Hillsboro Hosts First
FCNA-Sanctioned Foxhound Performance Trial  

by Henry W. Hooker, MFH

The Hillsboro Hounds (TN) hosted a performance trial for recognized and registered hunts in the Mid-South District of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America. No entry or capping fees were charged. Delightful dinner parties and luncheons were given by generous hosts and hostesses from the Hillsboro Hounds: the Davises, the Kendalls and the Menefees. This was the first trial run under the recent­ly proposed Foxhound Club of North America Mounted Foxhound Pack Performance Trial Rules and Regulations. These rules show the hard work that went into their formulation. In order to receive the sanction of the FCNA before a trial is run, the rules require that the Organizer obtain insurance coverage and provide other documentation.

Seven packs from the Mid-South District participated, bringing 46 hounds: Camargo, Long Run, Iroquois, Hillsboro, Mells, Longreen and Oak Grove. Hounds were dyed and numbered with randomly drawn numbers on Wednesday, December 8. There was an organizational meeting that night during which Ed Bacon, the Performance Trial President, was intro­duced to the judges and participants. President Bacon, a noted and experienced field trial official, went over the rules with the assembled group and instilled confi­dence by answering all questions put to him in a straightforward and understand­able way, much to the satisfaction of some of the judges who were taking their first crack at judging a foxhound trial.

The next morning hounds were checked in and fitted with tracking collars and Hillsboro Hounds telephone numbers before being cast at 7 am. by huntsman Dennis Downing of the Mooreland Hunt (AL), acting huntsman for the trial. A field of 65, including mounted judges and guides moved off, as did the vehicular judges and their guides. The day was not ideal for scenting. It was dry, with the wind out of the south, relatively low humidity of about 77 percent and temperature around 50 degrees. Scent was rising to heaven faster than most foxhunters can expect to get there.

Although hounds soon struck in Menefee’s cedar thicket, there was immediate consternation among the judges as some hounds were running deer. About twenty-five percent of the pack was scratched, and hounds were widely scattered because of the deer. After the first two hours those hounds that had survived the earlier activi­ty began to run coyotes and amass scores for hunting, trailing and speed and drive until the hunt was called at 10:22 am, due to the wide dispersal of the pack. Thankfully with the help of the Hillsboro staff, hounds were all recovered by night­fall.

The next morning produced better con­ditions due to an overnight rain, a breezy west wind, and a ten-degree drop in tem­perature. The moist ground, which was warmer than the air, and the humidity of about 90 percent kept scent on the ground. Knowledgeable hunters were happy to see no drops of water clinging to the thorns and leaf tips. The earth was breathing out. Hounds joined their huntsman with enthusiasm — no rolling on the ground this morning. They came to their business with sterns raised and noses down in an inves­tigative posture. They were again cast at 7 am, into the cedar thicket where judges were already waiting. The pack immediately found a coyote, which ran to Buford Station Road where it was turned back into the hunt country by vehicular whips. There they ran on for a long time and were well scored by the diligent judges. Eventually hounds were re-collected and recast into the cedars where another coyote was started and accounted for in under 30 minutes with virtually the whole pack in on the final act. On this climactic note, President Bacon called the hunt at 10:06 am. The second day produced tired horses and a very full score sheet, making plenty of work for the conscientious judges and informative results for the participants. After two days of hard running there were no injured hounds, horses or riders. Huntsmen, Masters, and members of the field could be home well in time for their Saturday fix­tures.

After the luncheon and the awards ceremony the judges and participants were asked to give their suggestions for improvement and there was talk about various possibilities such as an elimination tournament among the districts to produce an annual FCNA Champion Performance Hound. The Organizer suggested that a penalty for run-fling deer might be written into the rules to be prorated over the remainder of the offenders’ pack so as to discourage entry of chancy hounds that detract from the quality of the trial. Charging an entry fee for each hound might also have the same beneficial result and help to defray the costs of the host or organizer. Also it was generally agreed that the four judge minimum in the rules is grossly inadequate. We used eigh­teen judges, including the Trial President. The biddability concept was not deemed suitable to be fairly judged, but the voice category was judged without difficulty.

   The first ten hounds with the Highest General Average of points scored in four categories — hunting, trailing, speed and drive, and endurance — were, from one to ten, Hillsboro Swift, Mells Bear, Hillsboro’s Midland Lincoln, Mells Chelsea, Long Run Flute, Iroquois Fickle, Mells Gambler, Mells Action, Camargo Bounder and Iroquois Courage.

   Hillsboro Swift is by Hillsboro Rodney out of Hillsboro Swinger. Typical of the Hillsboro breeding program, Swift is line bred back to Foxcatcher Pastor. Swift goes back in tail male four generations to Pastor who also appears twice — top and bottom —  in the third generation.

  As a last word, I would like to extol the sportsmanship of all the hosts, Masters, hunt staff, judges, guides, and members of the field who made the event such an engaging occasion. They rose before dawn and celebrated the chase late into the night. They filled their days with adventure in the countryside and friendships not to be forgotten.