.
ORGANIZED
FOXHUNTING
IN AMERICA
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Published by the
Masters of Foxhounds Association of America
1044 Exchange Building
Boston 9, Mass.
This pamphlet is written in the hope that it will
serve as a guide or reference for those wishing to
know more about the type of foxhunting referred
to as "organized" Foxhunting or Riding to Hounds.
Organized Foxhunting in America
The sport of Foxhunting or Rid-
ing to Hounds is a very old sport
in America; in fact it commenced
in this Country in Colonial Days.
George Washington was a keen
foxhunter. He kept his own pack
of foxhounds at Mount Vernon
where many of his friends and
neighbors hunted with him regu-
larly. Washington's diary contains
many accounts of his days with
hounds, with notations as to the
number of foxes found, comments
on the behavior of individual
hounds, and the names of friends
who were with him in the field. In
fact his diary is very largely the
diary of a foxhunter.
Foxhunting has been carried on
in America ever since then with
modifications in different parts of
the country to adapt it to terrain,
climate and the preference of par-
ticipants. It is estimated that some
two hundred thousand persons en-
gage in foxhunting in some manner
in the United States. A very large
number of hunters enjoy the sport
in the form of night-hunting on
foot, which is usually conducted in
a hilly, wooded or even mountain-
ous country that would be un-
suited to the mounted form of the
sport.
These night-hunters are keen
lovers of foxhounds, and have de-
veloped a number of strains of
American foxhounds noted for en-
durance and speed. The hounds
are owned individually or in small
groups, and each owner knows the
voice of his own hound or hounds
and can tell their position in the
chase as their cry comes to him
from afar.
These foxhunters are organized
by state and national associations,
hold large field trials and bench
shows, maintain foxhound stud
books, and have a number of publi-
cations such as "THE CHASE"
published at Louisville, Kentucky,
and "THE RED RANGER" pub-
lished at Rushville, Missouri.
Mounted foxhunting, however, is
the only type officially recognized
by the Masters of Foxhounds Asso-
ciation of America.
Today there are one hundred and
nine organized Hunts recognized
by the Masters of Foxhounds As-
sociation of America or registered
with the Association awaiting rec-
ognition. There are twenty-one
in Pennsylvania, nineteen in Vir-
ginia, nine in New York, eight in
Maryland, and the rest are distrib-
uted among twenty-one other
States except for four in Canada.
In addition to these there are a
considerable number of Hunts not
affiliated with the Masters of Fox-
hounds Association of America, in-
cluding many farmers' packs main-
tained for mounted hunting.
The organized Hunts fall into
two general classifications: the
Hunt Club and the Private Pack.
The cost of maintaining hounds
and other expenses of a Club are
met by dues of members and fees
of subscribers. Hunt Clubs have
officers and committees responsible
for details of organization and
management. In the case of a Pri-
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
vate Pack, however, the hounds are
owned by one person or one family
that finances and manages the
Hunt. In some cases, the owner of
a private pack accepts donations
from subscribers to a fund com-
monly known as the Panelling
Fund to help defray the cost of
maintaining the hunting country.
OBJECTIVE OF THE SPORT
The purpose of organized fox-
hunting is to enable a group of
mounted followers, collectively
called the "Field," to enjoy the
sport of riding to hounds.
A DAY WITH HOUNDS
Perhaps the best impression will
be gained by describing a typical
day with hounds in an average
hunting country in America. Such
a day might be with one of the
larger Hunt Clubs with perhaps a
Field of one hundred fifty riders
out, or it might be with one of
the Private Packs with only ten to
twenty followers ; or again it might
be a bitter cold day in January,
with snow on the ground, and only
the Hunt staff and a handful of
keen foxhunters out to follow the
hounds.
Most Hunts mail fixture cards to
members and subscribers each
month during the season giving
the time and place of hunt meets,
which are usually held three or
four days each week. The duration
of the season depends upon the
geographical location of the Hunt.
