I understand that there are two types of faux hunting, now, in England. What's the difference between the two and what is the scent used? Is a fox killed to obtain the scent?
Trail vs Drag "Hunting"
- Thread starter wanabe
- Start date
Draghunting has been going for a very long time - it uses foxhounds that have been bred to follow a drag, and is usually fast and furious and involves leaping giant obstacles. This is why I have never been draghunting - far too scary!
Trailhunting is essentially the same - foxhounds following a drag. However, trailhunting is just the preserve of ex-foxhunts. So their hounds have been bred to follow fox scent, and have been doing so all their lives (bar last year's puppies, of course). Trailhunting tries to mimic what happens with real foxhunting, so you get the trail doubling back to confuse the hounds, and going through trappy places, and there are much fewer giant obstacles! Much more fun, but less interesting than real foxhunting, as you don't get to see hounds really work to find and follow a scent as they do when following a fox's trail.
I'm not really sure what is used to make the drag, but it seems to vary between hunts. I think most trailhunts are trying to use fox-based ones, as that is what their hounds are used to. You can buy fox urine to use for this purpose, I think. I have also heard of hunts using human urine mixed with other stuff. I think it quite likely that dead foxes are also used to make scent, but these will either be roadkill or ones that the hunt have been called in by farmers to get rid of (ie shoot).
I'm sure other people will be able to add their knowledge to this, and probably correct me in certain places as well!
Trailhunting is essentially the same - foxhounds following a drag. However, trailhunting is just the preserve of ex-foxhunts. So their hounds have been bred to follow fox scent, and have been doing so all their lives (bar last year's puppies, of course). Trailhunting tries to mimic what happens with real foxhunting, so you get the trail doubling back to confuse the hounds, and going through trappy places, and there are much fewer giant obstacles! Much more fun, but less interesting than real foxhunting, as you don't get to see hounds really work to find and follow a scent as they do when following a fox's trail.
I'm not really sure what is used to make the drag, but it seems to vary between hunts. I think most trailhunts are trying to use fox-based ones, as that is what their hounds are used to. You can buy fox urine to use for this purpose, I think. I have also heard of hunts using human urine mixed with other stuff. I think it quite likely that dead foxes are also used to make scent, but these will either be roadkill or ones that the hunt have been called in by farmers to get rid of (ie shoot).
I'm sure other people will be able to add their knowledge to this, and probably correct me in certain places as well!
hi wanabe,
my husband is a drag hound huntsman so just wanted to correct a few things.
he was also with proper foxhounds before the ban.
firstly traditionally drag packs only ever drafted in fox hounds from proper fox hunting packs. no hound is bred just to follow a drag. these were usually ones that were getting on a bit or were naughty i.e by rioting on deer; thus making the drag hound huntsmans job a lot harder than people think. however last year my husband introduced a breeding program, but we will still reley on draft hounds to boost numbers for now, and many other drag packs are doing the same.
some drag packs use artifical scent and when we arrived at our hunt they used a chemical scent which we have since changed to an artifical fox based scent because no amount of breeding will take away what comes natural. like i say no hound can be bred to do something unatural.
we also try to work our hounds like was mentioned for trail hunting,doubling back on lines and having the scent lifted so the hounds have to work to find it again
also yes we can be fast and furios but we do pride ourselves in having meets to cater for all, including a lead rein meet
piccie of our kids on exercise
my husband is a drag hound huntsman so just wanted to correct a few things.
he was also with proper foxhounds before the ban.
firstly traditionally drag packs only ever drafted in fox hounds from proper fox hunting packs. no hound is bred just to follow a drag. these were usually ones that were getting on a bit or were naughty i.e by rioting on deer; thus making the drag hound huntsmans job a lot harder than people think. however last year my husband introduced a breeding program, but we will still reley on draft hounds to boost numbers for now, and many other drag packs are doing the same.
some drag packs use artifical scent and when we arrived at our hunt they used a chemical scent which we have since changed to an artifical fox based scent because no amount of breeding will take away what comes natural. like i say no hound can be bred to do something unatural.
we also try to work our hounds like was mentioned for trail hunting,doubling back on lines and having the scent lifted so the hounds have to work to find it again
also yes we can be fast and furios but we do pride ourselves in having meets to cater for all, including a lead rein meet
piccie of our kids on exercise
hi
thanks we are so lucky were we live and wouldn't change our job/lifestyle for the world.
have you been hunting?
thanks we are so lucky were we live and wouldn't change our job/lifestyle for the world.
have you been hunting?
very good pic winter horses...
