PrintSince moving to Utah from Virginia in the mid-1990s, I don’t get many opportunities to go hunting, but I can’t yet bring myself to give up entirely and post my hunting kit on e-Bay.
I was lucky enough to enjoy the first Western Hunt Challenge Tour in 1999, and have continued to support it as much as possible. Its underlying premise of raising funds for a non-hunting-related charity, to show that foxhunters care about their communities, is a terrific idea, augmented by promoting camaraderie among the far-flung packs in the western United States.
Add to that the judged aspect of determining which pack shows the best day’s sport, a friendly dropping of the gauntlet that Masters just cannot resist, and you have the makings of a unique and fun hunting holiday, provided that you are willing to embrace Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” as your theme song.
While pondering how much of the 2007 Tour I might be able to complete, I was asked by Waldingfield Beagles Master and huntsman Arie Rijke whether I might be able to fly east and help him drive out West so that his pack could compete this year, as they have in most years.
So far, Arie is the only Master east of the Mississippi who has taken advantage of the Challenge participation rules; it’s open to “any” pack of hounds, but if they aren’t based in the West, they have to make the commute. Western Challenge organizer Sue Slocum from Minnesota agreed to meet us in Missouri with her rig and three horses, and as her trailer is sufficiently roomy for a pack of Beagles, our plan was hatched.
What follows is a summary of my notes on my 19-day cross-country hunting adventure, in which the three of us undertook to complete the eastern half of this year’s Challenge Tour, from Colorado to Illinois.
March 20: I fly from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Charlottesville, Va., to meet Arie and his Beagles. The Western Challenge started March 16 in Reno, Nev., and before heading to the airport, I hear that the Woodbrook Hunt (Wash.) had a fair day, though considerably hampered by unseasonable heat, to start the Challenge.
Woodbrook MFH and huntsman Jean Brooks brought four couple of her American hounds from Washington State, and is much admired for doing this almost every year and hunting live in Nevada, though her pack normally follows a drag.
Red Rock (Nev.) celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with a six-hour hunt in which 31 couple of hounds hunted two coyotes. Having won the Challenge five times out of eight, the question on everyone’s mind is, will somebody beat them this year?
March 21: We’re up early to load 27 Beagles in the trailer and head west. The plan is to change drivers every two hours, and let the Beagles out every four hours. On the road, the Beagles are quite an attraction. Semis toot as they pass; car travelers smile and wave, crowds gather at rest stops and gas stations.
Thirteen hours, 756 miles and five states later, we arrive at Pontoon Beach, Ill. By now, the Challenge Tour has moved from Nevada to Arizona, and today was the Grand Canyon Hounds’ (Ariz.) scheduled meet.
March 22: We leave for the Bridlespur Hunt kennels 85 miles away in Eolia, Mo. We offload the Beagles and store the beagle trailer in an old barn. We’ll be consolidating into Sue’s truck and trailer for the better part of the next two weeks.
I was lucky enough to enjoy the first Western Hunt Challenge Tour in 1999, and have continued to support it as much as possible. Its underlying premise of raising funds for a non-hunting-related charity, to show that foxhunters care about their communities, is a terrific idea, augmented by promoting camaraderie among the far-flung packs in the western United States.
Add to that the judged aspect of determining which pack shows the best day’s sport, a friendly dropping of the gauntlet that Masters just cannot resist, and you have the makings of a unique and fun hunting holiday, provided that you are willing to embrace Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” as your theme song.
While pondering how much of the 2007 Tour I might be able to complete, I was asked by Waldingfield Beagles Master and huntsman Arie Rijke whether I might be able to fly east and help him drive out West so that his pack could compete this year, as they have in most years.
So far, Arie is the only Master east of the Mississippi who has taken advantage of the Challenge participation rules; it’s open to “any” pack of hounds, but if they aren’t based in the West, they have to make the commute. Western Challenge organizer Sue Slocum from Minnesota agreed to meet us in Missouri with her rig and three horses, and as her trailer is sufficiently roomy for a pack of Beagles, our plan was hatched.
What follows is a summary of my notes on my 19-day cross-country hunting adventure, in which the three of us undertook to complete the eastern half of this year’s Challenge Tour, from Colorado to Illinois.
March 20: I fly from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Charlottesville, Va., to meet Arie and his Beagles. The Western Challenge started March 16 in Reno, Nev., and before heading to the airport, I hear that the Woodbrook Hunt (Wash.) had a fair day, though considerably hampered by unseasonable heat, to start the Challenge.
Woodbrook MFH and huntsman Jean Brooks brought four couple of her American hounds from Washington State, and is much admired for doing this almost every year and hunting live in Nevada, though her pack normally follows a drag.
Red Rock (Nev.) celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with a six-hour hunt in which 31 couple of hounds hunted two coyotes. Having won the Challenge five times out of eight, the question on everyone’s mind is, will somebody beat them this year?
March 21: We’re up early to load 27 Beagles in the trailer and head west. The plan is to change drivers every two hours, and let the Beagles out every four hours. On the road, the Beagles are quite an attraction. Semis toot as they pass; car travelers smile and wave, crowds gather at rest stops and gas stations.
Thirteen hours, 756 miles and five states later, we arrive at Pontoon Beach, Ill. By now, the Challenge Tour has moved from Nevada to Arizona, and today was the Grand Canyon Hounds’ (Ariz.) scheduled meet.
March 22: We leave for the Bridlespur Hunt kennels 85 miles away in Eolia, Mo. We offload the Beagles and store the beagle trailer in an old barn. We’ll be consolidating into Sue’s truck and trailer for the better part of the next two weeks.
