In general, if one purchases a property that is existing land a hunt uses, does the landowner automatically become part of the hunt?
As always it depends on the hunt. For the hunts of which I’ve been a member the answer would be no. You would be invited to all hunt activities and were welcome to hunt whenever the hunt was hunting across your land. Although they did not object to the landowners hunting at other times as well.
Yesterday we had a landowner out but we were not on her land. I don’t know if she paid a cap or not.
In our hunt all landowners are offered honorary membership although very few actually ride. Many do choose to attend social functions. We also have a landowner appreciation event each year. I am sure it varies by hunt.
IMO, it depends on whether you’re a landowner or a farmer.
True farmers, who made their livlihood from farming, and had large tracts of land that were open to hunting were given every privledge and courtesy, always welcome to hunt, and always invited to social events. They were not expected to be sponsored, become members, pay subscription fees or donate to the kennels. And if they wanted to show up on a plow horse, wearing rubber boots and an old tweed coat, no one would presume to say a word about their turnout and would still treat them with every courtesy.
Landowners were usually expected to become members if they wished to hunt. If they were willing to leave their land open for hunting and did not wish to hunt themselves, they were invited to social events and the masters took care to ensure that they were happy and the land continued to stay open.
It would make sense to me that a hunting landowner would pay a different subscription that a non-landowner, but I have no idea if any hunts do this, or how you would enforce it. There are many properties that are technically within the hunt territory that are not actually huntable, so I don’t how that would be handled.
Our property owners, if they wish to hunt throughout the season and not only on their own property, pay a $10 per annum subscripton. They pay no cap fees etc, so they get annual membership for $10. We also have a “farmers dinner” every year to thank all of them.
Land owners in our hunt are offered membership first over non land owners. Ours has a pretty much closed membership due to popularity. I believe around 125. Land owners must own 50 acres or more of land that is/has been hunted over. We do not get a free subscription but hunt dues are reduced from what non land owners pay.
