Old Deerhound Coursing Photos

[krawnden 1,036]

Someone off here asked to see some pics of my old coursing deerhounds, and while going through my old diaries to find them I came across a few I thought I'd put up here taken at one of the joint meetings with the salukis on Dava moor near Grantown-on-Spey. (Please excuse the quality - these were old prints that I photographed with my digital camera.)

 

A couple of the line -

 

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/krawnden/media/P1010257_zps4859de8b.jpg.html

 

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/krawnden/media/P1010258_zps77bdf15f.jpg.html

 

 

This is Kenneth Cassels, one of the 3 original founding members of the Deerhound Club with his bitch Gillaval Grad of Sorisdale ('Gillie') -

 

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/krawnden/media/P1010259_zpsfede6a29.jpg.html

 

(When he set the club up their original coursing meetings were on red deer.)

 

This is Michael Parker about to slip Gillie (red collar) and Ros Brooks' Kelly in the final of the Dava Quaich. Gillie went on to take the flag.

 

http://s56.photobucket.com/user/krawnden/media/P1010261_zps6567dec4.jpg.html

 

Gillie won the Quaich twice; I'm not sure if that had ever been done before. If so, there were very few dogs that managed it.

 

The Dava meeting was run over 3 days. The main stake for the deerhounds was 32 dogs and they also ran a plate and purse for the first and second round losers. There was also often a secondary 8 dog stake as well as the main 32 dog stake for those that didn't make the draw. The salukis also tried to field a 32 dog stake, though in later years they didn't get as many entries so it sometimes ended up as a 16 dog stake. The final course of the meeting was between the winning deerhound and the winning saluki. So over the 3 days there were well over 100 courses. Most people stayed at the Grant Arms in Grantown and there was always a great craic in the evenings.

[arcticgun 4,548]

Good read n pics mate thanks for sharing

[arcticgun 4,548]

Good read n pics mate thanks for sharing

[nothernlite 18,089]

Stayed up that way before the ban for a few years always meant to go to a meeting was friendly with a keeper at Cawdor estates use to tell when they were on must of been great days thanks for sharing atb

[sailor30 658]

Great pics mate I ran a pure over 12 year ago a great dog he was...sadly broke his leg.

[the big chief 3,099]

Great read and pics mate I would have love to have been a part of that a nice bit of hunting history there

[darbo 4,776]

Nice to look at some history you must have some great memories. atb.

[shaaark 10,809]

Great pics, scenery and some very very nice dogs, but those feathery eared things?! Uuurgh lol

[Silversnake 1,099]

Thanks for sharing, I hope those days can be enjoyed again and and again atvb to you.

[Giro 2,648]

Brilliant post

[neil cooney 10,416]

I would not envy the slipper trying to keep two big Deerhound's focused in two foot deep heather, hard work indeed.

What era are we talking about here ?

The 80s ?

[krawnden 1,036]

I would not envy the slipper trying to keep two big Deerhound's focused in two foot deep heather, hard work indeed.

What era are we talking about here ?

The 80s ?

 

You're right Neil - the slipper had a hell of a difficult job. In some places the heather was short but in others it could be as tall as three foot. And it was up and down all day; some gentle slopes but others were pretty steep. I got into it in the 80's but didn't get my first deerhound till '93. The Dava meeting was always jumping with hares - at times you could literally look around you and see 5, 6 or even more; in their winter coats they stood out a mile away. Then one year we walked miles and miles and hardly got a course. At the end of the 3 days we'd hardly made any progress through the card. Nobody could understand it. It later transpired the estate had let the hare shooting to a high paying party of Italian guns who'd been there just a few days before our meeting. Not sure what the bag had been but it was in the hundreds. And that was the end of our association with Dava - we never went back. Shame, as it was a spectacular place and it was wonderful to watch the deerhounds running on the terrain they were evolved for. They covered the tall heather effortlessly, bounding over it as if it wasn't even there.

[Giro 2,648]

Thats a shame they knowly let guns on the land days before your event...

 

A game estates a business but to do that your club is disgusting..

 

Any more pictures ??

 

Would love to see them ..

[Tozer 385]

Nice read and some good pictures, makes you sad it doesn't happen any more.

[strayshot 105]

Looks like some memorable sport. Do you have any pics of your days out with the East of England whippet club? Have seen some cracking Ted Walsh pics from the WCC but none from the other clubs.