December 3, 2024

5 thoughts on “Fox Hunting in Virginia

  1. Very beautifully written and well -said, Wayne! Thank you for taking the time and having the journalistic integrity to present this educational piece!

  2. But what happens when the 30+ hounds run down and catch the fox or someone’s pet. My guess is they would die a horrible death by being torn and ripped apart. I can’t help but think that this sport would require some very large, uninhabited land areas.

    1. Good questions. Registered fox hunts in the US are highly professionalized and typically have staff who live on site with the hounds, so hounds are routinely exposed to regular family life (family pets, children, etc.), and to livestock from the surrounding areas.

      It is unusual to catch foxes in US hunts, and the few foxes killed are usually unhealthy due to old age, injury, or illness. Foxes have no natural predators on the East Coast, so this serves a similar purpose to DWR wildlife management on a much smaller scale. While many people not familiar with fox hunting are concerned about foxes being torn apart and suffering, this is not how foxhound catch a fox. If hounds do catch a fox, the first hound to reach the fox breaks the fox’s neck on impact, which results in instant death. Unlike, for example, a deer poorly shot with a bow or rifle, there is no chance that a fox caught by hounds will escape seriously wounded and undergo prolonged suffer.

      Large amounts of land are required for hunting. Across the US and world, hunting is almost exclusively done on rural or semi-rural agricultural land, all of which is inhabited.

      1. Thank you so much, MS! Everything you say is correct. Fox Hounds are highly trained to specifically follow only the scent of foxes and/or coyote. All other quarry is ignored. They are kept on task by the Huntsman and several other riders ( whippers in) who keep the hounds together and on task. (Unlike deer hounds, who are released and left to rampage at will.) House pets face more threat from coyotes or hawks than they ever would from fox hounds. And yes, fox hunting does require large areas of land, which is why every recognized Hunt’s priority is maintaining good landowner relations, respect of crops and property, and being good stewards of the territory.

  3. Thank you Wayne for your informative piece. Having hunted astride for many years with many of the Hunts you mentioned, I can attest that the stewardship of the land, the health of the foxes, the respect for the territory, the selective breeding of the hounds and the training and care of the horses are all of utmost importance to those who engage in this traditional sport.
    This is not a “blood sport”. In accordance with the rules of the Masters of Foxhound Association, foxes in the US are chased to ground. They are not dug out or killed as happens in Great Britain. One of the main duties of the ” Whips” is to turn the hunted fox AWAY from highways and roads so that neither the fox nor the hounds are injured. In most territories foxes are routinely fed raw chicken injected with ivermectin in an effort to keep them healthy and free from mange, mites and other diseases. Contrary to what has previously been stated, riders do not run across planted fields but rather proceed around edges or through established paths in the woods. Hounds are restricted by the Whips from chasing deer, domestic animals or any game.
    other than the fox.
    For anyone who desires to learn the truth about fox hunting in the eastern US, I strongly recommend that you contact ANY of the registered Hunts listed by Mr. Creed.

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