| Fox hunts are the setting for many social
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| | United States variations
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| rituals, but the hunting itself begins
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| | In America, fox hunting is sometimes
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| when hounds are put into rough or brushy
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| | called fox chasing, because the purpose
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| areas called "coverts", where foxes often
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| | is not to actually kill the animal but to
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| lay up during daylight hours or when they
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| | enjoy the thrill of the chase. The
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| hear domestic dogs moving toward them. If
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| | American fox population is
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| the pack manages to pick up the scent of
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| | well-controlled, partly because of the
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| a fox, they will follow it in a "chase"
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| | prevalence of rabies, so hunting is not
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| wherein the dogs pursue the fox and the
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| | needed to keep the species in check. This
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| hunters follow, by the most direct route
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| | disease is not present in Britain. The
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| possible. Since this may involve some
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| | rare animal that is killed by an American
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| very athletic skill on the part of horse
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| | hunt is usually old or unhealthy.
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| and rider alike, foxhunting is the origin
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| | American hunters have also been strong
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| for steeplechase and other National Hunt
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| | supporters of land conservation to
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| racing, as well as other equestrian
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| | support fox populations, and some even
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| sports such as hunt seat riding.
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| | provide dog food for the animals in the
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| The hunt continues until either the fox
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| | winter.[citation needed]
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| evades the hounds, "goes to ground"
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| | American hunts often end up chasing
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| inside of a burrow or is overtaken and
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| | coyotes when the hounds pick up the
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| usually killed by the hounds. In the case
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| | scent. Many of the farmers and ranchers
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| of Scottish hill packs or the gun packs
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| | who allow fox hunting on their property
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| of Wales and some upland areas of
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| | do so because coyotes that have been
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| England, the fox is flushed to guns.
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| | chased by a pack of domestic dogs appear
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| Hunts in the Cumbrian fells and some
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| | to learn to keep their distance from
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| other upland areas are followed by
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| | domestic animals in the future. Those
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| supporters on foot rather than on
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| | farms and ranches which have allowed fox
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| horseback.
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| | hunting have seen the number of
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| In the UK, where the fox goes to ground,
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| | predations of their livestock by coyotes
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| terriers may be entered into the earth in
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| | decrease as a result of the activities of
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| order to locate the fox so that it can be
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| | the local hunt.[citation needed]
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| dug down to and killed. Sometimes, the
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| | In the United States, George Washington
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| fox will bolt. In the U.S., terriers are
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| | and Thomas Jefferson both kept packs of
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| not used, and once the fox goes to
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| | fox hounds before and after the
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| ground, he is left alone.
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| | Revolutionary War. The last U.S.
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| Because of the change in the law, the
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| | president to hunt was Ronald Reagan, and
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| kill is no longer emphasised in England.
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| | the last First Lady to do so was
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| A number of social rituals used to follow
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| | Jacqueline Kennedy.
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| the hunt. One of the most colourful was
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| | Variation: Drag hunting
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| the act of "blooding." This is a very old
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| | In some countries drag hunting is also
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| ceremony in which the master or huntsman
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| | popular, either instead of or in addition
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| would smear the blood of the fox or
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| | to quarry hunting, in which a scented bag
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| coyote onto the cheeks or forehead of a
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| | is dragged over a pre-determined course.
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| newly initiated hunt follower. Some
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| | Bloodhounds are used in some areas to
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| conjecture that the ceremony goes back to
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| | hunt a human runner, the sport of
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| the similarly stylized medieval hunting
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| | "Hunting the Clean Boot".
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| of the high middle ages. By 2000 the
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| | Shooting foxes
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| practice had largely been abandoned
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| | In some places- notably Australia- the
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| though some say it continues to this day
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| | term "Fox Hunting" is used to refer to
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| .
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| | the hunting of foxes with firearms, much
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| Autumn or cub hunting
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| | the same as deer or rabbit. Foxes are a
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| In the autumn of each year, hunts take
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| | serious problem for farmers in Australia,
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| the young hounds out "cub hunting". They
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| | and the expedient (and humane) removal of
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| teach the puppies to hunt while they are
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| | foxes is a higher priority than the pomp
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| teaching the young foxes to run from
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| | and circumstance surrouning a traditional
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| hounds. In Britain "cub hunting" consists
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| | fox hunt as practiced in the UK.
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| of training the young hounds in hunting
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| | Typically, the hunter will either call
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| by firstly surrounding a covert and then
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| | foxes in with a fox whistle- sometimes to
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| 'drawing' it with the puppies and some
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| | within 20m or so of the hunter- at which
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| more experienced hounds, allowing them to
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| | point they are then despatched with a
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| hunt within the surrounded wood. A young
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| | shotgun, or else hunt at night with a
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| hound is considered to be 'entered' into
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| | spotlight and a rifle (known as
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| the pack once he or she has successfully
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| | spotlighting). Some areas offer bounties
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| joined in a hunt in this fashion. Once
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| | on foxes- the state of Tasmania, for
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| the season proper starts (usually from
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| | example, offers a bounty of AUD$1,000 per
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| early November in the northern
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| | fox in an effort to combat the fox's
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| hemisphere, or May in the southern
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| | re-introduction to the state, and the
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| hemisphere), the idea is to drive the fox
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| | state of Victoria has also offered
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| from the covert and chase it over open
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| | bounties on foxes in the recent past.
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| countryside.
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