A Different Kind of Hunt - NDR

Bill Savoie

Bill Savoie

Active member
So, yesterday morning my wife and I walked up to see off the hounds for the hunt. Being new to North Carolina, this was my first real experience with the fox hunting tradition down here. This is the Moore County hunt, one of the oldest in the country. The primary chase animal these days is the coyote, and there are plenty around here.
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I've never considered hounds to be overly trainable, but I was amazed at how well these guys knew their jobs and the commands that they responded to... no to mention that fresh horse crap is still a huge attraction to them. There were about 30 dogs in the pack, larger than traditional hounds since their prey has a lot more stamina than the fox.
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There were about 50 riders in the hunt today... at an average cost of 10k per mount (and I think this is a little low), there was plenty of money wandering around the field. The hunt is organized (it didn't look very organized to me) and controlled by the people in the red jackets.
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The guy in the top hat is the master of the hunt. He picks the the direction the hounds will be set off in... after that, it's up to Wyle E. Coyote. The riders go out in 3 flights. The first flight rides with the hounds and consists of the bravest, boldest or most foolish riders. The second flight follows along at a more leisurely pace, still taking the jumps but the riders can ride out around obstructions should they choose. The third flight is for the spectators and jumping is purely optional. The red coats ride with each flight to make sure everyone is accounted for.
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For those who don't want to ride, there is always the carriage option. The hunt is about to go...
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And they're off!
 
Very cool Bill. They run hounds to the north of where I deer hunt, very elite club from what I hear and they like to take a nip here and there (lots of injuries). They are far enough away that you can just hear it and the sound of the dogs comes and goes with the change in the breezes. It took a while for me to figgure out just what it was, obviously it sounded like all hell was breaking loose. I was on the ground once on my way to?/from? a tree with my bow and the dogs must have "strayed" a few properties to the south and I almost started looking for a tree to climb :).

T
 
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