Photo photo
Research Note

Fox Hunting in Eagle Rock


The sport of fox hunting came from England and was brought to American with the settling of the colonies. Fox hunting in the Ozark was different in that no horses were used to run the foxes.

At Eagle Rock hunting with dogs was used to provide food, at least in the early days of settling the area. Although the family had some cattle, they didn't want to use it for butchering, as they needed the milk the cow provided and to keep the stock going. Even had they butchered the beef, there would have had so much meat they wouldn't have a method of preserving all of it. So hunting became a way to have fresh meat. Squirrels were considered very good meat and there was much hunting of squirrels. Also, there were other game to be had and fresh meat could be had for the taking.

As time went along and food was adequate, hunting became as much a sport as providing food. There still was hunting to provide food and to take hides to be dried to sell for cash. There was more leisure time so hunting became a sport for some. Some hounds were trained to track and tree so the game could be taken, while others were trained just to track. Coon, possum, and fox were the favorite to hunt with fox being favored the most in the Eagle Rock area.

A fox was hunted with a hound that would follow the foot scent of the fox. The hound was a medium sized dog that had speed, endurance and stamina. They were usually white, with different-sized patches of black or tan, or both but could be almost any color. They stand from 21 to 25 inches tall at the shoulder and weight 60 to 70 pounds. They have hard muscles, long tails, well-shaped legs, hanging ears and a distinctive bark. They were fed a special diet and were not to be treated as pets.

Most hunters at Eagle Rock kept 4 or 5 hounds in a pen not too far from the house. How excited the hounds became when it was time to come out of the pen and go on a big hunt. Groups of men, usually relatives, would gather at a location, build up a big fire, drank strong coffee and set around listening to the hounds. They could tell by the sound whose hounds was leading the pack and what they were trailing. The hunt would go late into the night.

When it became time to go home, the men would blow their horns to recall the dogs. These horns were usually homemade out of cattle horns. These foxhunters could really blow those horns and the sound would echo over the Ozark Mountains. Usually the hounds would return if they were within range of the horns. However, if they couldn't hear the horn, the hounds were trained to go to a road and wait. The hunters would drive around the next day to find them. Sometimes the hounds would walk home. If they had to walk a long ways, they were very thin and their feet were sore when they reached home.

There was nothing like taking those hounds out on a nice summer night and listen to them run. Of course the good conversation and the not so good coffee was worth while as well. Can you just hear the tales they must have told of dogs they once had and how they could run?
Date Taken Not Dated
Resource Family Photos & Papers
Submitted by Submitted in 2001 by: Darla Ball Marbut
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