Have been reading COTH forums for a while and finally signed up, mainly for the hunting threads. 
My partner is huntsman for New Zealand’s northern-most pack of hounds and it’s great to read about hunting over in your part of the world. NZ only hunts hares - we have no foxes, coyotes etc - but we lived in Australia for years where he was also a huntsman, and we hunted fox over there, which provides quite different sport. Of course the hounds were different too - foxhounds there and harrier hounds here. We’re in the beginning of summer here and have just started working hounds to get them fit for our hunt season which starts mid-March. When does your season start and finish? I’m looking forward to learning more about how you guys hunt, compared to how we do it.
Hi, welcome aboard! 
We are going to love learning from you about your style of hunting, too! I’m amazed that you all jump tall wire fencing. We are only brave enough to jump 3’6" wood jumps or stone walls. I hope you will come visit!
Welcome! Hunting in NZ is definitely on my bucket list, I’m looking forward to your reports!
Welcome to COTH! Our formal hunting goes from late October to the first week of April. Cub Hunting is the 6 weeks before formal starts. Coyote is mostly what we hunt.
And summer time, ahhh, lucky you! I’m heading out to hunt this morning and the temperature will creep up to 32 degrees, by late afternoon. Burrrrrr, gonna be a brisk morning for sure.
So, is there a foxhunting haka? 
What is a haka? Google time again…
Welcome to COTH, and I would love to hear more about hunting in NZ. My entire mental picture of New Zealand comes from “Lord of the Rings” …so I can’t help but picture the hunt & hounds riding through a crowd of hobbits in the Shire 
Like Beverly, I’ll be thinking about your lovely summer weather while I hope that the temperature rises above freezing today.
Well, if there isn’t one, there certainly should be. It could possibly be adapted for Snobbington Hunt stirrup cups…
No, there’s no foxhunting haka (no foxes, remember ;)) but I’m pretty sure the rugby haka could be adapted with a little more - or maybe a little less - tongue poking and eye rolling! Most of the hunts in NZ jump wire but there are a few in the South Island who hunt over hedges as well. However the wire fences aren’t huge - about 3’8" or so. Sometimes the top wire will be pulled down to the 2nd wire and a rail placed on top (we call that a spar) so it’s more visible, which is really only a concern to riders, cos horses jump plain wire just fine. I hunted in Ireland over stone walls and drains, and was pretty dubious over the first few drains - they’re huge! Luckily the Irish horses jump them like ours jump wire. If you ever come across the video/DVD of the Black and Tans (Scarteens), get a few hunting friends around, pour yourself a drink and sit back and enjoy the entertainment. It shows hunting over drains at it’s best - and worst.
When hunting coyotes, do hounds actually catch and kill them? I imagine the hunting would be very fast, but then I have no idea how a coyote would run. Is hunting very popular over there ? How many riders would you have out on an average weekend hunt? How many days a week does a pack hunt? We hunt Tuesdays and Saturdays, with several weekend hunts each season where we stay overnight and hunt again Sunday morning.
And I have to ask - what is the protocol over there regarding the wearing of red coats? I’ve seen lots of photos where there are a lot of people wearing them - over here only the master and the huntsman are allowed to wear red coats. Even then, if he hunts with another pack as a visitor, he can’t wear red. I’m guessing that’s not the case with you?
scarlet coats
The wearing of red coats varies hunt to hunt. Some hunts have them as part of their colors for men. My hunt is one of these. I like the red coats because I can see them from a distance and follow the action. I hilltop, so I am usually situated on a hill at a distance as an observer. The fox frequently will find the hilltoppers and use us as a foil, along with other animals, like cattle. The men love their red coats since they feel so dashing and distinguished. :winkgrin: When one is rewarded with colors in my hunt, part of what it means is that member can lead a group if the master asks for that help. The master will ask the members with colors for other help, too. The women rarely are allowed to wear the red coat. Just staff and masters, if the master chooses.
When visiting other hunts, members with colors wear black coats unless specifically told by the master of the visiting hunt that permission is granted. Joint meets frequently allow those guests to wear their colors.
Welcome ~ Happy Holidays ~
Merry Christmas everyone! Off to exercise hounds now so we can then get on with eating, drinking and being merry :winkgrin:
Happy Christmas to you. Envy your summer weather right now!
There is a harrier pack in Inyoke, CA. We join them for a joint meet every year. Kingsbury Harriers, John and Donna Auborn.
They hunt jackrabbits. Our beagle pack, Paradise Valley Beagles, also hunts jack rabbits. I think most beagle hunts are on foot but we hunt mounted because of the speed of the rabbits and the terrain.
What, exactly, is a jackrabbit? We have zillions of rabbits here, but I don’t know how they differ from jackrabbits. There are no foot packs in NZ - indeed people were very surprised when my other half started hunting hounds here and he will often get off his horse to help hounds out if needed. They’d never seen a huntsman do that, but being Irish, that’s what he’s always done. He hunted a foot pack for many years in Ireland before getting on a horse and doing it the easy way!
Just re-reading whicker’s post - why is it that women are rarely awarded hunt colours? Seems quite bizarre in this day and age.
A jackrabbit is a very tall, fast hare. Much taller and faster than a cottontail rabbit. The beagles learn to only hunt the jacks and to ignore the cottontail scent.
Here’s a link, I hope this works:
http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_rabbi.html
I don’t think it’s that women aren’t awarded color, but that they are not allowed to wear a scarlet coat. The colors go on the collar and you are allowed to wear your hunts buttons on your coat. You just wear a black coat that has been retrofitted.
Thanks, Jawa! I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear about that. The hunt colors are specific to each hunt club. The scarlet coat can be part of the gentleman’s colors. The lady’s colors are sewn on the collar of the black or dark blue coat. The hunt buttons have the insignia of the hunt on them. The hunt colors will include specific color breeches, too.
