From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fox hunting is a type of hunting in which trained dogs pursue a quarry animal, traditionally the red fox, although in other countries adopting similar hunting forms, other animals are chased.
The quarry animal is followed by human hunters who are usually on horses, but sometimes on foot. Proponents and participants view fox hunting as a crucial part of rural history and culture in the United Kingdom and Ireland, vital for conservation, and a method of pest control. However, people, especially those with an interest in animal welfare or animal rights, object to it on grounds of perceived cruelty and lack of necessity.
The hunt generally consists of a pack of scent hounds, such as a foxhound, which will attempt to find a fox in wooded areas, called coverts (pronounced 'covers'), while under the control of a hunting team consisting of a master of fox hounds and his staff, such as a huntsman and 'whippers-in', who are in direct control of the hounds.
The activity is often associated with the United Kingdom, having originated there in the 1500s, but fox hunting is also practised in other countries including Australia, Canada, France, India, Ireland (both in the British north and in the Republic of Ireland), Italy, India, Russia, New Zealand and the United States.
It should be noted, however, that in Australia the term "Fox Hunting" also refers to the hunting of foxes with firearms, in a manner very similar to deer stalking or spotlighting/lamping.
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History
Early hunting
Using scenthounds to track prey dates back to Assyrian Babylonian and ancient Egyptian times, and is known as venery. In Britain, hunting with hounds was popular in Celtic Britain before the Romans arrived, using the Agassaei breed. The Romans brought their Castorian and Fulpine hound breeds to England, along with importing the brown hare (the mountain hare is native) and additional species of deer as quarry. Wild boar was also hunted.
The Norman hunting traditions were added when William the Conqueror arrived, along with the Gascon and Talbot hounds. The French link remains in modern hunting, with the traditional 'Tally-Ho!" cry being a corruption of the French "taïaut", used in french stag hunting, which itself is a corruption of the Norman French "Taillis-au!", which means "to the coppice!", indicating a fox has been sighted at the coverts. By 1340 the five beasts of venery were the hare, the red hart, the red hind (deer), the wolf and the wild boar. The five beasts of the chase were the buck deer, the doe deer, the fox, the marten and the roe.
Early hunts in England
The earliest known attempt to hunt a fox with hounds was in Norfolk, England, in 1534, where farmers began chasing down foxes with their dogs as pest control. The first packs to be trained to specifically hunt foxes were found in the late 1600s, with the oldest fox hunt likely to be the Bilsdale in Yorkshire. By the end of the seventeenth century, organised packs were hunting both hare and fox. The passing of the Enclosure Acts from 1760 to 1840 had made hunting deer much more difficult in many areas of the country, as that requires great areas of open land. Also, the new fences made jumping the obstacles separating the fields part of the hunting tradition. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, people began to move out of the country and into towns and cities to find work. Roads, rail and canals split the hunting country, but also made hunting accessible to more people. Shotguns were improved during the nineteenth century and game shooting became more popular. To protect the pheasants for the shooters, gamekeepers culled the foxes almost to extirpation in popular areas, which caused the huntsmen to improve their coverts. Finally the Game Laws were relaxed in 1831, which meant anyone could obtain a permit to take rabbits, hares and gamebirds.
In the United States
According to the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, Englishman Robert Brooke was the first man to import hunting hounds to America, bringing his pack to Maryland in 1650 when he imported his horses, his slaves (not hunt servants as has been suggested) and a pack of fox hounds.[14] It has also been suggested that he imported 24 red foxes from England (since red fox was not indigenous to North America) and the first organised hunt for the benefit of group (rather than a single patron) was started by Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax in 1747. In 2006 the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America included 168 registered packs in the U.S. and Canada, and there are additional farmer (non-recognised) packs.
In Australia
In Australia, the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) was introduced solely for the purpose of fox hunting in 1855, Native animal populations have been very badly affected, with the extinction of at least 10 species attributed to the spread of foxes. Fox hunting continues in Australia, with thirteen clubs with over 1000 members, still hunting with horses and hounds, in the state of Victoria. In Tasmania, which until 2001 has been fox free, a large reward of $1000 per fox is offered and $50,000 for information of the introduction. Generally foxes are controlled with baits or spotlighted by farmers, who identify foxes by the eyeshine signature (from the tapetum in the eye), body shape and silhouette. Fox hunting with hounds results in only around 650 foxes being killed annually in Victoria, compared with over 90,000 shot over a similar period in response to a State government bounty.
In Europe
Many other Greek- and Roman-influenced countries have their own long tradition of hunting with hounds. France and Italy for example, have thriving fox hunts. In Switzerland and Germany, where fox hunting was once popular, the activity has been outlawed, although Germany continues to allow deer to be driven by dogs to guns.
