Today we were talking about hunting, and it brought up a memory I hadn’t thought about in almost 20 years.
I have gone spotlighting in the past when I was a kid, but one of the main hobbies we had as children was going fox hunting with hounds. It was a lot of fun, but perhaps not for the fox.
For the uninitiated, fox hunting is conducted on horseback, with a master running the show, a few “whippers-in” to keep the hounds in check, and the rest of the group trotting behind. Should a fox’s scent be discovered, or their whereabouts spotted by a rider (and announced to the group by expelling the phrase “Tally-Ho”), then the pursuit is afoot!
The battle between fox and hound is not evenly matched. Foxes are faster, and smarter, and often know the lay of the land. Hounds are fitter, and have a better sense of smell, and over a long enough distance will outrun a fox. Foxes have the upper hand, except for one important distinction, there are a lot of hounds.
In my time, I don’t think we ever caught a fox in the open, or if we did it must have been only once or twice. Most times we either lost the scent or the fox went to ground, which is when the “terrier man” was called into action. This was usually some old geezer who went to the holes with a few beagles and Jack Russels, and would try and flush to fox out. If successful, the fox would then be caught and flung to the hounds, which promptly tore the poor animal to shreds. A quick but otherwise awful way to go.
The first time this happened, I was quite bewitched by the whole experience, and the master of the hunt found the fox’s tail that hadn’t been consumed and dabbed the deceased animal’s blood on my cheeks. It’s a ritual called blooding, and I don’t remember mum being super pleased. I was though, even though I was only 12 or so.
Fox hunting is an extremely inefficient way of controlling pests, and I can see why it has its detractors. But two things can be true at once, and I won’t deny I enjoyed it when I was younger. It was a family affair as well, which probably added to most of the enjoyment.
To all my haters, feel free to bookmark this article to cancel me in 20 years!