For the seventh consecutive spring, foxhunters drove hard and hunted hard throughout the western United States in support of charity. And the Red Rock Hounds (Nev.) kept their tradition alive by winning for the fourth time.

For the annual Western Hunt Challenge Tour, 12 packs of hounds engaged in a friendly competition, with the capping fees and other funds collected along the way to be donated to the charity designated by the winning hunt.

Judging responsibilities fell to Betsy Park, retired huntsman of the Millbrook Hunt (N.Y.) and jt.-MFH and huntsman of the Sandanona Hare Hounds, and her daughter Eleanor Hart-well, huntsman of the Bridlespur Hunt (Mo.).

The hunting began in Reno, Nev., where Red Rock kindly hosted the Waldingfield Beagles and the Woodbrook Hunt. Walding-field M.B. and Huntsman Arie Rijke kicked things off on March 16, by drawing 10 couple of his 13-inch Beagles for a meet at Red Rock’s Campbell Springs fixture. This was Walding-field’s 88th meet of their 120th season.

Soon after leaving the meet, with only the white tips of their tails visible in the sagebrush flats, the pack found a jackrabbit, which whipper-in Von Lennox viewed. The Beagles followed their pilot down the valley, unperturbed by the presence of two wild Mustangs, which were herded off by Red Rock members while the pack stuck to business.

Shortly thereafter, a loss was remedied by Rijke’s dismounting and casting the hounds on foot, which soon put them right and away quickly as Rijke remounted. Event-ually the jack was given best after a second loss. A well-satisfied staff and pack and a field of 35 returned to the meet after an hour and a quarter.

The Waldingfield Beagles commuted from their home base of Char-lottesville, Va., where they normally hunt cottontail on foot, and made almost all of the Western Chal-lenge Tour, hunting either jackrabbits or cottontails at every stop.

Off To A Good Start

On March 17, the Woodbrook Hunt handed out St. Patrick’s Day pins and provided a stirrup cup appropriate to the day. With cool and overcast conditions, MFH and Huntsman Jean Brooks moved off with six couple and drew blank in the first hour. Thereafter, the pack found a faint line, which they worked diligently for several miles, but it soon disappeared. After a pause for water, hounds found again almost immediately, but in increasingly strong winds, could only own the line for about a half a mile.

March 19 brought us to Red Rock’s Antelope Valley fixture. MFH and Huntsman Lynn Lloyd drew 291³2 couples, and she and her staff–including 11-year-old Katie Smith–led a field of about 50 riders into the foothills of the Dog Skin Range. Hounds quickly jumped a coyote, viewed by whipper-in Chrysann Collatos, and the race was on.

The pack went away up a draw, over the top of a mountain ridge, and into a wooded ravine, where a second coyote split the pack. Hounds pursued both coyotes out of the ravine to losses on the ridge top because of strong winds. Lloyd recast the pack on the north side of the ravine, where they regained one of the lines, pushing their quarry all the way to Hungry Valley before a loss.

After a pause to let hounds and riders catch their breath, Lloyd cast the pack again, which quickly jumped a coyote that decamped only 100 feet to the good of the hounds. After an hour’s run, hounds marked their quarry to ground in a rock outcropping.

Drawing back toward the meet, hounds found yet again in a grove of juniper trees and pursued their quarry through a canyon and back into the sagebrush flats, with two whippers-in having a view. This pilot was ultimately given best, as the field was beginning to feel the effects of a 28-mile day.

On March 20, the Los Altos Hunt welcomed Challenge judges, hunt members and guests to the Van Vleck and Schneider ranches in their away country near Sacramento, Calif. Huntsman Brian Kiely moved off with 13 couple of English and Crossbred hounds.

After drawing blank in an area of scattered trees, Kiely brought the pack to a view by Jt.-MFH and Whipper-in Wes Martin, and the pack headed west in full cry. They pushed their quarry in a large circle for 27 minutes, in driving rain and hail, before he made his escape into forbidden territory.

In the next draw, a small canyon, hounds quickly found a line and were off again, with first-season hound Albert on top. Kiely gave a holloa as staff and field simultaneously viewed the quarry. This coyote ran straight up a little valley with hounds close behind and was soon accounted for.

Despite wind and occasional rain and hail, Los Altos enjoyed an outstanding day with a total of five coyotes viewed, four hunted, and one accounted for. The hunt covered approximately 23 miles over four hours and 20 minutes.

The Action Continues

From the Sacra-mento area, the hunters journeyed about 8 miles south to Inyokern, Calif., home of the Kingsbury Harriers. This is the only U.S. Harrier pack, and M.H. John Auborn and wife Donna have been participants in the Western Challenge almost since its beginning, although they’ve usually hunted Red Rock’s country.

This year’s itinerary afforded their first opportunity to host a Western Challenge meet in their home country, in the California desert near China Lake. On March 22, a breezy day with poor scenting conditions, Auborn drew 71³2 couples of his AKC-registered Harriers, which Donna shows regularly and with great success. The pack worked hard and found numerous jackrabbits, although conditions were such that they couldn’t carry the lines great distances.

From Inyokern, the tour headed west on a four-hour drive to the Santa Barbara, Calif., area, where on March 23, the Santa Ynez Valley Hounds took their turn. Huntsman Martyn Blackmore brought 14 couples of English hounds and 11³2 couple of Crossbreds to the meet at Kick-On Ranch.

Early on, hounds found a faint line in Red Rock Ravine and worked sporadically to a loss at Bulldozer Bluffs. Soon thereafter, hounds were brought to a view and took to the line in full cry.