Hunting with hounds was first banned in Nazi Germany on the explicit orders of Hermann Goering on July 3, 1934 in the Reichsjagdgesetz - one of the first laws to be formally introduced by the Nazis soon after they came to power in 1933. In 1939 the ban was extended to cover Austria after Hitler's annexation of the country. It remains banned in Germany to this day. Bernd Ergert, the director of Germany's Munich-based hunting museum, said: "The aristocrats were understandably furious, but they could do nothing about the ban given the totalitarian nature of the regime."
Quarry Animals
Red fox
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the normal prey animal of a fox hunt in Europe. A small omnivorous predator, the fox lives in underground burrows called earths, and is predominantly active around twilight (making it a crepuscular animal). Adult foxes tend to range around an area of between 5 and 15 km2 in good terrain, although in poor terrain, it can be as much as 20 km2.[24] The red fox can run at up to 48 km/h. It is also variously known as a Tod (old English word for fox), Reynard (the name of an anthropomorphic character in European literature from the twelth century) or Charlie (named for the Whig politician Charles James Fox).
Gray fox
In North America the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), a very distant relative of the European red fox, can be the subject of a fox hunt. Unlike the red fox, the gray fox is an adept climber of trees, making it harder to hunt with hounds.
Coyote and other quarry
The coyote (Canis latrans) is one of the most prevalent game of North American hunts. The coyote is an indigenous predator which did not range east of the Mississippi River until the latter half of the 20th century. The coyote is faster (running at 65 km/h) and wider ranging (with a territory of up to 283 km2) than the fox, so a much larger hunt territory is required to chase it.
Coyotes can be challenging opponents for the dogs in physical confrontations, despite the size advantage of a large dog. Coyotes have larger canine teeth and are generally more practised in hostile encounters.
North American hunts also pursue the bobcat (Lynx rufus), and the choice of quarry will depend on the region and numbers of each quarry available. In countries such as India, and in other areas formerly under British influence such as Iraq, the golden jackal (Canis aureus) is often the quarry.
Animals of the hunt
Hounds and other dogs
Fox hunting is usually undertaken with a pack of scent hounds, and in most cases these will be specially bred foxhounds. These dogs will be trained to pursue the fox based on its scent. The two main types of foxhound are the English Foxhound and the American Foxhound. It is possible to use a sight hound such as a greyhound or lurcher to pursue foxes, though this practice is not common in organised hunts (although it is used by poachers), and these dogs are more often used for coursing animals such as hares. English Foxhounds are also used for hunting stag, otter or mink.
Hunts may also use terriers to flush or kill foxes which are hiding underground,[1] as they are small enough to pursue the fox through narrow earths.
Horses
Horses are a prominent feature of many hunts, although others are conducted on foot (and those hunts with horse packs may also have foot followers). Horses on hunts can range from specially bred and trained field hunters to casual hunt attendees riding a wide variety of horse and pony types. Generally, the only requirements are that a horse be well mannered, have the ability to clear the obstacles (although hunts generally have alternatives to jumping), and the stamina to keep up with the hounds. Draft and thoroughbred crosses often make adept hunters, although pure thoroughbreds are also used. These crossbred horses have the strength to clear large obstacles such as wide ditches, tall fences and rock walls and have the stamina to hunt for hours. Dependant on terrain, the hunt may be divided into two groups, with a group who will undertake more demanding jumps over obstacles (also known as the 'First Field') and a group who will generally take longer routes through gates or other flat access (also called 'Hilltoppers' or 'Gaters').
Birds of prey
In the United Kingdom, since the introduction of the hunting ban, a number of hunts have employed falconers to bring birds of prey to the hunt, due to the exemption in the Hunting Act for falconry. The legality of this will be tested by a private prosecution being brought by the League Against Cruel Sports.
Procedure
Fox hunts are the setting for many social rituals, but the hunting itself begins when hounds are put into rough or brushy areas called "coverts", where foxes often lay up during daylight hours or when they hear domestic dogs moving toward them. If the pack manages to pick up the scent of a fox, they will follow it in a "chase" wherein the dogs pursue the fox and the hunters follow, by the most direct route possible. Since this may involve very athletic skill on the part of horse and rider alike, foxhunting is the origin of traditional equestrian sports including steeplechase, point to point racing[44] and hunt seat riding in the United States.
The hunt continues until either the fox evades the hounds, "goes to ground" or is overtaken and usually killed by the hounds. In the case of Scottish hill packs or the gun packs of Wales and upland areas of England, the fox is flushed to guns. Hunts in the Cumbrian fells and other upland areas are followed by supporters on foot rather than on horseback.
