Brambles said:
Basically the points that I thought were interesting too, and one further one.
He had collars on his dogs, which I think is great, more people should have them. However is implies that he already knows his dogs have a habit of running away. And a later post says that it took some time to find her, which also sounds like the dog never did come back, he had to go and track her down.
Just some interesting points, you gonna call me names for them
Having radio collars on hunting dogs isn't "evidence" that the dog misbehaves or isn't well trained!
Believe it or not, hounds, especially smaller examples like Beagles, can quite easily run into a rabbit slip, fox/coyote snare or some sort of lynx/fox/coyote set using a leg hold trap. Even in the offseason, not every rabbit hunter is conscientious enough to remove their rabbit snares at the end of hunting season. During hunting/trapping season, I usually take care to run my dogs in areas that aren't frequented that much by trappers. Being a trapper myself, helps in identifying those areas. Most Beagles will simple sit down and wait for their owner to come get them if they get a leg/shoulder caught in a snare. Its worse if they get caught by the muzzle, as their ability to vocalize is comprimised. . Its unusal to see them being caught by the neck, but it has happened. Thankfully, their collar saved them in that case. Its one reason why I always carry my Gerber multi-tool with me while hunting. If the dogs get into a fox/coyte snare, there isn't much you can do unless they're really close. By the time you get to them, the dogs will be dead. Popping them out of a leg hold trap is simple. Having a radio collar on them can mean the difference between a live or a dead dog.
Also, you have to realize that snowshoe hare, cotton tail rabbits can lead a pack of Beagles on a looping run that can take the dogs well over 1km away from the hunter before turning back toward him. That's a lot of territory to cover, especially in thick cover like what bunnies love. Finding a snared Beagle in multiple square kms of thick cover can be almost next to impossible. A good, large Beagle Bell works very well, but a radio collar is better, as you can track the dog directly to where he/she is. Many beagles won't yelp, bark, cry or struggle, once caught in a snare.
Instead they often will sit quietly, or lie down if they can and wait for their owner to come get them. In cases like this, the sond of a Beagle bell can be a life saver. Same goes for a radio collar.
In any event, I think you may be confusing radio collars with training collars that deliver a shock to an animal via remote control. BTW, Aussie Cattle Dogs aren't in the same class as hunting dogs. The're working dogs and comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.
Since these were young dogs who weren't broken, I'm 99% sure that the beagles in question weren't harrassing any wildlife, other than running around, sniffing all the strange & wonderful smells to be found in the wild, albeit PRIVATE LAND. Given the circumstances I'm pretty confident that some tresspassing Asshat, saw a blur of movement and triggered a shot without identifying what he shot at. These are the same idiots that end up shooting fellow hunters each year.
But that's another story 
