Fox Hunting

Fox hunting is when a pack of dogs track down a fox with a field of horses behind, it dates back to the 1600s. In 2004 The Hunting Bill was put in play, which meant that organised hunting using dogs became illegal. There were many protests and riots on both sides of the politics, and people still argue the case today. My local hunt are the Old Surrey and Burstow

"The Burstow date as a foxhound pack from 1866, having previously existed as a harrier pack. Having been kenneled at Poundhill from 1904 until 1909, the pack moved to Felbridge in 1909.

The Old Surrey & Burstow was itself formed in 1915 by the amalgamation of the Old Surrey foxhounds and the Burstow foxhounds, the kennels remaining at Felbridge, where the hounds have been ever since.

The West Kent

The West Kent hounds date back to 1776 when John Warde hunted hounds from Squerries on the edge of Westerham. More recently the West Kent hounds were kenneled at Walters Green near Penshurst when Tim Lyle took the Mastership in 1980. Hounds remained here close to the Point to Point course until the amalgamation in 1999.

On the first ever visit by West Kent hounds to the Peterborough Hound Show, the bitch West Kent "Payment" became the Champion Hound, also being the first ever champion from a two day a week pack. More recently the hounds won the two couple class at Ardingly in 2003 and hopefully in the years to come more will follow!"

Bloodhound Hunting

A Brief Introduction

The Coakham Bloodhounds Hunt was founded in 1976 by the late Neil Wates (see "A Piece from the Past"). We hunt "the cleanboot" (unadulterated human scent left by a man or woman running ahead of the pack). Hunting with a pack of bloodhounds is one of the least artificial method of hunting organised quarry, and, whereas a fox will run freely, a human quarry can make more effective use of the increasingly urbanised countryside. The hounds hunt by scent alone, unlike many other breeds of hounds that hunt by sight 

 When the pack was first established, it hunted with pure bred bloodhounds. But it soon found that, whilst their ability to follow the scent was without compare, they lacked the speed across open countryside and the enthusiasm to cope with natural obstacles. The current pack consists of bloodhounds crossbred to the Dumfriesshire Foxhound, a unique out-cross which has developed the ability of the pack to follow a natural human scent with voice, speed, agility and drive.