Over the course of time hunting Man has
fabricated, and further mastered the utilization of, many tools and aids to
improve the regularity of his triumph over a chosen quarry. From stone arrow
tips to core bonded projectiles, fragile wooden bows to carbon fiber compounds
even elaborate trap falls to the Oneida Victor soft catch traps.
The hunting canine has accompanied man along this course for almost the entire journey, and likewise, has undergone significant change. From the wolf emerged the hunting dog and thereafter followed the broad diversity of modern hunting hounds and dogs.
But what is the difference between a
hound and a dog you inquire?
Well it’s best to start with the image of
a Jackal, Coyote or physically similarly constructed canines. Ears positioned
high on the head to function like a radar dish, eyes clear and acute and a
sensitive nasal organ in constant employ. This trio of senses is complimented
by a powerful bite force capable of tearing flesh from a very much alive
animal. The dog moves efficiently through the veld and investigates any
promising sound, scent or movement. The pursuit is silent and often stalking
techniques are engaged. Of the many species of predator the canines rank high
on the list of success rate and their widespread dispersal and abundance are
proof of this efficiency. Mastering these canines has benefited hunting man
significantly as this weapon regularly delivered a source of protein.
History records a change in Mans hunting
motivation toward a practice more aptly described as sport and the consequence
for the canine was a program of selective breeding for specific physical and
temperamental traits. Dogs were no longer required to acquire the meat but
rather to function as a hunting aid and perform a pleasing task. Enter the
Hounds, both sight and scent, the possession of which bestowed great esteem on owner’s
right across the globe from Arabia to Western Europe.
The persisting theme of this
paper will however only deal with scent hounds:
Great bawling voice, long drooping ears
fastened to the head well below eye-line, elongated slender body, deep chest,
obsolete bite force, sociable and responsive character and a passion for,
actually an addiction to, the pursuit of scent, forms a basic but accurate
description of what became the true scent hound. Lymers (leashed hounds) were
the preliminary with numerous breeds now found prevalent on every continent of
the modern world.
But How? And Why?
As hunting man placed more emphasis on
the scent tracking ability of his canine tool so physical traits became more
synonymous with individuals proficient in this task. Genetic flags, like your
nose is the same as Granddads’ or big feet like your Uncle, were indicators
that the individual might store the same good scenting abilities as previous
descendants. Compounding these genes through processes of line-breeding and
in-breeding resulted in a general uniformity and the start of hound breeds.
Late 10th Century and a Belgian monk, later to be named the patron Saint of
hunting, documented for the first time a breed standard, that of the Saint
Huberts Hound or now commonly known as the Bloodhound. The St Hubert, and
similar hounds, not only assisted the hunter to target a specific quarry by
being unleashed onto a selected spoor, but also enabled him to pursue, on foot
or horseback, by following the broadcast from the hounds bawling bark, and the
sport of hunting entered some of its finest years in recorded history.
Hound hunting has now found its home in the
pursuit of more elusive animals like pigs and cats but not limited to such.
Diverse cultures and traditional practices are not as rich in the SA or USA
hounding context as can be found in Europe but pioneer communities have always
discarded a lot of the lace and embroidery for more practical measures.
Traditions are often quite local in our fair land but the appreciation for the
hounds ability and character can be experienced countrywide. So too is the
general method of identifying the spoor of the target game and then orderly
unleashing the pack onto the alluring scent track. Not every decoupling is
successful but for the most part the joy of hearing the hounds hunt is
prominent on the hunters agendas. The hunter performs the killing as has always
been practiced in this discipline, initially with spear, sword or knife and
nowadays the modern high powered firearm, since the start when the hound was
fabricated to bay and not physically engage the stationary quarry. Although the
hounds might be rewarded with parts of the carcass their enthusiasm for the
hunt is to please their master and employ their finely selected genetic drives.
Man has selectively molded the canine, in the form of the hound, so
dramatically that it bears only a slight resemblance to its ancient ancestors -
what predator advertises his pursuit so vocally to the quarry? This act is a
complete demolition of the predator advantage.
Currently, around the world there are too
many scent hound breeds to mention each individually but in France alone 23 Chiens Courants are recorded and standardized. On every
continent One can find scent hounds and in the USA alone there are more active
hound hunters than the total amount of South African sport hunters. The
elaborate large packs of the decadent eras are much less familiar now being
replaced by economical, smaller packs, even to the extent that consideration in
International hound hunting competitions for the categories of Solo and single
Couple is most common.
Hunting is ingrained in SA culture for
many and the sport is still well practiced and on a positive graph with the
industry weathering the current economic storm comparatively well. This
indicates a sturdy future and the popularity of hound hunting is growing
respectively, especially among the hunters seeking a really interactive
experience.
