Hunting for the rest of us.....

A COTH BB member, See U At X, accepted my invitation to come out basseting the other day.

She’s now the official good luck charm, because there were cottontail everywhere and she got some great photos.

After we hunted with these wonderful bassets, we went inside the house for a great tea - though our “tea” featured very tasty home made wine.

The fixture was the site of a Civil War Battle referred to as the “Buckland Races”. Google it - it’s worth reading about.

Without further ado - here is a link to her photos (shared with her kind permission). Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/see.u.at.x/AshlandBassets02?feat=directlink#

Looks like lots of fun!

Love Pic 55 and the Bassett ears!

Which pic is you?

I was the fat chick with the black windbreaker; climbing the fence with a whip in my hand.

The Master had sent me ahead as hounds had gotten a bit too… exuberant.

No pictures of the intrepid See U At X - yet! I think we have a new convert to the art of venerie and I hope to see her out a lot more.

Remember - open invitation to any COTH BB member - to hunt as my guest with our footpack. We hunt cottontail on foot - but it’s just like foxhunting. Master, huntsman, whippers-in, Field Master, Field, hounds and staff commands - all the same.

That was a wonderful treat…thank you for sharing!
I grew up with bassets and remember my father and uncle hunting them on our property. With all the multiflora around our place we had loads of cottontails. These photos brought back wonderful memories of my childhood. It was a bit less formal but so much fun.
Your pack is beautiful.

I’d love to join you, it looks like a great day! I think the commute is a little long though :frowning:

JSwan, would you mind giving the non-educated masses a quick rundown on the basics? I know nothing of basseting, but it sounds interesting from your posts.

Some random questions off the top of my head…

What is the season for basseting?

How many days a week does the pack go out? How long is the typical hunting day?

Is the intent to actually catch a rabbit, or is the sport in seeing how well they can track a scent?

What is the cost of joining the group for a day? I’m assuming there is some sort of “capping” fee from your other posts about taking guests out.

What is the proper attire for guests to wear?

Does one need a hunting license to come for the day as a guest?

Any info would be appreciated. I’m completely out of shape for foxhunting currently, but I can definitely slog through hill and dale on my own two feet, so I’m curious to learn more about it.

Many thanks for taking the time to let us know more about the sport. :slight_smile:

George the Basset is envious!
I keep promising him we’ll go down to our other pasture to hunt bunnies. :smiley:

You’re welcome. I’d love to see you come out sometime - send me a PM if you’re interested. :slight_smile:

Hey I was there!

And just HOW did SeeU avoid a photo of the beauteeeful and vivacious Wateryglen!!! I’m stumped! :winkgrin::lol:

I was out there and chatted with Jswan & SeeU and everybody else cuz we are allowed to talk if not too loud or distracting to the hounds…I did get shushed once by the fieldmaster but I blamed it on Jswan…The bleu ticked french hounds (Known as the Bleu de’Gascogne type) really love water…could you tell??? :smiley: My pet basset is a Bleu. And all the rabbits that day were HUGE! Jswan calls them “Chernobyl Bunnies”!!
There’s a lot of horses there and they are quite different in their reactions to the ruckus. Many are just curious. The polo ponies were especially friendly…all 30 of them came up to sniff the hounds and had to be shushed away. Some of the goofy Tb’s just ran the fenceline and got all sweated up. Most just stood & watched.
Ashlands livery is a green coat with a red piping on the collar. This would be for members with colors. Beige pants (many wear brush pants). But guests can wear anything they want. It should be good hiking clothes for the type of country. Good hiking boots or muckers recommended and pants that you can climb over fences with. Jeans perfect.
The season is the same as foxhunting. In Va. it’s 9/1 to 4/1. Our pack goes out 3 days a week for 2 hours each. Our cap is $10/day. And the point is the chase, watching the hounds work scent lines, viewing rabbits and socializing and we always have a tailgate or breakfast after our sunday meets. We go out at 2pm. It’s all the fun of foxhunting without the horse. Our territories/meet sites are shared with local foxhunts & landowners by their kind permissions and cooperation. Since we are hunting different quarry and rarely kill any potential foxfood; the hunts don’t mind. But of course; we can’t meet at the same place on the same day etc. :eek: :smiley: Most of our members are former foxhunters, current foxhunters or horseless folks.

