The morning sun was beginning to melt away a heavy coat of frost as West Virginia rabbit hunting enthusiast Billy Wix climbed into the bed of this truck.

He opened the doors of the kennel and retrieved two beagles, ones eager to escape the cozy confines to begin the search for rabbit scent, a desire for which they were bred.

Following a quick talk about safety and the hunt plan, Wix set the dogs free, and led the handful of hunters into the small clearcut where beagles Bo and Annie were beginning their morning’s work. Within minutes the piercing bark and howl of the dogs indicated that scent had been found.

It’s a sound heard less frequently these days, with whitetails and turkeys being the focus of most hunters’ efforts.

“There are still a few serious rabbit hunters out there,” said Wix, when I asked him about the present popularity of rabbit hunting. “The sport’s not faded away. But it’s not like it should be.”

For Wix, who has hunted rabbits for over three decades, and owns Monongahela River Beagles (www.monriverbeagles.com) in Fairmont, W. Va., it’s a true passion, one that extends well beyond fall and winter hunting.

Like most small game pursuits in which dogs are an integral component, it’s more about the canine involvement than bringing home a heavy bag of bunnies. Between the actual hunting, participating in field trials, and training young dogs, he’s busy year ‘round.”

“It keeps me in shape. It keeps me in the woods. I have a grandson, and I want to pass this line of dogs down to him, as it was passed down to me,” he noted.

As is the case with most folks who enjoy a recreational activity to the extent they eventually make it a large part of their lives, Wix went through an evolution, a process that led to better dogs, as well as a strong involvement in hunting beagle field trials.

“My good friend, the late Glenn Postlethwait, got me into the field trials,” said Wix. “He shared his wealth of knowledge in dog handling, as well as his insights in breeding a better rabbit dog.

“I’d always had beagles, but they were just mediocre. He got me into the trials, and taught me about what a beagle’s supposed to do. People don’t always know that. They think if it’s running a rabbit, it’s doing the job. But that’s not true. There are a lot of bad traits – cold trailing and back tracking for instance – that a beagle picks up. That’s why in the breeding process you have to stay away from that.”

With our break over, and the dogs a bit rested from a lengthy chase, Bo and Annie entered a thicket that straddled the edge of a ridge.

Soon afterward Bo, the elder of the two, picked up scent, and Annie joined him in the hunt. We waited for the rabbit to circle around and chatted more.

“That’s one of the things I tell people when they ask me about beagles and rabbit hunting,” remarked Wix. “I tell them to do their research regarding breeders and bloodlines, and focus first on getting one good dog.

“Once you have one good dog, it’s easy to get another one. The young dog will quickly pick up things, and learn, from the older, more experienced dog.”

Both Bo and Annie have bloodlines that include Brinsky’s Run ‘Em Over Tank, one of the most celebrated of beagles, having qualified for the UKC Hunting Beagles World Hunt at least a dozen times.

Not only does rabbit hunting provide a great opportunity to enjoy good dog work, it also allows a hunter to extend his or her season. Cottontail seasons tend to be long, and run well into the new year. Pennsylvania’s cottontail season doesn’t end until Feb. 23.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle