A Voice from the USA
The Land of Dog Boxes
Chris Allen portraying Lt. Col. John Dundas
Commander of the British 1st Brigade (Revolutionary War)
When I first arrived in the Commonwealth of Virginia some fifteen years ago, my first foxhunting experiences were with those keen bunch of devoted fellows - The Night Hunters. Living at that time in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of the redoubtable James Hudson Binns the Third (Jimmy to all his pals).
The Binns’ have a delightful home on the side of the mountains at Rockfish Gap on Afton Mountain. Jimmy is a veteran of the Korean War making the rank of Colonel, and saw active duty around Pork Chop Hill. Jimmy breeds and has hunted Walker Foxhounds much of his life, and usually has around ten couple in his kennel, which includes puppies.
The Walker hound was established from hounds that were brought over to the New World by Dr. Thomas Walker in 1742. Walker explored and opened up Kentucky by going through the Cumberland Gap, and at the end of the French and Indian War was appointed Indian Commissioner. There are documented tales of him taking his hounds on those early forays through the Allegheny Mountains, and of them ‘tracking’ in the riverbeds.
He bred this unique type of foxhound from that original nucleus. They are a light stamp of hound, nearly like a fell hound, very independent, and not inclined to ‘nick’ in with a conventional pack - I know this from experience because Jimmy gave a very useful puppy to Rita Mae Brown MFH (the well known, and much acclaimed authoress of ‘Murder at Monticello’ fame) at the Oakridge Hounds just down the road, but alas, he never really adapted to pack life in a conventional hunt kennel.
If you’ve never been night hunting, let me tell you how things happen…. as dusk approaches, the hunter loads up his hounds in a ‘Dog Box’ which sits in the back of his pick-up truck. Binns always took about six hounds out and drove to the pre-appointed spot, having stopped at the local store to collect a supply of ice, bourbon whiskey, nacho chips, and anything else you might need to sustain yourself for the evening.
The whole art and passion to this extraordinary style of hunting is listening to your personal hounds hunting in the dark, recognizing and identifying their particular voices… “Listen Chris, that’s ‘ol Blue” – the experience is always made much more interesting if the ‘pack’ should come close by, perhaps knocking you over as they pass. If they should go away and make a point, the hunter & entourage take to the pick-up and follow by the mostly unmade dirt tracks.
The night’s sport finishes with collecting up hounds – no easy task, as they are quite often spread far and wide. The hunter will then cook himself a nice breakfast over an open fire, or more easily, take himself to the nearest ‘Golden Arches’….
Other breeds include Triggs - founded in the 19th Century by Col.Haiden Trigg of Kentucky. They are a strain of ‘Blue Tick’ or Blue Mottled hound, which evolved from Walker, July & Birdsong. The modern breed of Pen-Mary-Del’s developed from Triggs. July breeding has, of course, been used extensively by the legendry Ben Hardaway MFH (Midland Foxhounds) in Georgia.
Virginia is truly a land of dog boxes in pick-up trucks during most months of the year. When our opponents increasingly try to introduce legislation to outlaw foxhunting, which they frequently do, we should be very glad and grateful to have the night hunters marching on our side.
In fact, as I write this, Virginia State Legislators are considering a bill, amending the standing right of hound hunters to enter a private property to retrieve their hounds – this is the thin edge of the wedge! The writing is on the wall, and everyone should sit up and listen, because before we know what’s happening, we could soon be facing the same fate as the UK in 2005...
Chris (‘Tiny’) Allen