The Flagstaff, Ariz., area would play host to the next three Challenge meets. On March 26, the High Country Hounds met at their Ranch House fixture. MFH and Huntsman Mary Hendricks drew 51³2 couples of hounds and the hunt started off briskly as hounds worked open covert of rabbit bushes and wild grasses. Excitement increased as they found good scent among the rocks and boulders along the treed margin of a small mesa.

Confirming the trail as the pack moved again out of the trees, they worked their way for a half a mile or more with several checks as they recast themselves. Dropping off the mesa, the pack hunted into pinion and juniper trees on a series of small volcanic hills.

On the side of the last hill, increasing voice signaled the hounds’ excitement as they discovered a nest of fresh coyote dens. Circling and topping the hill, the hounds spread out to recover scent, but the trail was lost.

After this loss, a “tally-ho” from the field redirected the huntsman’s interest. A pair of coyotes was trotting back toward the denning area! Hounds were lifted to the view, but were only able to find a few bits and pieces of scent that the wind had left to linger in some rocky outcrops.

Hounds turned and hunted into the wind toward Rattlesnake Crater, where they found again, plunging into the sheltered crater in full cry. Then the pack checked and split, some hounds racing forward to the high crater rim. Other hounds continued to persist in working a line through the pinion and junipers, but the trail was lost as they spilled out over the crater edge on the west side and back into the wind.

Reflecting on the pattern the hounds had hunted, Hendricks speculated that the pair of coyotes had left their den to hide in the cover of Rattlesnake Crater–one standing watch on the rim, the other hunting through the trees below until the time was right to cross in front of the hunt and double back to their den.

Foot Fun

Easter Sunday, March 27, brought the Paradise Valley Beagles’ meet at High Coun-try’s Boot Road fixture. Huntsman Zoe Steven-son drew 71³2 couples of English Beagles, which appeared eager to show good sport.

Stevenson, daughter of M.B. Susie Stevenson, cast the pack into an area of low sagebrush and cinders. Within minutes, the hounds jumped a jackrabbit and quickly caught the line into the tall pinion pines. Here the field was able to watch the Beagles work as they tracked the jackrabbit east for half an hour to the base of Cockran Hill, where they lost the line in the dry cinders.

Later, they tracked a jackrabbit from patches of pine needles and grass across the black cinders with the help of whipper-in Jane Murphy. The hounds kept the line long enough to jump the hunted jackrabbit out of its form.

The Grand Canyon Hounds are a new entry to organized foxhunting, joining the Western Challenge in their first year of existence. Huntsman Colleen Auberle drew 41³2 of the six couple currently in kennels, all drafts from other hunts. Hounds moved off from their Cinder Lakes fixture, where they’ve pursued coyote, gray fox and mountain lion throughout the season.

With 30- to 40-mph winds gusting off the surrounding hills, hounds had to work hard over the dry cinder soil, resulting in several short chases. The final line of the day was a feat of hound work for the small pack.

From Arizona, the tour journeyed on to Colorado, where on March 30, riders met at the Lowry Range, home of the Arapahoe Hunt, for Bijou Springs’ meet. A field of about 50 riders followed 13 couple of English and Crossbred hounds. The range was alive with wildlife, including plenty of jackrabbits jumping up here and there and antelope everywhere one looked. The coyotes were also plentiful, and the first one was found within 10 minutes of drawing the first covert.

At least 12 coyotes were viewed, and the hunted coyotes provided five very exciting runs, with the longest one lasting more than 40 minutes. Everyone headed for a fabulous breakfast after a 31³2-hour day that covered nearly 23 miles.

The next day dawned with driving wind and snow, which resulted in closed highways in the Denver area. Nevertheless, Arapahoe Jt.-MFH and Huntsman Marvin Beeman persisted with his plan to host a day of hunting, and the hardy few that pressed on to Arapahoe’s kennels were rewarded with a good day. Arapahoe’s English foxhounds persevered in the driving wind and successfully hunted several viewed coyotes.

Then it was on to Burwell, Neb., an away country of the North Hills Hunt in the state’s famous Sand Hills. Saturday, April 2, began as a chilly morning with high clouds and wind. Huntsman Mary Walker moved off with 161³2 couple of hounds, and drew the first covert at speed.

Hounds found there and were quickly away, losing staff and field in the process. After a good long gallop, contact was reestablished with the lead hounds, and after this line was lost, two more coyotes were subsequently hunted well, with the judges taking note of this pack’s good cry.

After a Sunday bye-day with North Hills, the tour moved on to its last stop at the Moingona Hunt in Adel, Iowa. Kennel huntsman Ken George carried the horn on April 4. Despite a south wind and temperatures that climbed quickly to the low 80s, Moingona’s pack of 121³2 couple successfully hunted a half-dozen different viewed coyotes over a three-hour period. The judges commented in particular on George’s outstanding use of horn and voice and the notable performance of their young bitch Needa.

The Moingona Hunt ended the Western Hunt Challenge Tour in style with a fine breakfast, at which the judges announced the winners, rewarding the packs that showed the best sport on their day. The Red Rock Hounds won for the fourth time. Second place went to the Waldingfield Beagles, with the Los Altos Hunt named to third place and Moingona in fourth.

Red Rock’s designated charity, the Nevada Women’s Fund, will profit from the more than $7,000 collected in capping fees and donations.

The Western Challenger award, a lovely bronze by noted sculptor Clayton Bright, is a perpetual trophy given to the hunt that raises the most money for the prize fund. Bijou Springs raised just under $1,500 on their day.

Von Lennox of the Woodbrook Hunt (Wash.) claimed the Stalwart Award, a perpetual trophy held by the foxhunter who attends the most meets on the tour.