The morning times., 1896-05-10
STAG HUNTING.
Newest Sport Affected by the Ultra
Smart Set.

Stag hunting, indeed, is the very latest
fad i'll the world of sports ana as so
ciety'' has set the fashion, 1t Is going 10
he the very popular IhIng now 10 hunt
the red deer. Out on Long isIand-at
that sportsman's paradise, Meadow brooi.-
the Tlrst stag hunt in which women
ever TOOK part IN thus country was Inau-
gurated Few days ago.
Sucn very smart women as Mrs. James
herHochan, whose proweSS In the hunt
Ing Iteh1s is Well Known AIRS. j. h smith
Hadden; Miss Anna SANDS and AaIss May
Bird, who Is q clever and enthusiastic
sports woman, were among the number
mounted. Other women WHO attended the
meet, and foIiowed leisureiy in traps OF The
most swell description were, Mrs. August
belmont, Mrs. Aimeric Paget pauline
whitney, who has just returned from her
wedding trip; Mrs. Sidney DIlon Ripley,
and Mrs. I'll. a Havem eyer.
The men who took part in the stag hunt
were ex-Secretary William c. Whitney,
and his son, Harry Payne Whitney; Ri W
hns Cottenet, Arthur Garland, William
Roby, Maxwell Stevenson, II L. Herbert,
Harry Page, z. J. Collier and Ralph
Ellis, master of the stag hounds.
DOUBTLESS other hunt clubs, i'll due sea-
son, will follow the lead of the Meadow
brook Club, which, by the way, was the
pioneer in fox hunting. Parks and pre-
serves, which are baroniaI in extent, are
becoming features Of American life; the
Seward Webbs, for instance, own thou
sands or acres in the AdirondackS; George
Vanderbilt and Austin Corbin have acres
upon acres, aud doubtless stag hunting
in the near future is destined to be one
or the amuseiEents. along with golf, ten
mis- aud private theatricals. which the host
will arrange for the entertainment of his
house party.
Among the clubs which are already agi-
tatlng the subject of deer chasing are the
Lakewood Club. of which George Gould,
MIR. Lindley and Mr.. Collier are the NOV
ing spirits; the Richmond County Club on
Staten Island. which never intends to be
behind in any sport, and of which these
well-known men are members: Sir ROder-
ick Cameron, Eugene Outerbridpe and st.
George Walker; and the RockaNsr Club. OF
which John Cowdiu. Jack Cheever and Fox
hall keene are prominent members. All
these clubs extend the privileges OF NEIL
berShip TO women of whom many are
fearless croSs-couutry riders. aud doubt
less in time they Will all become as ia
mlliar with the details OF stag hunting as
they already are with those of fox hunting.
The stag hunting season ends May 20,
having begun February z, the 18th of
which ends October 8.
In England women who fellow the chase
think nothing more exciting than stag
hunt. The mode of hunting with the
Devon aud Somerset stag bounds, the only
pack In England that now pursues the
deer, is briefly this: The whereabouts Of
sta g is communicated to the master by
that important functionary, the harbprer;
two couples of steady hounds, called
tufters, are then thrown into cover, and
having singled out a deer, follow him till
be is forced to make for the open, when
the body of the pack are laid on. Very
often two or three hours elapSe before the
stag e breaks, but a run over the wild coun-
try fully atones for the delay.
Seven stays killed in five days bunting
was the result of the last annual run OF
the Devon and Somerset stag hounds.
This was great result to achieve. or
the seven stays killed, three, strange to
say, had only one antier each. One stag
led the hunt a curious line right through
the big covers and back again, and then
over a long stretch OF open hill to big
wood. Here be bad lain down, but hounds