Several days ago I was reflecting on the many countries we have hunted in the twenty seven year history of the North Country. The hunt was founded in the fall of 1983 as a drag hunt. During the early years, we hunted in Lyme from Culver Hill and River Camp, Woodstock from Green Mountain Horse Association, Thetford from Hyeroad Farm, and Etna from the Morton Farm. Shortly thereafter we added countries in Norwich from Norford Lake and Bragg Hill in Canaan from Grist Mill Hill. Stone House Farm in Lyme was a welcome addition as well.
During the fall of 1986, the hounds were relocated from their original kennel in Thetford to the Master's Culver Hill Farm in Lyme. This transition also ushered in live hunting which posed an entirely different dimension to our sport. It also changed the way the staff was deployed around the countryside to help us follow the hounds. We were on of the first hunts to utilize radios for communication among the staff. The use of the radios made it possible for the Huntsman to follow the hound even when they seemingly vanished into the dense woodlands of the upper valley countries.
Many of the original countries were impractical to hunt because of a lack of natural boundaries. An ideal hunt country in northern New England is difficult to find. First and foremost we need game. No game equals no sport. The hounds have a natural inclination to follow scent and will become distracted without the “sweet” scent of fox or coyote. The less populated the area the better it works for hunting. An adequate trail network is important to allow the Huntsman and Field to follow hounds and the staff to keep the hounds from traveling too far into uncharted countryside.
This season we will be hunting countries in South Woodstock, West Windsor, Norwich, and Lyme. We can never forget the generosity of the many landowners who allow us the privilege of riding over their property. When riding never forget we are the guests of the property owners. Our goal is to leave the country as undisturbed as possible.
As we have seen through the years, countries come and go due to varying circumstances. The Masters are always anxious to hear of new potential countries. When one thinks of all the undeveloped land in our Upper Valley area it would seem that hunt countries would be plentiful, which is unfortunately not the case. Good countries are hard to find and maintain. We must cherish what we have and continue to search for additional countries to hunt in the future
John G. Ketterer, MFH