You're very lucky to love your occupation so much.
I've been hunting once with a dedicated drag pack ( I live in Ireland) and I really found it fast and furious and a little bit dangerous in ways... compared with what I was used to.
You're very lucky to love your occupation so much.
I've been hunting once with a dedicated drag pack ( I live in Ireland) and I really found it fast and furious and a little bit dangerous in ways... compared with what I was used to.
hi fits
like i say we do have our fast and big days, but we do have days when all the jumps are optional and they are usually on wooded military{we are a military based pack} land, so can't go too fast or will have an accident.
we need to keep everyone happy and get more people out in order to survive
like i say we do have our fast and big days, but we do have days when all the jumps are optional and they are usually on wooded military{we are a military based pack} land, so can't go too fast or will have an accident.
we need to keep everyone happy and get more people out in order to survive
winterhorse, I've too much of a beginner to be going on a "hunt". It's on my list of things-to-do, tho. We have one such hunt about 100 miles north of me that I will do when I am ready! I suspect it equates more to what you call a trail-hunt.
I'm still a bit confused about the difference between a trail and drag hunt. Why would one be fast and furious and the other, not? Is it just that in one case the drag is more straight and in the other you loop around to confuse the dogs?
I'm still a bit confused about the difference between a trail and drag hunt. Why would one be fast and furious and the other, not? Is it just that in one case the drag is more straight and in the other you loop around to confuse the dogs?
Trailhunting is trying to be more like real foxhunting, which usually involves prolonged periods of standing around while hounds work to find the scent.
I guess draghunting probably uses a stronger scent, or the trail is laid near to the time of the meet, rather than early in the morning.
Regarding draghunts having easy/kiddy days - all well and good, but it must restrict you to only going on the easy days, which can't be all that often? Trailhunting and foxhunting meets can generally be relied upon to be much the same in terms of giant obstacles, and are therefore in my book much less terrifying! I can do fast, but I can't do giant obstacles, they scare me too much! Mind you it does depend on the individual hunt anyway - the posher ones are more about entertainment for the field and giant obstacles, where the smaller ones are focussed on the actual hunting, and you are just along for the ride.
I guess draghunting probably uses a stronger scent, or the trail is laid near to the time of the meet, rather than early in the morning.
Regarding draghunts having easy/kiddy days - all well and good, but it must restrict you to only going on the easy days, which can't be all that often? Trailhunting and foxhunting meets can generally be relied upon to be much the same in terms of giant obstacles, and are therefore in my book much less terrifying! I can do fast, but I can't do giant obstacles, they scare me too much! Mind you it does depend on the individual hunt anyway - the posher ones are more about entertainment for the field and giant obstacles, where the smaller ones are focussed on the actual hunting, and you are just along for the ride.
hi computer crashed last night but have to reply
most days have fences at different heights for people to choose which they are comfotable with, yes not every week is this available but if you have never been before would you necessarily come out every week?
we are happy to advise and help people
no body has said what size a gigantic fence is
like i mentioned before where possible we are working on ways to make our hounds work too
some drag hunts lay their trail early in the morning, some later it is only the weather that effects how strong the scent is that is left
we are not posh, none of our masters put money in, we rely on subscribers and fund raising and we try to entertain the field and those that enjoy watching they hounds too
like i said before myself and my husband are from fox hunting backgrounds and are slowly changing things here. the hounds rarely used to speak before we came, now they make lovely noises which is being noticed by all.
most days have fences at different heights for people to choose which they are comfotable with, yes not every week is this available but if you have never been before would you necessarily come out every week?
we are happy to advise and help people
no body has said what size a gigantic fence is
like i mentioned before where possible we are working on ways to make our hounds work too
some drag hunts lay their trail early in the morning, some later it is only the weather that effects how strong the scent is that is left
we are not posh, none of our masters put money in, we rely on subscribers and fund raising and we try to entertain the field and those that enjoy watching they hounds too
like i said before myself and my husband are from fox hunting backgrounds and are slowly changing things here. the hounds rarely used to speak before we came, now they make lovely noises which is being noticed by all.
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