In Pennsylvania, for example, cub-
hunting commences in late Au-
gust, and the regular season ex-
tends from September 1st or 15th
to the end of March. With many
Clubs the hunting is informal in
character up to the traditional
opening day in early November
when it commences in formal man-
ner. The Hunts in the northern
States have a shorter season by
reason of more severe winter
weather and deep snow.
The hunt we shall describe is
held on a Saturday in December.
The fixture card shows the meet
called for ten o'clock at a point say
five miles from the kennels.
The hunting horses are usually
fed an hour before they are to
leave stables, then groomed and
saddled. Hounds are not fed until
their return to kennels at the end
of the day.
The Huntsman and one or two
Whippers-in appear mounted at the
kennels at nine o'clock to road
hounds to the meet. Some Hunts
take hounds to and from hunting
areas in a motor hound-van, but
most Huntsmen prefer the old
method if road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
There is but one Huntsman for
each pack of hounds. He is the
man who manages the hounds in
the hunting field, and usually has
charge of them in kennels. In some
Hunts the Master himself "carries
the horn" — that is, acts as Hunts-
man — but more often the Hunts-
man is a professional. If the
M. F. H. hunts the hounds, there is
either a Joint-Master or a Field-
master who assumes the important
duty of managing the Field.
The Whippers-in, who may be
professional or amateur, have the
duty of assisting the Huntsman in
numerous ways during the course
of a day's hunting. Their work is
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
very important, and a "Whip" who
really knows his business plays a
vital part in enabling a pack to
show a successful season of sport.
It is needless to say that the
Huntsman knows each hound by
name, and each hound knows his
own name and answers to it. In-
deed a good Huntsman knows each
hound as well as a mother knows
her children. He knows their indi-
vidual characteristics and abilities,
and can usually recognize the
voices of individual hounds when
they speak in a woodland.
The Huntsman gives the signal,
the kennel door is opened, and the
hounds rush joyfully out to romp
around his horse. The horse is
friendly with the hounds. They
jump up at him ; he lowers his head
and nuzzles them. John Jorrocks,
the great old sporting character of
Surtees' novels, said: "The 'orse
and the 'ound were made for each
other, and natur' threw in the fox
as a connectin' link between the
two !"
The pack may consist of any-
where from ten to twenty-five
couples of hounds. Hounds are
spoken of in "couples" because that
is the quickest and most convenient
way to count them in the field. It
may be wondered why a pack of
twenty to fifty hounds should be
used to hunt one fox. There are
three principal reasons: First: a
fairly large pack can spread out
over a wider area in "drawing,"
i. e., trying to find a fox, and conse-
quently may find more quickly than
would a few hounds. Secondly: a
big pack, provided it is really an
evenly matched, well-coordinated
one running well together, fur-
nishes the mounted Field with a
better objective for which to ride.
Third: the more hounds, the
greater the volume of cry, or
hound "music," when the pack is
on the line of a fox. This, to many
foxhunters, is the greatest single
pleasure in hunting — hearing the
cry of the pack. It is indeed music
in the truest sense of the word.
But let's get on to the Meet! The
Huntsman speaks to the hounds;
they pack up around his horse and
set out along the road. A pack of
foxhounds should have good road
discipline. At the Huntsman's com-
mand the hounds should all stay
back so that none moves in front
of his horse's head. If the road be
narrow and a vehicle approach
from the rear, the Huntsman trots
on to the first driveway or place
into which he can withdraw from
the road, and every hound should
move off with him to allow the
vehicle to pass. If he be on an un-
frequented road or dirt lane, he
may say: "Trot along boys," and
many of the hounds will move out
ahead of him.
The Huntsman, pack and Whip-
pers-in arrive at the meet at ten.
The M. F. H. or the Fieldmaster is
there, and the Field are arriving,
most of them riding to the meet on
their hunters, some in motors to
meet their horses which have been
ridden or led there or perhaps sent
on by motor horse-van. Others may
arrive with their hunters in a
horse-trailer behind their automo-
bile.
