Books about hunting.....

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frostyfingers

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I have hunted on and off for most of my life and consider myself pretty well informed, however my OH has just started following on foot and keeps asking me loads and loads of questions, most of which I know the answers to, and some I don't. What I'm after are recommendations for any books which are effectively a beginners guide for anyone who follows hounds, not just horse people. Does such book exist? I'd be happy to buy more than one if necessary but would like to end up with a really good explanation of every aspect of hunting - hound care, choosing of names, kennel routines, what the terrier men do, what goes into setting up the hunting day, what happens at the end of the day, etc. Our huntsman is great at explaining, but it would be better to have a reference book or two to hand!
 
frostyfingers said:
I have hunted on and off for most of my life and consider myself pretty well informed, however my OH has just started following on foot and keeps asking me loads and loads of questions, most of which I know the answers to, and some I don't. What I'm after are recommendations for any books which are effectively a beginners guide for anyone who follows hounds, not just horse people. Does such book exist? I'd be happy to buy more than one if necessary but would like to end up with a really good explanation of every aspect of hunting - hound care, choosing of names, kennel routines, what the terrier men do, what goes into setting up the hunting day, what happens at the end of the day, etc. Our huntsman is great at explaining, but it would be better to have a reference book or two to hand!
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"Foxhunting-how to watch and listen" by Hugh Robards is very good at explaining what's going on in the field with huntsman and hounds. Doesn't go into details about what happens back at kennels though. It's informative as well as being interesting. A little American at times, but I think he has hunted hounds in the USA, Ireland and here.
 
If you fancy a DVD "Hounds and the Huntsman" by countryside TV is good. It comes up on Horse and Country from time to time.
 
Thank you - I found that Hugh Robards book on Amazon, along with another called "Customs & Etiquette of the Hunting Field" which I think I'll get. We've watched Hounds & The Huntsman loads of times, I absolutely love it (especially when they're walking through the park followed by the fawn), it's such a beautifully put together film.
 
"Foxhunting" by the Duke of Beaufort- the uultimate authority

Also, Cecil Aldin - "ratcatcher to Scarlet" and "Scarlet to MFH" both timeless classics

They may be out of print but try amazon and ebay

We have 100s of books on the subject - my OH is very passionate and knowledgeable - and these were his suggestions!
 
Surely, the first book on any hunting man’s bookshelf should be “Thoughts on Hunting” by Peter Beckford first published in 1781 & countless times reprinted. It is very much the all-time classic of hunting literature.
In it Beckford managed to capture the spirit & adventure of hunting & provides almost as full a range of insights as one could wish for into the concerns & problems faced by a huntsman during the course of a hunting day. Virtually all of his experiences & thinking are as relevant today as they were when written.
Most modern works on hunting generally seem pedestrian by comparison though there are exceptions, principally Hugh Robards’ "Foxhunting - How to Watch & Listen" which acts as a superb complement to Beckford
 
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