The Meath Foxhounds at Ardbraccan House County Meath Ireland
Meath Foxhounds huntsman John Henry and whipper-in Barry Finnegan with the hosts of the meet, Charlie Noell owner of Ardbraccan, and Serina Williams Ellis at Ardbraccan House . Photo by Noel Mullins.
Noel Mullins gives a hunt report from last November about a meet of the Meath Foxhounds at Ardbraccan House in County Meath, Ireland.
Going Home One Last Time
Dude and Bre Kruger hacking the hounds back to the meet. Photo by Traci Duckworth.
A great huntsman impacts not only their hunt but members of other hunts. Sometimes this is through breeding their hounds, inviting guests to hunt, or attending hound shows and performance trials. In the case of Dave “Dude” Kruger, it was the Burwell.
North Hills Hunt has hosted an invitational hunt in Burwell, Nebraska, for something like 50 years. Little more than a slightly larger dot on a map, Burwell is known for three things: Nebraska’s Big Rodeo, the Calamus Reservoir, and foxhunting. It’s centrally located and easy to get to (if you don’t mind section roads through farmland), so the invitational weekends attract members from many hunts across the West. The country is only hunted 3-4 weekends a year so the coyotes are fresh and it’s always a good time. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and the weather is guaranteed to be interesting no matter the time of year.
A Meet of Vixens and One Scarlet Fox
The Vixen Meet Fields. Photo by John Wilkoski.
I jumped at the chance when I was asked to join the committee to plan and execute the third annual Mr. Stewart’s Cheshire Vixen Meet in Pennsylvania. I was thrilled to be on a hunt committee for the first time and had some big ideas brewing almost immediately. Luckily, my fellow committee members had the same big ideas to make this Vixen Meet bigger and better than ever before. The goal to make our Vixen Meet a destination, rather than just a one-day event, drove us to think big and think fabulous. We rallied the troops from our hunt community to pull off such a big endeavor.
The Inaugural All Maryland MFHA Performance Trials
The combined pack. Photo by Tisa Della Volpe Photography.
On March 4 & 5th 2023, Wicomico Hunt Club hosted the first ever All Maryland Masters of the Foxhounds Association (“MFHA”) Performance Trials on Wye Island. This performance trial brought together not just Penn-Marydel hounds (as in prior years), but the full chorus/compliment of diversity found in Free State packs: crossbred and American hounds.
Fun Fact: the first foxhounds in the Americas were brought to the colony of Maryland by Robert Brooke in the mid-1600s, making Maryland the cradle of foxhunting in America.
No Land Means No Hunting – Junior Members Lobby For Land Conservation
Mia Valdez is a 15-year-old Junior Member of the Keswick Hunt Club and member of the Mountain Skyline Pony Club. She has an impressive resume of lobbying her state government not once, but twice. Below is her account of the day.
Virginia Hunts Juniors met with First Lady Suzanne Youngkin and Representative Buddy Fowler. Photo by Joseph Svetina.
Photo: Virginia Hunts Juniors met with First Lady Suzanne Youngkin and Representative Buddy Fowler. Photo by Joseph Svetina.
The topic of this year’s Junior Foxhunting Day was land conservation and how the Virginia Department of Wildlife and Resources supports the efforts of many hunt clubs within the state. The importance of maintaining open spaces, the involvement of Juniors, and educating the general public about foxhunting were all discussed.
A Celebration of the Sport for Juniors
The 2023 Junior North American Field Hunter Championship. Photo by Dominique Morrison.
“The future of our sport and land”
The Junior North American Field Hunter Championship, or JNAFHC, founders Douglas Wise-Stuart, MFH of Old Dominion Hounds, and Iona Pillion from the Blue Ridge Hunt had a dream, “Bring children to new hunting countries and open their eyes to the fact that these playgrounds don’t just happen to be there for them by chance but have been nurtured and conserved for the perpetuation of wildlife, open space, and for those who treasure the natural world.”
Hound Trials in the Georgia Pines
Belle Meade Hound Trials 2023. Photo by Allison Howell.
Here is an account from the guest huntsman of the recent Performance Trial hosted by Belle Meade in Georgia. There were nine packs that competed: Belle Meade Hunt (GA), Bridlespur Hunt (MO), Bull Run Hunt (VA), Goodwin Hounds (NC), Goshen Hounds (MD), Mill Creek Hunt (IL), Midland Fox Hounds (GA), Rolling Rock Hunt (PA), and Tennessee Valley Hunt (TN). Steven Thomas, MFH is the Huntsman for the Fort Leavenworth Hunt in Kansas and had the pleasure of being the guest huntsman of the combined pack. Read below to hear what this huntsman thought of the weekend.
An Education in Hunting Zig Zag Coyotes
Belle Meade Hunt after the Zig Zag Coyote run. Notice the high viz vests worn during deer season. Photo by Allison Howell.
“Do you know how to make sure you hunt on the best day of the season? It’s easy, you just have to hunt every hunt.”
Below is Epp Wilson’s hunt report of last week’s day of sport in Thomson, Georgia. Epp loves to check the weather data and game tables before each hunt. He has been studying what conditions effects scenting for decades, but he admits that he still hasn’t decoded it yet. Located in the deep south, Belle Meade is legendary for its coyote sport, and this day of hunting didn’t disappoint. They have a tradition of awarding Rough Rider points to all members who stay out for any run that lasts over 40 minutes. This hunt was an epic Rough Rider day. Continue to read for one of the best hunt reports you will ever read, and gain some pointers from one of the best huntsmen in North America. ***I have added a map from the GPS collars of their lead hounds at end.***
The Good Lord and Santa were both good to us Wednesday on the last hunt before Christmas. Very good.
Big Sky Hounds Celebrate 10 Years!
Big Sky Hounds, Three Forks, Montana. Photo by Gretchen Pelham.
If you are in Montana, you need to hunt with the Big Sky Hounds. Great hounds, great country, great people. It is, as their website says, “Foxhunting Montana-Style.”
They are the real deal.
Sub-zero Foxhunting, Montana-Style
Big Sky Hounds, winter image in relief. Photo by Scott Allsbrook.
Big Sky Hounds, with its pack of Walker Hounds, is the northernmost (latitudinal) cold-country pack in North America. The kennels are also located exactly at the confluence of the Madison, Jefferson, and Gallatin Rivers that create the Missouri River. We can hunt through winter because Montana doesn’t have as much snow or lake-effect weather as some Canadian counterparts. However, the extreme seasonal temperatures and conditions of Montana do present unique challenges to maintaining a happy, healthy pack of hounds, fit horses, and a predictable hunting schedule.