William R. Logan, CA

DESCRIPTION: This is a photo of last Sunday, December, 24, 2006. Chip and I went to William R. Logan Conservation Area outside of Silex, MO. We got about 3 rabbits up and kicked a deer out of some heavy brush. Chip was out in a field chasing a the first rabbit so I stopped in a small clearing in the hopes it may run my way. Sure enough it did, and I saw it for a split second and got a shot off but missed. The grass was so tall and thick, Chip had problems making it back to where I was. He picked the scent up, but it was too late and the rabbit got away. We walked just a few more hundred feet when Chip got another rabbit up. I was over by the conservation road when Chip got this one up. I made my way to the point where he first got it up while he ran it in a fairly large circle. I heard and possibly saw the rabbit come by the point of the woods just southwest of me. Chip came through there again, but the rabbit out smarted us somehow. This field was like the others. So tall you couldn't walk throug it. It wasn't long after this that Chip was running another rabbit (I think) through some heavy briars. I walked around to the other side of the briars and heard one hell of a crash and some crazy noise. Turns out Chip kicked up a deer or two that had bedded down. The dog stops barking so I go to find him and he is half way down in the woods. I think he started tracking the deer, but I can't be certain. We didn't see anything else the rest of the day.
CONDITIONS: Chilly, 27°F when we started, rising to 47°F when we were done.
TIME: December 24, 2006 from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM CST

Reform CA

Matt and I went up to Callaway again. Didn't get any rabbits, but ran 3. I saw the first one sneaking under a cedar. Chip was on it right away so Matt and I held still. Chip ran it south a couple hundred feet and it got into a brush pile and we couldn't get it out. Chip got the second one up and ran it quite a way before we finally saw it. I took a couple shots when it finally ran from this brush line to the woods to our north. By the time we got the dog back over to where it went in the woods the scent was getting old. He chased something down around the corner before we gave up on it. The third and last rabbit we actually saw was kicked up on the way back to the truck. Matt got this one up and Chip got on it and chased it down below the small pond. We did not follow, but he seemed to have stopped below the pond. We finally called him back to us. Chip did chase a few that we never saw. I would venture to say he probably had 3 additional runs where we never saw the rabbit. One was right off the bat near the truck in the power line area.
TEMP: 50° F
TIME: 7:30 - 11:00
CONDITIONS: Overcast and warm. Ground was damp but not wet. Seemed like a scent held well, but not long. Very good day for chasing bunnies.

Reform CA

This was our fist time at Reform CA near Callaway Power Plant. Matt kicked the first rabbit up just as we turned a corner. It ran down along the fence row and cut in about half way down. Chip got on the scent and drove the rabbit north. Matt went down to the end of the row and I followed the dog along the fence. As we neared the end of the row the rabbit tried to double back when I shot it. One round, one rabbit. The second rabbit was not an easy one to get. We think Chip got him up way back in the corner of the field on the east. Drove him west down into another field and then south. Matt got him up again and he crossed back east. I came around the east side of the tree grove and saw the rabbit sneaking through the weeds. I was too far away but took 3 shots anyway, I didn't get it. I went east of where I thought the rabbit was and then Chip came over, got it up again and chased it back towards Matt. Matt shot it and Chip finished it off. 7 shots, one rabbit. It was a good day.
TEMP: 30° F - 50° F
TIME: 8:00 - 10:00
CONDITIONS: Snow and Ice on the ground. Frozen in the morning and starting to thaw as afternoon approached.