Hope to SeeU again SeeUatX!!

Thanks for the information. :slight_smile: Definitely sounds interesting, and it looks like you guys had a beautiful day in those photos.

I can’t even tell you guys how much fun I had. A HUGE thanks to JSwan for inviting me! I had planned to go hunting with them again today, but ended up being out WAY too late last night (3:30 a.m. :eek: - I’m too old for that stuff!!!) and didn’t get out of bed in time to make my phone call for directions to the fixture. So JSwan and Wateryglen, count me in for next Sunday!

Wateryglen, I’m not sure how I missed snapping your photo. Oh, wait…probably because we were too busy chatting! Trust me, I’m better off BEHIND the lens of the camera than in front of it. And I am grateful that JSwan isn’t upset with me for getting that picture of her climbing over the fence. (She is NOT fat, people, I promise.) I tried to take photos that told the whole story from start to finish, so when she went chasing off after the hounds (with permission, of course), I thought, “Oh, boy! Gotta get pictures of this!”

If you think that the hounds are precious in photos, you really have to meet them in person. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier group of canines in my life. They work hard, but they play hard, too. I got the biggest kick out of watching those little legs go as fast as they could with ears flopping all over.

I highly encourage anyone in the area to attend. It’s great exercise and IMHO, there is nothing better than trekking across the countryside after hounds, whether it’s on foot or horseback. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly, and when JSwan says that they take tailgating to a whole new level, she is NOT kidding! I do plan on trying to attend as many hunts as possible now, so I really do hope that more people will take JSwan up on her offer…I’d love to meet more you! :slight_smile:

Gorgeous pix. Love that fat shaggy pony! Sounds like it was a great day.

Thanks for sharing! The photos are wonderful. It sounds like a lot of fun going out on foot. Hmmm.

Wow! That looks like a lot of fun. I have been dying to try foxhunting, but my horse is still out of shape, and I think next year would be better, if he stays sound! The basseting seems like a great way for me to get a feel for what is expected when out with hounds. I love the fact that you start at 2:00!!

If I find myself in Virginia (which I LOVE!), I’ll have to look you up, JSwan, and take you up on your generous offer. Looks like all had a great time. Happy Hunting!

This sounds like such a blast!! Some days I wish I were NOT on a horse hunting and it would be so nice to be able to follow a footpack. Does anyone know of any down in GA? Or maybe I will just plan a little vacay to Virginia? This is definitely on the “bucket list” now. Thanks JSwan for all the info and CUatX for the pics!

[QUOTE=skip916;4532809]
This sounds like such a blast!! Some days I wish I were NOT on a horse hunting and it would be so nice to be able to follow a footpack. Does anyone know of any down in GA? Or maybe I will just plan a little vacay to Virginia? This is definitely on the “bucket list” now. Thanks JSwan for all the info and CUatX for the pics![/QUOTE]

Since I am now hooked, I’ve been doing a little bit of research here and there. I had hoped to find something in Iowa for my sister, but no luck. This is what I found on the Chronicle website - hopefully it helps!

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/basset-packs-roster?page=3

I vote that you come visit VA, but if you insist on staying in Georgia, maybe this basset pack won’t be too far! :slight_smile:

*(I just made the mistake of googling “hound footpack Iowa” and came up a listing for Foxx and Hounds, the Iowa Basset Rescue. Wonder if I can talk a family member into adopting one of those cuties?)

Looks like a gorgeous place. Beautiful hounds! Love their ‘mini trailer’ that is awesome!

Invitation to Basseting

We are just outside of St. Louis, MO - and extend an invitation to anyone who would like to come Basseting. www.threecreekbassets.com

I am so excited! The weather is supposed to be sunny and I’m feeling perkier after my not H1N1/bronchitis episode so I think I’m a go for Sunday’s Basseting outing (or is it a meet?).

I hope Wateryglen and SeeUatX are able to make it too.

My earthdogs will be so jealous (although I suspect a cottontail could do serious damage to a terrier underground).

Ordering my hunting license right now.

Beautiful territory and farm. Looks like a fun thing to do.