Beaglers, as you know, are people who chase after Beagles who chase after rabbits. One rarely catches up with the rabbits, and the other barely catches up with the Beagles. Catching anything isn’t the point, anyway. So why bother?

Because it’s a lovely thing to do on a Sunday afternoon in the fall. After a hunt, tea and food are provided: Following one event held by the Old Chatham Hunt Club Foot Beagles, the menu included Columbia County cider, paella, cream of pumpkin soup, oyster pie, sweetbreads, coulibiac, shrimp and scallops in Newburg sauce, baked ham and chocolate mousse. Tall tales are told about past hunts, and the various hounds discussed (note: in this world, Beagles, Foxhounds, and Harriers are never called “dogs,” but hounds). Beaglers don’t ride horses, and they don’t hunt foxes, though many beaglers are ‘retired’ fox hunters who, for various reasons (age, injury or agility), eschew the horse for the hoof, so to speak. It’s also a great way for the young and/or inexperienced to learn how to handle hounds on a small scale before hunting with foxhounds.

The formal season for Beagling runs from September to December. In the fall, the hunt is done under moonlight, and after a run through the woods, kids tell ghost stories. In the winter, beaglers do their thing on cross-country skis.

As for the Beagles used, up to twenty hounds closely matched in speed and running style are selected for traditional foot hunting. They must work together as if they’re one dog, and in fact, should be so tightly knit that, as the expression goes, one could “throw a blanket over the entire pack.” There is a difference in Beagling from one side of the “pond” to the other (as there is in Foxhunting). British packs historically chased European hares with the intent to capture their quarry – and this is now banned in the UK. American packs are hunted for the pleasure of the sport. Quarry is rarely hurt, and the chase typically ends when the rabbit gets bored and goes to ground.

For anyone interesting in learning more about Beagling, there’s a magazine called (wait for it) Better Beagling!

“Beagling” by Tom Ivester-Lloyd, one of a set of four available for purchase here.