consist of deer hunter members who would rather keep the rabbit hunters with dogs away, said Boudreaux, because there's a perception that a group of beagles careening through the woods might ruin someone's deer hunt.
From September to February, the deer hunting season is open throughout several different zones established by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and overlaps with small game seasons. It’s only when whitetail hunters have packed up their gear for the year in late January that rabbit hunters are allowed access to the woods on many private lands such as hunting leases or clubs. Even in wildlife management areas, which offer thousands of acres of public hunting opportunities, small game hunters are short on time to run their dogs.
“With the way deer seasons are, rabbit hunters only have a few weeks to hunt,” said Boudreaux.
A central issue, he said, is that the hunting culture has changed from when he grew up. Today, most hunters chase big game like whitetails. Since a majority of them forgo the help of canines and opt to enter the woods solo, perched high in a specialized tree stand, quiet is the name of the game in order to lure in an unsuspecting deer. Hunting clubs and leases mostly consist of deer hunter members who would rather keep the rabbit hunters with dogs away, said Boudreaux, because there’s a perception that a group of beagles careening through the woods might ruin someone’s deer hunt.
“A lot of landowners don’t want dogs on their place,” he said. “Especially some of these big timber companies. That hurts everything.”
According to the LDWF, in 1993 there were roughly 87,000 rabbit hunters in Louisiana—including those who hunted without dogs. Data from 2018 show that number has been slashed to just over 24,000.
While the concern by deer hunters seems logical, research shows it might be erroneous. In 2016 and 2017 the LDWF tracked deer via GPS collars while rabbit dogs hunted through the woods on select parcels of land. After examining the data, researchers concluded that deer were disturbed for short periods and didn’t move far from their home range, returning quickly thereafter. In short, hunters with dogs didn’t have a considerable impact on deer movements, a conclusion echoed in similar research in other states.
But deer hunters are an influential economic driver wielding considerable power over the outdoor industry. According to “2018 Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation,” they spent $15.7 billion on items related to the sport, while small game hunters’ voices continue to shrink as the number of them dwindle. According to the LDWF, in 1993 there were roughly 87,000 rabbit hunters in Louisiana—including those who hunted without dogs. Data from 2018 show that number has been slashed to just over 24,000.
Harry Nolan, a Krotz Springs hunter who has owned beagles for decades, said it feels like small game hunters have been left by the wayside. “People say, ‘Why raise dogs to hunt for three weeks?’” said Nolan. “And the lack of space is a huge issue. With everything leased up [for deer], there’s hardly a place to run your dogs.”
The only reason Nolan still owns dogs is because he enters them into several field trials each year that are sanctioned by the American Kennel Club (AKC), a tradition that dates back to 1890. They’re hosted by local groups like the Acadiana Beagle Club that test the dogs’ ability to find and trail rabbits, usually offering ribbons or a cash prize. These competitions mean that Louisiana hunters can work with their dogs in the field virtually year-round. Without them, Nolan figured it wouldn’t be economical to keep his beagles.
“I have twenty dogs,” he said. “If I didn’t field trial, I would probably have four to six dogs. I would only have them to hunt because it can be expensive to raise them.”
Boudreaux added that deer hunters aren’t the bad guys—a lot of beagle owners love to deer hunt, too. The issue, he said, is much more complex. Urban sprawl has also taken a toll on the habitat that’s available for rabbits, which can lead to smaller populations. On the coast, once-favorable small game habitat has been swallowed by the Gulf of Mexico. Increased pressure from predators like coyotes have further strained rabbit numbers.
“We were in a period of hardwoods reforestation in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley the late ‘90s,” said Cody Cedotal, LDWF’s resident small game and turkey program manager. “Some of that early, successional habitat, which is good for rabbits, is now older and less desirable for them.”
Boudreaux said that dog owners have had a lot stacked up against them and the future, at one point, was looking grim. A few years ago, it became clear to him and others that something needed to be done in order to prevent hunting with dogs from fading from Louisiana completely.
Keeping the tradition alive
In 2013, Boudreaux gathered with a few other beagle owners to start the Bayou State Rabbit Hunters Federation, a non-profit with the sole aim to act as a unified voice advocating for hunting with dogs. A group of 57 members has grown to now over 500 in Louisiana, with close to 2,800 when nearby states are included.
“We went to meetings with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and sat down and talked with them,” said Boudreaux. “We told them people want more land to hunt and asked them what they could do.”
