Old Deerhound Coursing Photos

[MIK 4,763]

 

 

Got a book here by Kenneth cassells about working deerhounds well worth a read if you can get your hands on it

Very rarely for sale and a bit pricey when it is. I'd love to read it myself if anyone would sell a copy?

 

 

I think i'm right in saying there was only one fairly small print run so there just aren't many copies out there. I got mine straight from Kenneth and I'm afraid it's not for sale

 

Ive got a spare signed copy thats not even been opened if anyone wants to make me an offer

[1slipper 0]

 

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.

 

This brings back some memories. I remember slipping at those meetings in the 80's.I didn't realise there were any photos about. The walking was bloody hard. Not only heather but hidden water. Still it was great sport with great sportsmen .