The Master of Foxhounds has no
doubt planned in advance, at least
in a general way, how that area of
country is to be "drawn," i. e.
hunted. Such plans are, of course,
subject to last minute modifi-
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
cations on account of the direction
of the wind, condition of the
ground, etc.; or perhaps he may
learn that a fox has been "viewed"
that very morning at some particu-
lar spot.
The Master holds a short council
with the Huntsman, then looks at
his watch, and, having given say
five minutes' leeway for late com-
ers, signals the Huntsman to move
off to the first "draw," which in
this case is a "covert," i. e. a piece
of woodland, about a mile upwind
from the point at which the meet
was held.
As the Huntsman approaches the
covert, he sounds a short, sharp
note on his horn to warn any fox
of the approach of hounds and
avoid surprising or "chopping"
him. Meanwhile a Whipper-in has
moved on at the gallop and posted
himself in a strategic position on
the far side of the covert from
whence he has a chance to view a
fox away. The other Whipper-in
may accompany the Huntsman
through the woodland to put
hounds on to him or to stop riot
if necessary.
The Field follow the Master out-
side of the covert, preferably on
the down-wind side where they can
follow the progress of the "draw"
by ear and be ready to ride in the
event of a "find." They keep well
together to avoid "heading" the
fox, i. e., turning him back into the
covert when he breaks out of it.
As the Huntsman nears the
covert, his hounds still packed up,
he gives them a wave of the arm
and the command: "Leu-in!" and
the pack spreads out on the run and
enters the covert on a fairly broad
front. They deploy through the
covert, and advance on a line in
front of the Huntsman.
As hounds drift into their first
covert of the day, there may be a
little burst of cry — the result of
keenness and enthusiasm. After
this, however, no hound should
give tongue until he strikes the
scent of a fox. A hound that uses
his voice to no purpose is a "bab-
bler," and any experienced hound
that makes a habit of this should
be elimated from the pack.
The Huntsman, however, uses
his voice generously while drawing
a woodland. It encourages the
hounds, helps to get a fox afoot,
and tells hounds and Field just
where he is.
Perhaps no fox is found in the
first covert, and, when the Hunts-
man comes out into the open at the
far end, he may call his hounds to
him with a long, slow note of his
horn, and then trot on to draw the
next covert.
He may, however, decide to draw
on over the fields in the hope of
finding a fox in the open. Foxes
often choose to lie out on a sunny
hillside out of the wind, particu-
larly on a cold day in late fall or
winter.
The Huntsman allows hounds to
spread out ahead of him in a sort
of forage line extending say a
furlong to either side. He should
be able to control them by the di-
rection of his horse and by arm
signals.
The Master and Field follow
along at a comfortable distance
while a Whipper-in may scout
ahead and to a flank.
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
Soon, perhaps, the Huntsman
may see two reliable old hounds,
FREELANCE and MELODY,
winding a fox. Their noses are to
the ground ; their sterns are feath-
ering, i. e., their tails are erect over
their backs and are waving from
side to side. Then MELODY
speaks uncertainly; FREELANCE
echoes her with a more confident
tone. The rest of the pack rush to
them. The Huntsman encourages
them with: "Hark to MELODY,
hark !" and a couple of short, sharp
notes of the horn. The pack are
on a cold line trying to work up to
their fox.
The scent gets stronger and
stronger; the pace and the volume
of cry improve. The hunters, with
ears pricked forward, strain at
their bits, eager for a gallop.
Now, on a hilltop ahead, the
Whipper-in is seen standing up in
his stirrups, holding his hunting
cap aloft. He has viewed the fox!
Now the pack really hits the line
with a crash of music. The Hunts-
man blows "Gone Away," a stir-
ring series of long and short notes
in rapid succession; the pack is in
full cry, and the run has com-
menced in earnest.