In the UK, where the fox goes to ground, terriers may be entered into the earth to locate the fox so that it can be dug down to and killed, although since the ban on some fox hunting, the kill has been de-emphasised in some hunts. In the US, the object is not to kill the fox, and once the fox goes to ground, he is left alone.
Social rituals are important to hunts, although many have fallen into disuse. One of the most notable was the act of "blooding." This is a very old ceremony in which the master or huntsman would smear the blood of the fox or coyote onto the cheeks or forehead of a newly initiated hunt follower, often a young child. Another practice of some hunts was to cut off the tail ('brush'), the feet ('pads') and the head ('mask') as trophies, with the carcass then thrown to the dogs. Both of these practices were widely abandoned during the nineteenth century, although isolated cases may still have occurred to the modern day.
Autumn or cub hunting
In the autumn of each year, hunts take the young hounds out "cub hunting" or "autumn hunting" in order to cull young foxes bred during closed season and to teach the hound puppies to hunt. Foxhounds may not hunt at all, or may hunt mammals other than foxes by natural instinct, they have to be trained and encouraged to hunt foxes.
In Britain "cub hunting" consists of training the young hounds in hunting by firstly surrounding a covert, with riders and foot followers to drive back foxes attempting to escape, and then 'drawing' the covert with the puppies and some more experienced hounds, allowing them to find, attack and kill the young foxes within the surrounded wood. A young hound is considered to be 'entered' into the pack once he or she has successfully joined in a hunt in this fashion. Rarely, foxhounds that do not show aptitude for hunting are usually moved to another pack or found alternative uses.[citation needed]
Main hunting season
Once the season proper starts (usually from early November in the northern hemisphere, or May in the southern hemisphere), the idea is to drive the fox from the covert and chase it for long distances over open countryside. The season continues through to April. Some hunts even go on into the start of May. Fox cubs are born between January and May, dependant on their geographical range, which means that pregnant and nursing vixens may be hunted.
American variations
In America, fox hunting is also called fox chasing because the purpose is not to actually kill the animal but to enjoy the thrill of the chase. The American fox population is well-controlled partly because of the prevalence of rabies so hunting is not needed to keep the species in check, whereas this disease is not present in Britain. The rare animal that is killed by an American hunt is usually old or unhealthy.
American hunts often end up chasing coyotes (or even bears) when the hounds pick up the scent. Many of the farmers and ranchers who allow fox hunting on their property do so because coyotes that have been chased by a pack of domestic dogs appear to learn to keep their distance from domestic animals in the future.
In the United States, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both kept packs of fox hounds before and after the American Revolutionary War. The last U.S. president to hunt was Ronald Reagan, and the last First Lady to do so was Jacqueline Kennedy.
Drag hunting
Drag hunting can also be popular, either instead of, or in addition to, live quarry hunting. Drag hunting involves dragging an object over the ground to lay a scent for the hounds to follow.[50] Some drag hunts use a scented bag for this purpose, although the corpse of a fox of other animal can also be used, which is a technique claimed by some British hunts to hunt within the law.
Bloodhounds are used to hunt a human runner the sport of "Hunting the Clean Boot".
Drag hunting is disliked by some advocates of quarry hunting due to the trail being pre-determined, and therefore eliminating hazards present in the live quarry hunt. Drag hunts also tend to be a lot faster than quarry hunts, as the dogs are given the scent to follow, rather than having to search for a quarry, or risk it going to ground.
Shooting foxes
In Australia, the term "Fox Hunting" is also used to refer to the hunting of foxes with firearms much the same as deer or rabbit (although Australia has mounted hunts with hounds). Introduced red foxes are a serious problem for farmers in Australia, having been introduced by huntsmen in the nineteenth and twentieth century for 'sporting' purposes. They are a serious conservation problem, and the expedient removal of foxes is a higher priority than the pomp and circumstance surrounding a traditional fox hunt as practised in the UK.
Typically, the hunter will either call foxes in with a fox whistle – sometimes to within 20m or so of the hunter – at which point they are then dispatched with a shotgun, or else hunt at night with a spotlight and a rifle, known as spotlighting (or – in the UK and Ireland – as 'lamping').
People
Hunt Staff and officials
As a social ritual, human participants in a fox hunt often fill specific roles, the most prominent of which is the master, often more than one and then called masters or joint masters. These individuals typically take much of the financial responsibility for the overall management of the sporting activities of the hunt and the care and breeding of the hunt's fox hounds, as well as control and direction of the its paid staff.
