Beagling and basseting: classic country sports

MILLBROOK — Beagling and basseting — quintessential country sports in the English tradition — are alive and well in Millbrook (see photo, Page A1), even if they’re well off the radar for many people. Which is a little hard to believe. Anyone who’s ever followed a pack of baying dogs on a misty morning has to wonder whether they’re waking the entire neighborhood.

But the woods and fields seem to absorb the sound of hounds in full cry. And so it was, one day last weekend, when the Sandanona Harehounds, people and dogs (bassets in this case) met to enjoy some outdoorsy sport — basically, running after bassets that were running after rabbits.

Gary Dycus, a longtime member of the Sandanona Hounds, explained the sport as he walked along.

“It follows the same structure as fox-hunting, but without the horses, which has the effect of making it more accessible,” he said.

Also, while the main players may wear a uniform of sorts, general members or foot-followers, as they are called, stick to what’s comfortable for tromping across fields in whatever is appropriate for the weather. The clothing “tends to be lots of greens and browns; and of course, the right footwear is really important, such as Wellies, or running shoes. Most of us like warm socks and dry feet,” Dycus said, smiling.

These days, the hounds — beagles and bassets — are trained to hunt for rabbits. It used to be they hunted for hares, wich is why they’re referred to as harehounds. Hares have largely disappeared from this part of the country, though.The hounds could hunt other prey, such as coyote, but Betsy Park, the joint master of the Sandanona Harehounds, explained why that isn’t such a good idea.

Coyotes are generally fast, she said, and when the chase is on, they’re even faster. Following animals on foot has some advantages over following them on horseback — but not when you have to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. The people just can’t keep up.

Also, beagles are indefatigable, and once they get on a coyote they will stay with it even if that means they end up in a different town, county or state.

Park had that happen once. She and her group had started the meet in Amenia and half the pack ended up in Cornwall Bridge. (Park retrieved them by van.)

When the hounds start chasing something other than rabbit, such as deer or coyote, they are called off instantly.

The kennels of the Sandanona Harehounds are at Thorndale Farm in Millbrook. The pack is actually two packs that were combined in the 1970s.

First there were the Sandanona Beagles, a private pack owned by Anne and Morgan Wing.

“That’s a romantic story,” said Dycus. “Anne and Morgan were introduced by mutual friends at a New Year’s Eve party in 1948 and they married six months later. One of their wedding presents was six couple of beagles.”

A couple, as the name suggests, is two. So they had an instant pack of 12 beagles.

Betsy Park and her husband, Jamie, moved to Millbrook in  1963, bringing with them their pack, called the Flint Hill Bassets. By the 1970s, Betsy was also the professional huntsman for the Millbrook Hunt. And the Wings’ beagles were by then a subscription pack kenneled at Thorndale.

Everyone was very busy and it just made sense to merge the two packs — though even to this day they are kenneled separately and only infrequently do the two breeds hunt at the same time.

Park explained why. Bassets and beagles have very different personalities and approaches to hunting.

“Beagles are careful and deliberate. Bassets are all speed and drive. It’s hard to believe, I know,” she said, “but bassets can be very fast.”

Park, who grew up in Essex, N.J., started fox hunting when she was 9, but soon discovered basseting, and she’s been enthusiastic about hounds ever since.

She runs the kennels at Thorndale and oversees the breeding and care of all the hounds. She currently has two litters of puppies (one of beagles, one of bassets) in addition to the full-grown hunting dogs.

Dycus is a big proponent of this family-friendly sport and wants to encourage more people to get involved. The sport takes full advantage of the countryside and outdoors, and doesn’t require the upkeep of a horse. Not only that, but subscribers may bring their own dog along for the outing, as long as they are kept on a leash and don’t disturb the hunting hounds with barking.

A family membership is  $250 and for that, Park said, “someone could hunt with us 100 times a year!”

The 65th season of the Sandanona Hounds begins with the opening meet on Sunday. Oct. 7. For more information contact Gary Dycus at garydycus@aol.com or Betsy Park at sharehuntersall@mymailstations.com.

Click here for photo.