Fences, ditches and streams
come thick and fast; the blood of
the horses is up, and they outdo
themselves to stay with the
hounds. Even the more timid rid-
ers find themselves clearing ob-
stacles they would not dream of
facing in calmer moments.
The speed and duration of the
run depend on many things, but
chiefly on scenting conditions,
which vary greatly.
On a day when scent lies well
and hounds can run with their
heads up, a fox will have to seek
shelter in an earth in twenty to
forty minutes. On a more difficult
scenting day, he may lead hounds
over the country for several hours,
but much of the time the pace will
be slower and there will be occa-
sional checks while hounds puzzle
out the line.
When hounds are at fault, the
Huntsman should make no effort
to give them the benefit of his
ideas on which way the fox has
gone until they have cast them-
selves in wide arcs to right and
front and left. Only when he sees
that they have exhausted their
own ingenuity should he gently and
unobtrusively cast them where he
thinks the fox may have gone. Of
course, if the pack be making
slower and slower time of it on a
failing scent, and the Huntsman
knows definitely that the hunted
fox has been viewed ahead, he will
"pick them up" (move them for-
ward at the gallop) and put them
on to the hot line.
The line is recovered, and the
hunt is on again.
If all goes well, the pack event-
ually marks its fox to earth, per-
haps in an old den under a tree on
a hillside. The Huntsman dis-
mounts, cheers his hounds at the
earth, and sounds his horn. In due
course, hounds are called away to
draw for another fox, or, if it be
late in the day and all are satisfied,
to return to kennels.
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
SOME COMMON
MISCONCEPTIONS
There are few sports, if any, con-
cerning which so many misconcep-
tions are held as mounted fox-
hunting.
Three such misconceptions are
quite common:
First is the belief the hunted fox
is an animal that has been kept in
captivity and released for the
chase, or, in other words, that
most, if not all, foxhunts are "drop
hunts." On the contrary, the sport
consists of finding a wild fox with
hounds in his native environment
and hunting him by scent.
The rules of the M. F. H. Asso-
ciation contain a condemnation of
the practice of drop hunts.
Such drop hunts, as may occur
from time to time, are generally
staged at some country tavern by
an unorganized group, and the par-
ticipants are for the most part one-
day-a-year foxhunters. Such hunts
have nothing in common with the
regular fixtures of the organized
Hunts, although the former, unfor-
tunately, frequently receive con-
siderable publicity.
A second misconception is the
idea that the hunted fox is a
frightened, confused creature flee-
ing in desperate panic from the
pack. This is far from a true pic-
ture. Those who have had frequent
opportunities to observe the hunted
fox know that he appears cool, col-
lected and complete master of the
situation. He hunts by scent him-
self and consequently knows just
how good or bad the scent may be
at any moment, and governs him-
self accordingly. An old campaigner
will usually keep about half a mile
ahead of hounds and within hear-
ing of their voices.
A third misconception is that the
fox is usually, if not invariably,
killed, and that if by chance he
makes his escape the foxhunters
feel cheated. In other words, the
idea seems to prevail that foxhunt-
ers are out for the blood of the fox
and feel frustrated if they don't
get it!
Any real foxhunter will brand
this idea as silly. He is out to en-
joy seeing a pack of hounds at
work, hearing their cry, feeling the
thrill of a cross-country ride on a
good horse, and spending a day in
the open in the company of con-
genial fellow-hunters. If he be lucky
enough to catch a glimpse of the
fox as it breaks covert or tops a
hill, it gives the day an added zest.
As a matter of fact, "the kill"
in America is the exception rather
than the rule. The great majority
of runs end in one of two ways:
either the fox is lost through fail-
ure of scent or is marked to earth
in one of the numerous earths or
dens, the location of which is well-
known to him.
This latter is considered an en-
tirely appropriate finish to a run
and every one is well-satisfied — the
Huntsman, the Field, the hounds
and certainly the fox.
Of course, the Huntsman keenly
desires to account for every fox his
hounds find, whether by killing him
or marking him to earth. A good
huntsman never admits a fox to be
lost until he has exhausted every
effort to recover the line, but, as
John Jorrocks said : "It arn't that
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
I loves the fox less, but that I
loves the 'ound more."
