Accounted for

Hunting euphemism for when the hunt has killed a fox. Also known as “Bowled Over”, “Brought to Book”, “Punished”, “Dealt With”.

Autumn hunting

Autumn hunting is a euphemism for cub hunting

Babble

A hound “babbles” when they speak unnecessarily.

Balled up

A “coursed” hare has “balled up” feet when they are clogged up with clay. See here for further information on hare coursing.

Beaters

Humans on foot moving in a line abreast to drive someone they are hunting towards guns or hunters.

Biddable

Hounds are said to be “biddable” when they are at their most responsive, that is, when they have just “checked”.

Blank

A huntsman and hounds draw a blank when they fail to find a fox from the area they were searching. The covert can said to be blank. Failure to find a fox all day is a “blank day”.

Body corporate

The legal term for a corporation, i.e. a limited company.

To cause a hunted fox to leave a place of shelter or underground refuge so that they may be chased or killed. In fox and mink hunting the “quarry” was often “bolted” by use of terriers so that they could be hunted again by hounds.

Brace

Two foxes, hares or “game” birds.

The “quarry” is said to “break” when they leave a “covert”.

Break up

When the hounds eat a fox while the fox is still living.

Bring to bay

Hounds bring a deer “to bay” when they run them to exhaustion and the deer turns to face them.

Brush

A fox’s tail.

Buck

A male Fallow or Roe deer; also a male hare.

Bye-day

Any hunting day other than one that is advertised; an extra day.

Cap

A payment made by hunt supporters on the day of the meet to follow the hunt.

Cast

When hounds search for the lost “line” of the “quarry”. The huntsman can take charge of the pack and “cast” the hounds towards where they think the hounds will pick up the “line”, and the hounds can also “cast” themselves.

Charlie

Hunters term for foxes. Also “Charles James” and “Mr Todd”.

When hounds temporarily lose the “line”.

Chop

When the hounds kill a fox without a “chase”.

Clapped

When a hare stops and hides by flattening their body on the ground.

Couch

See Seat.

Country

The area of land in which a particular pack hunts.

Couple

Two hounds. Packs of hounds are counted in couples. A single hound is one hound, not half a couple.

Pronounced “cover”. Generally used to describe a wood but also a hedge, gorse, thicket or field where a fox may lay for shelter.

Cry

See Speak.

The period immediately preceding fox hunting. Starts from around mid to late August, until the Opening meet, which is normally the last Saturday in October or the first Saturday in November. Young hounds are trained to hunt during this time and fox cubs are predominately hunted. Also known as Autumn hunting.

Digging Out

The use of spades, metal bars or even adapted walking sticks to dig down into a tunnel system to find a fox. Terriers are used to locate a fox before they are killed.

Doe

A female Fallow deer or Roe deer. also a female hare.

Drag

Scent left by a hare or a mink. In drag hunting the drag is the artificial scent laid for the hounds to follow.

Drag Hunting

Hunting that uses artificial scent or “drag” for the hounds to follow where, supposedly, no true hunting happens.

Draw

When hounds search through “covert” in search of the “quarry”.

Draw a blank

To draw a covert without finding the “quarry”.

Earth

An underground tunnel where a fox may take refuge that can include a badger sett or drain.

Earth stopper

Someone employed by the hunt to block fox earths (see above) and badger setts in the areas to be hunted. This occurs prior to the hunt taking place, normally the night before.

Entered

An entered hound is one that has hunted for one season or more. During the first season the hound may be referred to an an un-entered hound.

Falconry

Hunting with the use of birds of prey.

Feather

When a hound thinks they “own the line” but is uncertain they will not speak and instead will wave their tail (stern) or “feather” and move along the assumed line.

Flush

The use of dogs to cause the “quarry” to flee from their covert.

Foil

Any smell or disturbed ground that spoils the line.

Form

See Seat.

Given best

When the “quarry” is allowed to escape.

Gone away

When the fox has left covert and the chase is on.

Gone to earth

See “gone to ground” below.

When the hunted fox has taken refuge underground; usually a fox earth or badger sett but could include a drain, log pile or hay bale. Also “Gone to Earth” and “Run to Ground”.

Harbourer

A local deer expert employed by a stag hunt to select a suitable stag for hunting.

Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares by two dogs, predominantly greyhounds. The dogs are released from leads by a man called a “slipper” to chase the hare, and judges assess their skill in making the hare “turn” as they flee. See more about hare coursing here.

Headed

When the hunted nonhuman animal is forced to change direction.

Heel

Hounds are hunting “heel” or are “hunting the heel” line when they hunt the line in the opposite direction to which the “quarry” has run.

Her

A hunted hare is referred to as “her” irrespective of whether they are male or female.

Him

A hunted fox is always referred to as “him” irrespective of whether they are male or female.

Hind

Female red deer.

Holding up

Fox hunting: Positioning the field/foot followers around a “covert” to keep the fox cubs and hounds inside during cub hunting. Hare hunting: Keeping the hounds in a tight group around the huntsman.

