The July Hound http://www.geocities.com/julyhounds/july-history.html
They all seem to be linked up in Kentucky.
Did we run out of steam?
What is meant by:
- Room to Fall
- Running heel
- Honor
- Double
-
running heel - hounds follow the scent laid down by a fox, but going the wrong way (heading towards fainter scent, than strong scent). Not something that a seasoned hound would do for more than a few feet.
-
honor - hounds which stop casting and come to the opening notes of a hound that has found.
Got to watch both 2. and 3. today. 
I’ll leave 1. and 4. to someone else. 
I’ll make a guess at “room to fall”… leaving enough room between you and the horse in front especially over a fence so if a fall should occur you don’t land on your fellow rider!?!
“Double” is when the huntsman blows his or her horn in little quick blasts to let others know the hounds are on a line or to cheer the hounds on.
We see a lot of “running heel” in our drag pack. The foxes (laying our drag line) usually don’t like it, but it doesn’t bother me and our huntsman doesn’t get to upset when it happens either. How often does that happen when hunting live?
Running heel happens with live hunts too. Our Huntsman hates it.
Yes, GotheDistance and MapleMeadows, you got it. Yes, running heel does happen, it usually doesn’t take much to get them set straight provided staff is on the ball.
But, it’s an important reason for indicated the DIRECTION of the quarry’s movement when one views, so that the huntsman can save valuable time on approaching in setting up the hounds to find in the right direction.
So, okay, with that clue, what DOES one do when one views the quarry? Hint, no talking or yelling involved.
[QUOTE=Beverley;2814141]
So, okay, with that clue, what DOES one do when one views the quarry? Hint, no talking or yelling involved.:)[/QUOTE]
Stand in your irons and point with your hat the direction the quarry has gone.
Can I play? How does one teach the cubs to run straight from the covert (during cubbing)?
leveret: baby bunny
Ya got me there, I’ve never known anyone who had the ability, or even attempted, to ‘train’ the fox! Besides which, one doesn’t want them to run straight, their natural loops are far more conducive to an enjoyable day.
So, while waiting for that answer, I’ll toss out another one. What is meant by the term ‘to rate,’ and who would typically be doing it?
I think rate is punishing (perhaps a harsh word from the staff) the hounds.
I was taught in the 60s that cubbing was to train the cubs to run as well as the young entry.
the covert would be surrounded by folks and when the cubs started to break from the covert, folks would make noise to send the cubs back in. Finally they would be allowed to escape the covert and would run like their tails were on fire.
at least that is my memory.
I don’t know “room to fall” unless it’s the obvious.
Beverly -you got me on training the cub to run straight from covert. I never heard of such a thing. Tell us more.
Rate is correcting a hound and the huntsman would typically do it.
I’ve got some:
What is a babbler?
What is “Cheer”?
What is a “tail hound”?
Actually, the technique to which you refer- surrounding the covert- is in my experience designed to keep the young hounds in covert so that they learn how to draw with the rest of the pack. Attempting to pressure a fox of any age into remaining where they don’t want to be would result in their ‘panic response’ of shutting off the scent glands, so the hounds wouldn’t be able to hunt them. Which is why, when one views a fox, one should wait until the fox is well away before any vocalizing to inform the huntsman. Yes, cubhunting does familiarize the cubs with being pursued by hounds, but in any given draw, the huntsman is not going to be able to assume that a covert contains young or old or in-between foxes.
And yes, rate is ‘harshly’ correcting a wayward hound, typically by a whipper-in since they are supposed to be the ‘bad guys’ and the huntsman is supposed to be the ‘good guy.’ Example- whipper in in proper position, on the ‘outer reaches’ of where hounds should be ‘looking’ for the quarry- if a hound wanders to that perimeter, a whipper-in would growl ‘back to him’ meaning the hound should work back toward the huntsman.
Surrounding the covert in Cecil Aldin’s view
Beverley notes that the surrounding of a covert during cub-hunting is not for the purpose of keeping cubs in. That undoubtedly is true at many hunts in North America today, but, interestingly, in England historically–certainly before the ban!–the point was very much to keep cubs in. This shows, among other things, the differences between hunting as it was traditionally practiced in England, for culling foxes, versus the way it is conducted in the U.S. today. There is a great account of this in Cecil Aldin’s book “Ratcatcher to Scarlet.” As he puts it:
“In the first place we want to hold-up cubs: that is to say, prevent them from coming out of the wood. For that reason we stand, not close to the edge, but some way out in the centre of fields … If we were close to the covert, a cub might pop out and dart away, leaving us behind instead of in front of him. Where we now are, by tapping our saddle flaps with our whips, foxes will see us, even if they come ten or twenty yards out of the wood, and if we ride towards them at a tangent will in all probability dart back in again. That is the reason for standing in the middle of the field and not close to the wood.”
What does “All on” mean?
Good info, thanks! Yes, other notable differences, in the US the stopping of earths hasn’t been done as in the UK. And we give best when the fox goes to ground, rather than sending in the terrier man.
‘All on’ means all hounds are present and accounted for.
Visual trivia
This is easier with the color artwork…look at the Chronicle masthead up at the top of the page. What hunting action is depicted? And, testing the memories of long time Chronicle subscribers, what phrase used to be part of the artwork, associated with the hunting action?
I’m not sure but I think it’s chasing rabbit/hare? I don’t have a magazine handy and I’m looking at the top of this page.
I’ve been reading COTH religiously since the late 70’s -but you got me on that one. I don’t remember.
How many of y’all use to wallpaper tackrooms and tack boxes with the paper? I wish they still used that paper…
Did anyone get “room to fall” right?
Yes, somebody got room to fall- leaving enough space between yourself and horse in front, especially jumping, that you can pull up in time should that rider take a dive.
I never wallpapered, but I did recently find a stash of the paper ones! I had rolled them inside of nylons to make boot trees and just found those boots on an archeological dig of the guest room closet.
As for the Chronicle logo, one needs to focus on the figures to the left and right of ‘Horse.’ Yes, there does seem to be a wabbit lower left, which might figure into the equation…but how is at issue…
Okay Alex, I’ll take Chronicle Masthead for 100$…
The hound could be running heel and the lawful quarry is the cottontail/hare? But why would a whipper-in crack the whip behind a hound - would not the whip want to get in front of the hound to turn it?
If the hound was rioting… the hound would be traveling the other way - and the rider would be cracking the whip to get the hound to lift.
Geez - looks like I might miss out on the final round of COTH jeopardy. I dunno - but I’m eager for your explanation!
I bet you could sell those old issues on ebay…
Oh, not so fast…maybe some other old fogey will have a guess…keep workin’ that covert…
