HOT ON THE TRAIL OF BEAGLING

Tom Schulte poses his award-winning field trial beagle, Carbon Hill Penny.

Tom Schulte is one of a number of Jackson men who have gone to the dogs.

That's not a negative statement. It just means the Jackson native enjoys breeding, raising, and hunting that uniquely American strain of dog, the beagle. He and one of his rabbit-hunting beagles, Sonny, recently returned from the United Beagle Gun Dog Federation Grand Nationals field trial with the Reserve Grand Champion show prize for 13-inch male beagles entered in the national hunting contest.

Schulte is district manager of the Cape Girardeau office of U.S. senators John Ashcroft and Kit Bond. He cultivated an interest in "beagling," as the sport is known, as a child rabbit hunting with his family's pet.

"We had a beagle when I was a kid and that was my first touch with rabbit dogs," said Schulte. "The dog was named Jinx and Jinx was not a particularly good hunting dog but was just a great pet."

The beagle, or beagle hound, originated in ancient Rome. It was developed to its current form in England during the 1600s. In 17th century England, the beagle's keen sense of smell -- as much as 1,000 times greater than that of humans -- made the hound an excellent breed for hunting rabbits and other game. A long-legged cousin of the beagle, the foxhound, continues to be a popular breed among British foxhunters.

Several of today's better known purebred hunting breeds, including the English and German shorthaired pointers, trace their ancestry to the same hound lines as the beagle.

A compact dog with short legs and a rather sturdy and solid body, beagles are alert and intelligent with a good-natured personality most often described as merry, despite the perpetually sad expression on their face.

Calling the beagle "just a really nice animal to be around," Schulte said beagles are not only adept hunters, but are equally suited to the home and make excellent pets.

Schulte's interest in hunting dogs waned as he grew older. Then, in the early 1970s, his affinity for hunting and hunting dogs was rekindled when his in-laws gave him a beagle.

"I never did have another dog until about 23 years ago when I got one that my in-laws had on their farm," he said, explaining that this beagle was the first of several he's owned and trained since resuming his love affair with hunting.

During ensuing years, Schulte found that training and working with the dogs could be as fun and rewarding as the hunt itself. About three years ago, he combined the two pursuits -- hunting and dog-handling -- and entered a field trial.

"I started out again strictly as a rabbit hunter and I just enjoyed hunting and the dogs so much, I started running the dogs in field trials," Schulte explained. "Hunting is just like any other sport; if you enjoy it, you can expand out into other areas."

Just as the steeplechase grew out of British foxhunting as a way of testing the ability of horses to traverse obstacles they would commonly encounter in the field, field trialing aims to replicate situations typically found in American rabbit hunting.

According to Schulte, dogs involved in field trials are separated into four classes defined by the dogs' size and sex. Dogs with a height of around 13-inches run in the small class while the larger class of beagles, those with a height of around 15-inches, run in the large category.

While there are other events open to beaglers, Schulte enters his dogs in an event known as small pack option. During these field events, dogs run in a pack of seven and are judged on their speed and accuracy in following the "line," or the scent trail given off by a running rabbit. They are also assessed on their ability to follow the "checks" that a rabbit makes. Checks are hairpin turns that rabbits make in the hope of throwing a dog off their trail.

In addition to these trailing skills, judges also assess the dogs' voice. Beagles should only bark while closely pursuing a rabbit, not while following the scent.

Dogs who give the best scenting and trailing performance receive honors in the field portion of the competition. The dogs are also judged on their physical characteristics during the event. Animals considered to be in top physical condition are awarded show prizes.

In addition to the Reserve Grand Champion show award received recently by Schulte's dog Sonny, another of the Jackson man's beagles, a small female named Penny, was named Grand Show Champion during the 1993 UGBF national event.

It is not exactly a mistake that Schulte's dogs have fared so well in the show portion of the UGBF competitions. When Schulte started buying and breeding his own gundogs several years ago, he began looking for dogs with what is known in the dog business as good confirmation -- or excellent physical characteristics. The reason for such a physical emphasis is not because Schulte dislikes ugly dogs but because he feels a dog which has good confirmation -- straight legs, good muscle tone and even a good teeth and jaws -- have better endurance and perform better in the field than those who may have flaws, such as an overbite or a crooked tail.

"I start with hounds with good confirmation and that ensures a good endurance," he explained, adding that once he has found a dog with solid physical characteristics, he tries to breed the dog to a mate which has an excellent field trial record.

While much of the pleasure Schulte derives from beagling comes from actually working with the dogs and watching them hunt, he also enjoys the opportunity to meet a variety of people.

Schulte is a member and past president of the Southeast Missouri Beagle Club. With about 100 acres of land near Lake Girardeau, the club draws members from throughout Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois with associate members in Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas.

The club, and beagling in general, brings together laborers, welders, salesmen, executives and even the owners of corporations.

"When we come to the club, though, we're all in the same boat," Schulte said. "Our first love is our dogs and then we have the added benefit of the field trial."

Despite their varied backgrounds, the 35 to 40 club members are tied together by their love of training and hunting with their dogs and "just sitting on the tailgate and listening to the dogs run," he said.

In addition to Schulte, a number of Jackson area men count themselves as beaglers and have been involved in the SEMO Beagle Club for years. One of the club's original members is Bill Busch of rural Jackson who is nationally-known for his show beagles. Among others are Clifford Hobeck, Don Reese and Ray Reiminger of Jackson and John Moyers of Millersville.

The SEMO club is not only a diverse group, but also a successful one. In addition to the reserve show award earned by Schulte's dog, a beagle owned and trained by Danny Gordon of Chaffee was named Grand National Champion for small females in the recent UGBF event. A beagle owned by Billy Vaughn of Diehlstadt received a third-place national prize for small females while the dog of another member from Bonne Terre earned a fifth place field slot among large males.