Huntsman Chip Anderson lay terminally ill on the morning of December 7, 2013 as the Santa Ynez Valley Hounds met for their Opening Meet at Master Steve Lyons’ KickOn Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Before hounds moved off, word came quietly to the Masters that Chip had died. Lyons chose to withhold the sad news until after the meet, when, along with the announcement, he dedicated the day to Chip.
I got to know Chip when I was editor of Covertside magazine. He submitted a hunting story to me for publication, and I was riveted. I published a number of his hunting stories and loved every one; they were full of adventure, suspense, danger, and exotic locales.
Chip was mad-keen to hunt. Whatever the game; wherever the habitat; he devoured the experience. He hunted wild boar with foxhounds in California, with Ariegeois hounds in Italy, with the Aidi dogs of the Berber tribes in Morocco, and with the Dogo Argentino on the South American pampas—sometimes with guns, sometimes with short swords, and sometimes with daggers in close combat. He was, for a time, a professional guide for dove and pigeon shoots in South America, and he wrote a fingernail-biter about shooting a cattle-killing jaguar that he tracked with a pack of dogs, one of which was a foxhound from the Tryon Hunt in North Carolina that he had bred while huntsman there.
Chip Anderson in Argentina with the Dogo Argentino, the first and only hound bred to hunt the boar exclusively / Claire Buchy photoNot only did Chip pen exciting stories, but the photographs taken by Claire Buchy, his wife-to-be who accompanied him on many of these adventures, were worth hanging in a gallery on their very own.
The last job as huntsman that Chip accepted was one he was never able to perform. He became too ill. But he never lost his positive attitude. He asked his new boss, Steve Lyons, MFH of the Santa Ynez Valley Hounds (CA) to allow him to teach his wife Claire to hunt the hounds instead. Rather than the straight English hunting horn, she adopted the curved horn of her native France as well as the stylish French-cut hunting coat, and she plunged herself into a brand new vocation.
“By her third season, Claire was the best huntsman we ever had,” said Lyons.
Chip outlived the medical prognoses, and he leaves a part of himself behind in the Santa Ynez kennels.
Someone once wrote, “We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is attitude….I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it….We are in charge of our attitudes.”
That’s one passage Chip didn’t write, but he could have. Following are comments from his friends:
Chip found the gaucho horses honest, the saddles treacherous, and the bridles comedic. / Claire Buchy photoSteve Lyons, MFH:
“It is with great sadness that we are writing to let everyone know that our dear friend Chip has passed away. As we rode off on Opening Meet on Saturday, December 7, Chip lost his battle with the cancer that took his life but not his spirit. His love for the sport we all hold dear has left an indelible mark on all of us and he will continue to inspire us with his memory. A Celebration of Life is being planned for January 11th at KickOn Ranch at 11:00 am for lunch, and everyone is invited.
“We will miss our friend dearly but know that Chip will remain in a special place in all of our hearts as someone you just don’t meet every day.”
John Fuhring:
“It turned out that we had a really great Opening Hunt after all. We had a big rainstorm that came in late Friday night and was due to linger until 10:00 am. I thought the day was going to be miserable, especially when I loaded and hitched up in the rain and darkness yesterday morning. The drive to Steve and Cindy Lyons’ KickOn Ranch was through pelting rain and that did nothing to ease my concerns as my “waterproof” jacket had already soaked through while gathering the horses at the stable. Anyway, we all met for a long and very jolly stirrup cup in Steve’s barn and just exactly at 9:45, the rain stopped like somebody turned a switch. We saddled up and started on time to a beautiful morning. Master Paul McEnroe gave a most appropriate Blessing that included not only the hounds, but our horses and us, too, and his words regarding our friend Chip, who was lying gravely ill, moved many people to tears.
“Master Steve Lyons’ ranch is underlain with a sandy soil that quickly soaks up enormous amounts of rain, so the footing was superb. In the cool dampness of the chaparral, the hounds were enthusiastic and ran well and the horses felt good and were energized. We had a whole series of great runs that finally ended around 1PM.
“While we were out, somebody passed the word that our very great friend and a man loved by everybody in our club had died. Chip Anderson brought to our club many wonderful things: a sense of adventurous fun, some idea of what it meant to be a hunter, companionship that I’ll never forget, a “refreshment break” during long, hot hunts, but most of all, he brought to us our beloved huntsman, Claire. We certainly have been blessed by having Chip with us all these years. We won’t forget all the wonderful things that he did for us and all the great times we had that only he could have made possible. Everybody I talked to agreed that we felt Chip was with us while we were out hunting yesterday. When we got back and started our breakfast, it was more like a feast there in the barn with every speck of food and drink consumed. Chip’s mother and some of his family were there, many things were said about Chip Greg Anderson and the Masters dedicated our opening hunt to Chip. Life is full of so many partings, but we go on, even with big pieces missing from our hearts.”
Scott Lyons:
Chip, not only were you a mentor and brother to me, you were an inspiration to hundreds of others. You were a wealth of knowledge in the hunting community that no one else could match. Your creativity and passion for wildlife was unsurpassed by anyone. You taught me how to skin my first deer, clean my first duck, hunt birds, shoot a dove, and fish those pesky cats in the upper reservoir. We have spent so many days sitting in the barn talking about our hunting plans and aspirations. You always told me your life was full of plans, and you were afraid that you wouldn’t be able to fulfill them. Just know wherever I go you will be with me in heart and soul. I will be thinking about the impact you made on me for the rest of my life. I love you Chip, and I’m glad you are resting with no pain.
Posted December 10, 2013