California’s West Hills foxhounds—organized sixty-three years ago by song-and-dance man Dan Dailey and boasting the late President Ronald Reagan as a founding member—were compelled to learn a new vocabulary disguised in a down under accent last season.
For the prior fifty-five years David Wendler, one of the most experienced huntsman ever to carry the horn, had led the West Hills Hounds over difficult and dry terrain, hunting a pack of independent-minded American hounds primarily of the July strain (with some Orange County red ring neck blood). When it came time for Wendler to retire, West Hills was in a quandary. How to keep up the high level of sport in what some believe to be the most demanding hunt country in North America?
After a world-wide search, West Hills’ Master Mitch Jacobs located Scott Neill in New Zealand. Scott had been huntsman of the Rotorua Hunt in New Zealand for three years, taking the horn from his father, who had retired. From there he went to Australia and hunted hounds for the world-renowned Ellerslie Camperdown Hunt in Victoria. Scott then returned to New Zealand and hunted hounds for the Maramarua Hunt for nine seasons.
Scott had shown great sport at each of these hunts, but he also wanted to move on to further challenges. In West Hills, he recognized an opportunity to work at one of the top hunts in the United States. Although Scott came with a reputation as a great houndsman, Mitch was worried. The West Hills country is so demanding, that, notwithstanding Scott’s skill with hounds, he would have to be a brilliant horseman as well to hunt the West Hills’ pack successfully.
Mitch’s concerns were in vain. The entire hunting season at West Hills was uniformly great. Scott took over the horn
from David Wendler and showed excellent sport for the eight months of West Hills’ extended season. The mild and wet spring weather cooperated, and because Scott had done such an outstanding job, Mitch Jacobs and the other Joint-Masters of West Hills, including the grizzled veteran Mike Zacha, decided to extend the season so that more people could take advantage of Scott’s brilliant year.
While a number of coyote were accounted for, the main point of North American foxhunting is the chase, and chase coyotes Scott Neill did. The season opened and closed at West Hills’ sprawling fixtures between Gorman and Lancaster, California, on a 300,000 acre cattle ranch.
Opening Hunt in November had been a terrific, blistering day, with hounds in full cry for over an hour. Scott hunted the hounds away from the oak trees dotting the cattle ranch, because the oaks’ falling acorns were attracting deer and wild boar. This took hounds, hunt staff, and field into the difficult cactus-strewn foothills. A brace of coyotes popped up and gave the pack and Scott a run for it.
With the season off to a good start, Scott continued to deliver. At West Hills’ fixtures near Taft and Moorpark, California, the wet weather kept the scent thriving and the hounds driving. No one in the hunt could recall in living memory so many days of great sport.
At the joint meet in mid-season Scott’s great horsemanship came to the fore. While everyone else had used up their horses and were no longer able to follow hounds on several runs that exceeded ninety minutes, Scott had craftily preserved his horse for the final runs of the day. He and his hounds raced in full pursuit past the many who had reached bottom and were heading home to the meet.
Closing hunt was much like the rest of the season. Scott returned to the 300,000 acre cattle ranch where the season had opened. This time—the oak trees having given up their acorns—Scott hunted through the oak meadows. A coyote was soon found that began by running the hounds in a great three-mile circle, eventually trying to shake the pack in the rough terrain above the oak trees. He did so, but not until after a screaming sixty minutes with hounds in full pursuit, making music all along the way.
With its acquisition of huntsman Scott Neill, West Hills is certain to maintain its hard-earned reputation for delivering premier sport to a discerning membership.
July 20, 2010