- Master of fox hounds (M.F.H.) or Joint Master of Fox Hounds operates the sporting activities of the hunt, maintains the kennels, works with (and sometimes is) the huntsman, and spends the money raised by the hunt club. (Often the master or joint masters are the largest of financial contributors to the hunt.)
- Honorary secretaries are volunteers (usually one in America, two in the UK) who collect the cap (money) from guest riders.
- A kennelman looks after hounds in kennels, assuring that all tasks are completed when pack and staff return from hunting
- The huntsman, often the same person as the kennelman, is responsible for directing the hounds in the course of the hunt. The Huntsmen usually carries a horn to communicate to the hounds, followers and whippers in.
- Whippers-in are assistants to the huntsman. Their main job is to keep the pack all together, especially to prevent the hounds from straying or 'riotting', which term refers to the hunting of animals other than the hunted fox. To help them to control the pack, they carry hunting whips and in America they may also carry .22 revolvers loaded with rat-shot or blanks. The role of "whipper-in" in hunts has inspired parliamentary systems (including the Westminster System and the U.S. Congress) to use "whip" for a member who enforces party discipline and ensure the attendance of other members at important votes.[52]
- Terrier man - Most hunts where the object is to kill the fox will employ a terrier man, whose job it is to control the terriers which may be used underground to corner or flush the fox. Often voluntary terriermen will follow the hunt as well. In the UK, they often ride quadbikes with their terriers in boxes on their bikes.
In addition to members of the hunt staff, a committee may run the "Hunt Supporters Club" to organise fundraising and social events and in America many hunts are incorporated and have parallel lines of leadership.
Britain, Ireland and America have a Masters of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) which consists of current and past masters of foxhounds. This is the governing body for all foxhound packs and deals with disputes about boundaries between hunts.
Attire
Mounted hunt followers typically wear traditional hunting attire. A prominent feature of hunts operating during the formal hunt season (between late October and the end of March) is that hunt members wear 'colours'. This attire consists of the traditional scarlet coats only worn by huntsmen, masters, former masters, whippers-in (regardless of sex) and other hunt staff members, and are also known as Pinks or Pinques; the ladies generally wearing scarlet tabs on their black or dark navy coats. These help them stand out from the rest of the field. Various theories about the derivation of this term have been given, ranging from the colour of a weathered scarlet coat to the name of a purportedly famous tailor.
Some hunts, including most hare hunts, use green rather than red jackets. The colour of breeches (riding pants) vary from hunt to hunt and are generally of one colour, though two or three colours throughout the year may be permitted.[55] Unlike the jacket, the colours of the breeches remains the same throughout the cubbing and formal seasons. Boots are generally English dress boots (no laces). For the men they are black with brown leather tops (called top boots), and for the ladies, black with a patent black leather top of similar proportion to the men.[55] Additionally, the number of buttons is significant. The Master of the hunt wears a scarlet coat with four brass buttons while the huntsman and other professional staff wear five. Amateur Whippers-in also wear four buttons. Generally when following a hunt and not engaged in official duties, a Master, huntsman, or whipper-in may wear the same number of buttons on his coat.
Another differentiation in dress between the amateur and professional staff is found in the ribbons at the back of the hunt cap. These ribbons were designed to deflect rain over the collar of the coat rather than allowing it to drip down the back of the neck. The professional staff wear their hat ribbons down, while amateur staff and members of the field wear their ribbons up.[citation needed] The traditional reason given for these differences is that the professional staff has no option but to remain out in inclement weather, whereas the amateur or field member may go home whenever they wish.
Those members who do not wear colours, tend to dress in a black hunt coat and unadorned black buttons for both men and ladies, with breeches the same as the other members. Boots are all English dress boots and have no other distinctive look. Some hunts also further restrict the wear of formal attire to weekends and holidays and use ratcatcher all other times.
Other members of the mounted field follow strict rules of clothing etiquette. For example, those under eighteen will wear tweed jackets or ratcatcher all season. Those over eighteen will wear ratcatcher during Autumn hunting from late August until the Opening Meet, normally around November 1. From the Opening Meet they will switch to regular hunting kit where full subscribers will wear scarlet and the rest black or navy. (In American hunts, only Masters, staff and gentlemen members with colours wear scarlet.) The highest honour is to be awarded the hunt button by the Hunt Master. This means you can then wear the hunt collar (colour varies from hunt to hunt) and buttons with the hunt crest on them. (In America male followers are awarded their "colours," which includes the right to wear a scarlet coat. Female followers are usually awarded "colours" which allow them to wear the collar of the hunt but also often a dark navy coat with brass buttons.)
