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www.pbgv.org
Summer2014
ISaberTails
I2014NationalHuntScene
byVickieWillmann
PhotosbyBobCohen
T
heweekofeventsprecedingthe2014nationalheldin
CampHill,Pa.,startedwithacaravandriveonSaturday
morning,May3,toDowningtown,Pa.,fromthehunt
groundslocatedinCarlisle,Pa.Wewereonourwaytomeet
theSkycastleFrenchHoundsandJimScharnberg,owner
andHuntmasterofthehounds.TheSkycastleFrenchHound
packwasoriginallyregisteredin1948andovertheyearshas
beenmadeupofpurebredandmixedhounds,allofthe
bassetvariety.TodaythepackismadeupentirelyofAKC-
registeredPBGVs.Mr.Scharnbergtookoverthepackfrom
previousownersJohnandElizabethStreeterin1987.
Thehoundsarehousedinanhistoricwell-preserved
dairybarnfromthelate1800’s.TheSkycastlepackconsists
of16PBGVs,twopacksofeightdogseach.Fourhoundsare
kenneledineachofthefourruns.Eachrunhasalarge
woodenboxbuiltupoffthefloorwithstrawforbedding,
eachwithoutdooraccess.Malesandspayedfemalesare
kenneledtogetherandunspayedfemalesarekenneled
together.Thehoundsmustbeofsoundtemperamentas
theyeat,sleep,andhunttogether,includingintactmales.
Thisisdoneinparttohelpbuildastrongpackmentality.
Thehoundsarehuntedthreetimesperweekonthe
beautifulrollinghillsofthispropertyandothernearby
propertiesinChesterCounty.TheSkycastlePBGVsarevery
well-trained,goingouttothefieldinasmall,closetogether
packfollowingbehindtheHuntmaster,unrestrained,
andreturningtothekennelsinthesamemanner.The
Huntmaster,withtheadditionalhelpofhiswhippers-in,
movedthepackfromplacetoplacewithease.
Ourgroupenjoyedwatchingashortfoothuntwiththe
hounds.Uponreturningtothebarn,Mr.Scharnberggave
aninformativetalk,sharinghishuntingexpertise.Wewere
alsotreatedtoabountifularrayofwonderfulrefreshments
afterthehunt,plustoursofthehomesteadandacollection
ofoldcarriageshousedontheproperty.
Themorningofthenationalhuntstartedcoolandcrisp
withthethreatofrainoverhead,andasthedayprogressed
itbecamewindy.Buttoourdelighttherewereonlyafew
lightsprinklesthroughouttheday,muchlessthanhadbeen
predicted.Actually,themoisturefromtherainhelpsthe
houndstohuntbetterasmoistgroundandcoverholdthe
rabbitscentlonger.Therewereperiodsofsunthroughout
theday,butthetemperaturewasnevermuchabove60°.
Thetwo-dayhuntdrewanentryof61PBGVseachday.
Unfortunately,oneownerwiththreedogscouldnotgetthe
timeofffromwork,andanotherdogwasnotallowedonthe
flighttoPennsylvania.Theclubhouseopenedat6a.m.with
thearomaofbreakfastfillingtheair.Breakfastwasservedat