Pronounced “holler”. A high-pitched yell made by a person who has seen the “quarry” to attract the attention of the huntsman and is often accompanied by holding a cap or arm in the air in the direction taken by the “quarry”.

Hounds

Dogs who hunt by scent are referred to as “hounds” by hunters.

Jink

A sharp right-angled turn by the “quarry” to evade the pursuing hounds.

Laid-on

When hounds are introduced to the line.

Law

Fox hunting: The start given to a “bolted” fox before the hounds are released onto their line (see below). Hare coursing: The start given to a hare before the greyhounds are released.

The scent left by the running “quarry”.

Locator

A radio receiving device used to track the signals from a radio transmitting device which is attached to the collar of a terrier used underground. The terrierman scans the ground above the tunnel system listening for the signal which indicated the progress and position of the terrier underground. Also: “Terrier finder”.

Mark

When hounds bay at the entrance of an earth or place where a fox has sought refuge.

Marking to ground

See just above for Mark.

Mask

A dead fox or hare’s head.

Meet

The arranged meeting place of a hunt.

Meet card

A list of dates and times when hunting will take place along with the location of the meet.

The start of formal hunting.

Overrun

When hounds shoot passed a change in direction of the line.

Own

Hounds are said to own the line when they pick up a scent.

Pads

Hunting term for the dead fox’s paws.

Point

The distance from “putting up” the “quarry” to the place at which hounds kill or lose them, measured as the crow flies. The actual distance is described “as the hounds ran”.

Point rider

The whipper-in or member of the field positioned at a strategic point on the edge of a covert to alert the huntsman if the “quarry breaks”.

Puss

Hunting term for a hare.

An nonhuman animal is said to be “put up” when they are frightened by the hounds into running from them rather than remaining where they are.

A hunted animal in any kind of hunting.

Ratcatcher

A tweed jacket. Worn during cub hunting and by visitors riding with the hunt.

Rate

When a hound is reprimanded. The huntsman or whipper-in rates a hound or hounds when they riot or strays too far from the pack. A hunter will shout in harsh tones "leave it", "get back to ‘im" or similar and can be accompanied with whip cracking.

Riot

When hounds hunt someone other than their intended “quarry”.

Run to ground

See Gone to ground.

Scrape

See Seat.

Season

Runs from the 1st May to the 30th April. The actual start of hunting varies between different hunts and types of hunting.

The small depression in the ground dug by a hare in which they lays. Also known as “Scrape” or “Form”.

Shy

The structure that hides the “slipper” (see below) from the hare as they are urged forward into the field at a hare coursing event.

Sinking

A fox is said to be “sinking” when they are very tired.

Slipper

The person who releases the two greyhounds to chase a hare at a coursing event.

Slots

The feet of deer or their footprints. The slots are removed after they have been killed and then mounted.

Hounds are said to “speak” or are “speaking” when they yelp or bark excitedly when following a scent. Also known as “Giving tongue”, “Voice” or “In cry”.

Stalk

To hunt “quarry” by following them stealthily or waiting in ambush.

Stern

A hound’s tail.

Stopping out

The practice of blocking up fox earth and badger sett entrances prior to a hunt taking place, to prevent a hunted fox from going to ground.

Tally-Ho

Pronounced Tally-O. A call made to indicate that a fox has been seen. If the huntsman is not in speaking distance a ‘holloa’ would be given instead.

Tally-ho away

A call to indicate that a fox has left covert. Also Gone away.

Tally-ho back

A call to indicate that a fox has returned to covert from whence it came.

Tally-ho over

Call made to indicate that a fox has crossed a road, track or a clearing in covert. Also Tally-Over.

The rut

The mating season for deer and runs from the end of September to November. During the rut or rutting period mature stags leave their bachelor groups to seek out hinds at traditional rutting sites where they attempt to defend groups of hinds in an attempt to prevent mating from other stags. During the rut the stags will engage in roaring contests which may escalate in parallel walking and locking of antlers.

Throw up

When hounds lose the “line” and check they lift their heads and look around for help or ‘throw up’.

Tongue

See Speak.

Trencher fed

Term used for hounds that are not looked after as a pack but by individuals and brought together as a pack on hunting days.

Tufters

The more experienced hounds in a pack used to separate a “harboured” stag from the rest of the herd.

Voice

See Speak.

Hunting Terms To Use

Speciesist (avoid) / non-speciesist (use)

bag, collect, cull, harvest, remove (etc.) / kill, murder

fowl, game-birds, wildfowl / sport-hunted birds, targeted birds

game, game animals, trophy animals / sport-hunted animals, sport-hunted mammals, targeted nonhuman animals

game farm, game ranch, hunting ranch / bird-shooting operation, mammal-shooting operation, animal-shooting operation, shooting operation

game management / promoting hunting, regulated hunting, manipulating populations for hunting

game preserve, game refuge, shooting preserve; wildlife refuge (that allows hunting) / hunting area

overhunting / hunting, genocide by hunting, decimating a nonhuman population

sportsman, trophy hunter / hunter, sports hunter, trophy-seeking hunter, nonhuman-animal killer

waterfowl (pl.) / sport-hunted water birds, targeted water birds