Visitors are always welcome and will be well looked after. Please get in touch to let us know you would like to come and we can answer any questions you might have.
Single Subscription – £100
No further field money required
Family Subscription – £150
No further field money required
Young Persons Subscription – £25
under 25s
Associate Member Subscription – £50
reserved specifically for more senior ex-subscribers who have been full subscribers in the past but are no longer able to join us as regularly as they were, and particularly those who are only able to stay out for shorter days in the hunting field.
Mailing List for non-members – £15
for those who will not normally hunt but would like to stay connected with the Bolebroke and attend social events
Sponsor – a – shoveller – £35
this is a contribution towards the daily maintenance of the kennels in lieu of personal shovelling attendance (which some other hunts regard as obligatory!).
Cap for non-subscribers – £10
per hunting day (first visit free)
We typically meet on Saturdays and a few Wednesdays between October and February, generally meeting at 12 noon for refreshments from the Boot Bar and aiming to move off with hounds at 12:30 or whenever the first lines have been laid.
The length of the day varies according to the country we are visiting and the number of lines we are able to lay.
While most people who follow have an interest in watching hounds work, it is also a privilege to be invited into country one would not usually have access to and being able to observe a vast array of flora and fauna alongside some gentle exercise. The sound of numerous skylarks cannot fail to lift one’s spirits.
Hounds are controlled and directed by voice and horn. If you are interested in the different commands and horn sounds, ask member of the field to explain them to you.
We are usually out until around 3 pm. If anyone needs to leave earlier, they will be directed back to the meet.
Tea and cake is provided at the end of the day, usually from a different car boot but sometimes we are invited into warmer venues!
What do I need?
Well, you don’t need a horse for a start – everyone is on foot!
The most important things are comfortable footwear suitable for varied terrain and appropriate clothes for the weather.
It is a good idea to have additional clothing in your vehicle to cater for weather that might be a little warmer or colder than you are anticipating.
Many people have been caught out by how much colder it is on the marshes compared to further inland.
There is no official dress code, and hunt staff no longer wear uniform other than on high days and holidays but muted colours are more usual.
You might like to carry a thumb stick to help with steeper terrain and field glasses can be useful in some country to keep track of the hounds.
Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome to accompany their owners but please check with the Masters first as some country may not be suitable.
Hunting Etiquette
The Bolebroke is a very relaxed pack and while we are happy to continue with the older terminology and traditions, there is no requirement to do so.
This is a reproduction of an article written for a newsletter in 2003 by a former Master, Robin Kelham, which should be taken in the context of the Hunting Act – many terms are decades old.
Other useful terms
Hounds should always be referred to as Hounds, not dogs.
Hounds don’t have tails, they have sterns.
They are always counted in couples so don’t be surprised if someone tells you that we have 8 1/2 out with us. It means 17 individual hounds.
“Whipper in” is a member of hunt staff who carries a whip to help direct hounds and keep them safe. The whip is never used to strike hounds, but acts as a visual barrier to stop hounds passing a point, and the noise of the crack can be used to attract their attention.
“All on” is when all hounds are present, signified by three long blasts on the horn to inform the whippers in that they no longer need to look for missing hounds.
Please refer to the Masters as such until home is blown when first names may be used.
It is Good Morning when greeting whether 9 am or 9 pm. Conversely it is Good Night on departure whether 11 am or 11 pm.
Although beagling clothes are very informal, country colours are best. Hounds object to violent colours and country clothes are better to merger into the background of hedges, trees and shrubs. Gentlemen should wear some item of neckwear.
Do not talk, and keep still when hounds are casting nearby. Keep clear of gateways and gaps when hounds are running. The trail may have been laid where you are standing.
If you damage property, try to repair and always inform the Field Master or other hunt official. The same applies to any other problems.
Please do not criticise hunt officials without due thought. Times, country and methods have changed. Some for the better, others not so.
The Bolebroke have an award, the BBBB, the “Black Button” which is awarded for breaches of hunting etiquette and other misdemeanours. It is humorous but it does keep folk “on their toes. It is not awarded to new subscribers, only to those who should know better. The one difficult term is calling the Masters so. Therefore the first and second are cautions, thereafter it is the BBBB. As always currently there are three persons on their first caution.
NB – whilst we do know the whereabouts the Black Button, the current Masters prefer to leave it where it is.
The only rule we still adhere to without fail is that the huntsman is always served first with tea at the end of the day!
BOLEBROKE BEAGLES 