Clay Leon was one of the early members, joining because he wanted to ensure the tradition was here for the future generations. It’s a part of Louisiana culture, he said, something that should be preserved.
“My original thoughts were that we needed an organization to bring rabbit hunters together,” said Leon. “I got involved because of field trialing and my interest in having the sport continue. Because I felt like it was becoming a dying sport. Not because people don’t enjoy rabbit hunting, but because the places to hunt rabbits were dwindling due to human expansion. We were losing acreage to maintain rabbit hunting.”
The folks at LDWF were listening, and in 2014 created Small Game Emphasis Areas (SGEA) on several WMAs around the state. These parcels of land provided more opportunities to hunt with dogs at a time when the rest of the WMA is unavailable due to deer seasons. Dog owners can also access a SGEA for training in the off season.
Currently, there are roughly 24,000 acres available in SGEAs in the following of the state’s WMAs: Big Colewa Bayou, Bayou Macon, Bayou Pierre, Boeuf, Dewey W. Wills, Marsh Bayou, Pomme de Terre, Richard K. Yancey, Russell Sage, Sandy Hollow, Sherburne, and Walnut Hill.
“We’ve got long deer seasons, so that knocks off a lot of dates for small game hunters on private lands,” said Cedatol. “So, we’re looking at adding more days in the Small Game Emphasis Areas wherever we can.”
Officials at LDWF have also opened up some parts of select WMAs to dog training during the summer, so beaglers can prep their pack for the upcoming season. Boudreaux credited these sorts of decisions by the LDWF with injecting some life into the fight to preserve and advance rabbit hunting. Even though private land may be unavailable during deer season, he said at least he and others can take advantage of public land.
“They are really working to help the rabbit hunters,” he said. “They’ve helped us in any way they could.”
Forging ahead
At the beginning of August, the Bayou State Rabbit Hunters Federation held its annual banquet in Plaquemine, where close to 500 people showed up to offer their support. Boudreaux said it was the largest crowd he’d seen since the inaugural event six years ago, a sign that the dog defenders have a stronger, more unified voice today than they have in a while.
More than $20,000 worth of raffled prizes like guns or gear were doled out. Hunting stories were swapped among old friends and new. The highlight of the event, according to Boudreaux, was the burgeoning crop of young hunters.
“Hopefully we can keep them involved in hunting and they’ll take up [the tradition],” he said. “That way, when we’re gone, we have some younger hunters to keep the sport going.”
Insights from the Hunt
Know Your Rabbits
Two species of rabbits roam the woods of Louisiana: eastern cottontails and swamp rabbits. The differences between the two have to do mostly with where they live. The eastern cottontails are abundant just about anywhere in upland areas, and they subsist on wild grasses, but also cultivated foods like soybeans, rye, and oats.
Swamp rabbits stick to the lowlands where water is abundant—and they’re excellent swimmers. They’ll forage along bayou and river banks, as well as flooded bottomland hardwoods, eating wild aquatic vegetation.
“Once you find a swamper, it will go a long ways before coming back,” said Leon. “They put a test on dogs running through briars and brush—I’ve seen them jump in the water, swim across a canal and jump in a hole. But they all run in a circle and will eventually go back to their nest.
Tools of the Trade
The gear needed to tag along on a rabbit hunt is pretty minimal. Leave the 12-gauge at home and opt for a 20 gauge or even a .410. “I hunt with a 20-gauge and a modified choke,” said Nolan. “Just about everyone uses 7-1/2 shot.”
“The 20-gauge is lighter,” said Leon. “And when you’re rabbit hunting, you’re not standing or sitting—you’re always moving. So, it’s easy to carry all day.”
However, when it comes to picking a group of dogs, there’s more than one way to do it. Leon hunts with only females, which he says are easier to handle opposed to more stubborn males. “Most people like four-dog packs,” he says. “I like six because they can push a rabbit better. I like mine to run in a train. If the front dog loses the track, the second dog takes her place and lines up again. Seldom do they lose a rabbit.”
Picking out a perfect pack comes down to genetics. Quite simply, the desire to hunt is bred in them.
“You pick a certain style of dog,” said Nolan. “Some dogs run all over the place. The dogs I run go in a line and are consistent. We are real vocal when they’re in the brush and that keeps them close and lets them know where you’re at. My dogs hunt within fifty yards from me. They’ll come back around to you if they stray any farther than that.”