# Hunt secretary role



## KautoStar1 (21 December 2016)

What does it consist of.  Friend has asked me if I would take this on for a newly formed pack.  Ive not hunted for years and I dont really intend to going forward, except maybe for the odd day, but Ive been asked because a) I am organised and b) its a small group of friends and they want to keep everything in house so to speak.
I am not at all up to speed with hunt etiquette or the law, although I am not opposed to hunting.  Im just not in the loop, so it would be new to me.

Any advice welcome.
thank you.


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## Tiddlypom (21 December 2016)

Without raining on your parade, a group of well meaning but perhaps not very knowlegable folk setting up a new pack sounds like trouble.

Is the new pack to cover Cheshire (going by your location?). There has been the odd drag pack in these parts which has set up then folded. They didn't seem to be very well run at all, they fetched up here one Sunday to play at hunting without having previously asked permission from anyone, let alone the landowners!

Maybe you and your friends are well prepared and also very organised. You will need to be, it's a major undertaking. For eg, how will you notify local horse owners that you will be in the vicinity, you will need good contacts.


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## KautoStar1 (21 December 2016)

My friends are very well prepared and experienced and have hunted hounds before.  Its all going through the appropriate channels and will be done properly.  They have a lot of contacts and have already secured land to hunt that has not previously been available.   
I on the other hand am not a regular on the hunting field and while honour to be asked, I am not experienced in this area, hence my question.
I am organised, friendly, approachable and quick on the uptake so I'm hoping I can do the job.
I am looking for an idea of what to expect.


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## Shay (21 December 2016)

The role can vary from pack to pack but as a minimum the hunt sec collects the caps.  That would mean being at each meet collecting the money from those who have not subscribed.  You may be asked to do the banking - but probably not the accounts.  Sometimes the secretary is also the person who drafts the meet card  - although exactly what meet, which area etc is more often sorted out by the Master and the Huntsman; so they would just let you know for you to type it up and circulate it.  

The Secretary is also usually (but not always) the public point of contact.  So you could need to deal with queries from people wanting to hunt, wanting to know which days are good, which ground etc for their level of experience.

If you are foxhunting  - and sometimes even if you are hunting another way - sadly there are groups of people who will target folk involved and try to make life miserable for them.  Because of that you might want to ensure that you keep a separate mobile phone or email account from your usual one.

In a small pack the secretary might well also be involved in fund raising  - unless there is a separate supports club.

Best way to find out is to ask your friends!


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## Ditchjumper2 (21 December 2016)

The secretary can often also be responsible for sending out cards to the landowners to advise them of the meet, also to local livestock owners. Collection of the cap and dealing with random queries. Sending out meet lists. In theory any visitor should contact you before they visit your pack.

You need the skills of a bloodhound to track down those who try to avoid paying a cap!!

A thick skin and sense of humour also helps.


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## spacefaer (22 December 2016)

Ditchjumper2 said:



			The secretary can often also be responsible for sending out cards to the landowners to advise them of the meet, also to local livestock owners. Collection of the cap and dealing with random queries. Sending out meet lists. In theory any visitor should contact you before they visit your pack.

You need the skills of a bloodhound to track down those who try to avoid paying a cap!!

A thick skin and sense of humour also helps.
		
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I think that may be a very inadvertent and very appropriate comment as I suspect the OP will be involved with the newly formed (or still forming) NW Bloodhounds lol!


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## Ditchjumper2 (22 December 2016)

spacefaer said:



			I think that may be a very inadvertent and very appropriate comment as I suspect the OP will be involved with the newly formed (or still forming) NW Bloodhounds lol!
		
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I wish her luck!! I remember that we were always told when you go hunting that you should find the secretary and pay your cap........I end up chasing for it, tracking people down and receive the same old excuses !


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## KautoStar1 (22 December 2016)

spacefaer said:



			I think that may be a very inadvertent and very appropriate comment as I suspect the OP will be involved with the newly formed (or still forming) NW Bloodhounds lol!
		
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No. Don't know anything about a new blood hound pack.  Thought the Cheshire Bloodhounds had this area covered.


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## KautoStar1 (22 December 2016)

Anyway thanks everyone for their feedback.  I'm starting a list of things I will need to do.  At some stage I'll sit down with the team and flesh out the details. I just wanted to get an idea of what is involved.


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## popsdosh (23 December 2016)

Shay said:



			If you are foxhunting  - and sometimes even if you are hunting another way - sadly there are groups of people who will target folk involved and try to make life miserable for them.  Because of that you might want to ensure that you keep a separate mobile phone or email account from your usual one.
		
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Yes indeed I kid you not a local Bloodhound pack had some of our balaclava clad friends a few weeks back ,just shows how much they know really !


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## Shay (23 December 2016)

We had a magnificent day recently.  With our hounds off games so we just went for a ride around some private land.  Followed by the usual load of balaclava wearing friends.  Who did not appear to realize for some hours there were no hounds......

Our secretaries carry dictaphones and simply speak the name of description of each person cap is collected from (we have one doing the mounted field and one doing foot - more for boxing day) so we can cross check later.  You won;t get everyone - especially not those joining the field later in the day.  But it helps.


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## smja (23 December 2016)

KautoStar1 said:



			No. Don't know anything about a new blood hound pack.  Thought the Cheshire Bloodhounds had this area covered.
		
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Cheshire Bloodhounds amalgamated with the Cheshire Drag at the start of this season, then disbanded a few weeks later with hounds sent to other packs around the country.

Is this a new fox pack, or drag? I'm in Cheshire and hoping to get a few days out next season, so interested to know!


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## KautoStar1 (23 December 2016)

I will pm you smja.


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## VoR (27 December 2016)

My wife and I were Secretaries of a small hunt for 4 years, we were told that it was a case of just taking minutes at meetings, a few phone calls in the season and a bit of admin.........hmm......we basically spent every day doing some sort of hunt work, much at our own expense due to the restricted finances of the hunt, attended all but 8 meets in the 4 years, had countless phone calls including on Christmas day, fielded complaints, abuse from antis, arranged hunt balls, arranged parking at meets, met a greeted visitors accompanying them during the day and making sure they were fed and watered at meets, the list goes on and it is also a thankless task, whatever you do you end up upsetting someone! 
How much fun it is 100% depends on the other committee members and the mastership, we had two fantastic years and two which were riddled with unpleasant internal politics caused by a minority of people with too much sway in such a small hunt, there is always some of that but there can be an excess and when it starts to affect your relationship it's time to bale out!


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## Isbister (29 December 2016)

Ensuring a harmonious relationship with landowners should be your priority. There is only so much a hunt secretary can do and presumably there will be some sort of hunt committee so that other responsibilities can be shared out a bit? Obviously maintaining sound finances comes into the job too.


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## KautoStar1 (1 January 2017)

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and tips.  I am making a list.  I will be sitting down with the team sometime soon and going through things.


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