As a matter of fact, most Hunts
find, as their season draws on, that
two or three well-known, old red
foxes are responsible for most of
their good runs. Such a fox may-
be found again and again in the
same general locality, and will lead
the pack over *a route which may
conform quite closely to that which
he has taken on preceding occa-
sions.
Perhaps the tendency on the
part of non-foxhunters to give un-
due prominence to the "kill" as a
typical component of the sport is
due to the frequency with which
scenes portraying the death of the
fox occur in English hunting prints.
In England the fox population is
large and must be kept within cer-
tain limits, and it is regarded as
the duty of each Hunt to account
for a sufficient number of foxes
each season to accomplish this re-
sult in its particular hunting area.
Here in the United States, where
conditions are different, the foxes
are seldom numerous enough to be
a nuisance. Many farmers and
orchardists have learned that the
fox is a valuable asset because his
diet consists mainly of field mice
and other crop-destroying rodents.
Consequently there is little demand
on the part of informed landowners
for the destruction of foxes.
THE HUNTING COUNTRY
While there is a vast amount of
wooded and mountainous country
in the United States suitable for
foxhunting of the night-hunting
variety, there is only a limited
amount of country suited for the
mounted form of the sport. Such
a country should preferably be one
devoted to agriculture or grazing.
It should contain plenty of wood-
land in which foxes can find cover,
but the woodland should not be so
large that too much of a day's
hunting is spent in it. Rather
should the woodland be separated
by goodly areas of open country to
afford good gallops.
A rolling or undulating country
adds beauty and interest, but too
steep hills are exhausting to
horses.
Climate and soil are also im-
portant. There should be sufficient
rainfall to provide good scenting
conditions as scent rarely lies well
in an arid region. Loam is prefer-
able to clay which holds water, and
after a rain or a thaw produces
days of "deep going" in which
horses sink to their fetlocks. Ab-
sence of rocky outcrops and rock-
strewn fields makes for safe and
enjoyable galloping.
SIZE OF COUNTRY
Few people realize the amount
of land that must be assigned to a
single hunting organization to en-
able it to furnish good sport. The
more days a Pack hunts, the larger
should be its country. A four-day-
a-week schedule calls for more ter-
ritory than does a three-day sched-
ule if overhunting of a given area
is to be avoided.
About the smallest area in which
a Pack might operate with some
success would be say five miles
square, which is twenty-five square
miles or sixteen thousand acres. It
will be seen, however, that a fox
found in the center of such a small
district could only run about two
and a half miles in any direction
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
before he would take hounds out of
their allotted territory — not much
of a run.
A ten-mile square, or one hun-
dred square miles or sixty-four
thousand acres, would be better,
but by no means ideal. As has
often been remarked: "The fox is
a toddlin' animal.
FOX POPULATION
A country may combine all of
the desirable characteristics to
qualify as perfect for mounted fox-
hunting, but all becomes as Dead
Sea fruit if the country does not
hold a reasonable population of
foxes. A day in which no fox is
found is called a "blank day," and
an occasional one is to be expected
in the best of countries. As in any
field sport, it is the uncertainty
which gives it zest. Too many
blank days, however, are discour-
aging to Hunt staff and Field and
ruinous to hounds.
Moreover, as previously indi-
cated, the most vital need is a sup-
ply of seasoned foxes, that is foxes
of several years' experience. It is
such foxes that furnish the really
satisfactory runs, and enable a
Pack to show a season of successful
sport.
LANDOWNER RELATIONSHIP
It is obvious that the territory
needed for successful foxhunting is
so large that generally but a small
part of it is owned by the Hunt or
by Hunt members. Ownership
usually vests in many persons, and
their permission to hunt over their
properties must be secured and
maintained.
As foxhunting exists only by vir-
tue of landowners' permission, it is
incumbent upon every foxhunter to
see that this permission is in no
way abused, and that the interests
of the landowners over whose prop-
erty the Hunt rides be guarded
most scrupulously. Gates, if open-
ed, must be closed ; fences, if dam-
aged, must be repaired and live-
stock protected.
Since foxhunting is a rural sport,
it is natural that many farmers
and landowners should participate.
A foxhunting community furnishes
the farmers with a good market
for their grain, hay, straw and
horses.
PANELLING
Before the advent of wire fenc-
ing and before the chestnut blight
had destroyed the trees most suit-
able for timber fences, hunting was
carried on over a "natural" country
fenced with timber. It was then
possible for one mounted on a good
jumper to stay with hounds wher-
ever the run might lead, and no
special preparation of the country
was required.
In most hunting countries to-
day, however, the prevalence of
wire fencing necessitates the erec-
tion of jumpable panels of post and
rail or board fence to make mount-
ed hunting possible. Such panels
are, of course, built with the per-
mission of landowners.
In some instances structures
known as "Chicken Coops," made
of timbers faced with boards, are
erected over the wire, or panels of
logs are built in.
Moreover, as it is unsafe to jump
onto or off a hard surfaced road, it
has been found necessary to erect
panels in fences adjoining such
roads in a form known as "set-
8
ORGANIZED FOXHUNTING IN AMERICA
ins;" that is, the panels are set
back from the road a sufficient dis-
tance to afford room for take-off
or landing by the horses.
All of this, of course, has added
greatly to the expense of maintain-
ing a hunting country, and, even in
a country which has been very well
panelled, the hunts are by no
means as enjoyable as they were
in the "natural" countries of for-
mer days.
DRESS
In view of the fact that the sport
of foxhunting is centuries old, it is
not surprising that like other
sports it has developed a distinc-
tive type of dress or uniform best
fitted to the needs of its partici-
pants.
The formal hunting attire of the
present day, while having its roots
in tradition, is essentially the re-
sult of practical consideration of
comfort, usefulness and safety.
Upon examination it will be
found that there is a functional
reason for the type and design of
each item of dress or equipment
common to the hunting field.
This is noted first of all in head-
gear. The hunting cap worn by the
Hunt staff, the top hat worn by
members of the Field when turned
out in "pink" and the hunting
derby are all especially constructed
to withstand blows from tree limbs
or to cushion the wearer's head in
event of a fall.
The scarlet hunting coat is vis-
ible for a long distance, and so is
of help to the Field in keeping the
Huntsman in sight while he is
drawing, as well as to enable a
rider who has fallen behind in a
run to catch a distant glimpse of
the others ahead with the hounds,
and to set his course accordingly.
Scarlet hunting coats, moreover,
add a certain gaiety to the hunting
field which is part of the spirit of
the sport. The word "pink," by the
way, does not refer to the color of
the coat, but is a term applied to
the state of being formally attired
for hunting. It is thought to have
had its origin in a tailor by the
name of Pink who, in the old days,
is supposed to have made the most
perfect attire for hunting.
Similar practical reasons could
be given for the material, cut and
design of all other items of dress,
such as the hunting "stock" or
neckpiece, gloves, breeches, boots,
etc.
The degree of formality or infor-
mality in dress varies considerably
in different Hunts, and for the
most part is determined by the
preference of each individual mem-
ber of the Field.
In most Hunts, however, there
will be found a fair number of fol-
lowers — local farmers and others —
whose costume will be most infor-
mal and simple, but nonetheless
conforming to requirements of
utility and safety.
However informal may be the
preference of the members of a
Hunt in the matter of dress, it is
highly desirable that the Hunt
staff be properly uniformed and
equipped. This has a definite effect
upon their efficiency in the hunting
field, just as a uniformed baseball
team acquires a certain cohesion
and esprit de corps superior to that
of the sand-lot nine.
A Hunt need not adopt the scar-
let coat, but may turn out its staff
in whatever color it may prefer.
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