Hound horns??

[2ndhound]

Anybody still using hound horns? I ask because Im thinking of horn training my dogs due to the "hope and change economy", I cant afford a whole new E collar system, I have been running 2 ecollar systems because I didnt want to lose the tone option putting all collars one the one system, (more range) Well as luck would have it none of the dogs fit on the weaker system any longer so I need to put all 4 on the better one at the cost of the tone, They are all trained to return to the tone and/or a whistle, but the whistle doesnt carry very far, any thoughts on using an old school hound horn? I like those old cow horn ones but do they carry better than a police type whistle? never heard one being used, just thinking
Ken

[007pennpal]

I use one. Works better than standing there yelling and hootin like an idiot. I have a plastic mouth piece that I had. Don't know where to get a good metal mouth piece. Used a old bull horn I had kickin around the garage. When they are pups I take hot dogs out and blow the horn. Takes about two times and they get it.
Sean

[coastrangecathunting]

i would rather hoop than put something round in my mouth.

jc

[allnight]

You could try a shepards whistle I used them on the stock dogs and the hounds.They carry a long ways but doesn't beat the tone button.

[cat and bear]

[Mel]

Train all of my pups to come by using the horn. It works really well for me. I have had other members of our hunting group report back that my dogs heads immediatley come up and they start back. Right now I am using a plastic moose call that I got at the TSC. It cost me $25.00.

Mark

[Dads dogboy]

Folks!

Blowing Horns has been the way to communicate with your Hounds for literally hundreds of years! Also many regions of the world the natives developed languages to talk to each other over great distances with their Horns. As late as the 1970’s Deer hunters in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana used their Horns in stead of Walkie Talkies.

While using a Horn has become a dying art, they are still a good way to communicate with your Hounds when they are too far for the Hounds to hear your voice. Finding a Horn that will fit you may take some doing as some are easier to blow for one individual and another type works better for another Hunter.

Horns come in several materials and with different types of mouthpieces…..generally the metal “Coronet or Trumpet” type mouthpieces are easier to blow than the “reverse Horn tip” types.

Here are some photos of Dad’s collection of Blowing Horns from Old Fox & Cat Hunters who livid and hunted in the Central Texas region.

Dad has used a Goat Horn since 1945 (the middle Horn)….it is wearing its third Deer leg as the Horn itself has worn thin enough to see through.


This is a nice Horn a Gentleman in OK made for Dad


Horns from the late 1800’s and from some Fox Hunting Friends who have crossed the Big River.

Notice the Horn about midway, with the Swiss Cross….this horn mom picked up at a Antique Auction. It has a reed type mouthpiece that is very easy to blow, but the sound of the Horn does not seem to carry well.

Hope you all get to try a Horn some time and find one that fits you as they are wonderful tools to aid in communicating with your Hounds.

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads dogboy

[bob baldwin jr]

very interesting topic and quite a collection of horns you got there

[2ndhound]

Thanks for that reply Dads Dogboy, Those horns are works of art if you know what you are looking at. They must hold a ton of sentimental value to you and your father, I enjoyed your background pics as well , alot of history being made on those walls again thank you for sharing
Ken

[Budd Denny]

A freind of mine just got me started useing a horn for recalling my beagles,they were already recalling to the tone button and converted over to the horn very quickly. I will be converting my large hounds soon. Today the beagles ran a hare back into a ceder swamp a half mile back and when I started getting close I crossed some very fresh wolf tracks going into the swamp, beagles were still running when I called them off with the horn. I use brass horn without the reed made in England.

[2ndhound]

Budd Denney, May I ask where you found a decent brass horn? I tried EBay but didn't see much other than over priced junk, But then again I searched hound horns, maybe I best be trying brass horns? Any pointers on what not to buy? I noticed the reference to the mouth piece so what am I looking for? I eyeballed some nice cow horns for ascetic and romance reasons, But if a brass will do as well as the cow horn than its the durability that I need, ( walk hunt mostly)
Ken

[Budd Denny]

Funny, I just won a nice English made horn on ebay a few minutes ago at what I think was a good price, it has a slight curve and a seem down the side. I have heard what others say and that a reeded horn just doesn't give the quality of sound as a non reeded witch they say carries better.

These are some of the things to look for which a friend of mine posted on another forum.


Check this link out or read this note that I copied and pasted...

http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Hunting-Horns ... 0000924384

Hunting Horns - Real or Reproduction?
by: cleveland-bay( 2612)
181 out of 197 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 13475 times Tags: hunting | horn | foxhunting | fox


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With the plethora of "hunting horns" offered on Ebay, the uninitiated may wonder which ones are real and which are fake. I note there are a lot of traders on Ebay trying to pass reproductions off as real horns, including some with quite dreadful brass fox heads and brass banding. I would estimate that over 90% of the horns listed on Ebay as "genuine" "authentic" or "traditional" are reproductions. Remember - a real hunting horn to a user is an instrument - a tool, and not a trinket.

Basically a hunting horn is a musical instrument and to sound right has to be crafted properly.

1, Makers Name - Most, but not all horns have a maker's name stamped on the edge of the bell. "Made in England" does not necessarily mean that it is a real horn. NB, a colleague tells me he has come across fake horns labeled "Swaine" so beware!!

2, Size and Shape - Most foxhunting / beagling horns are typically around 9 inches long and straight. Some earlier versions had a slight curve. Horns with one or more loops are intended for hanging on walls and are mock French hunting horns. They are usually made from1/2 inch plumbers copper tubing! Shorter curved horns were used for shooting but there are a lot of repros about. Horns of three or more feet are coaching horns (99%+ repro - you see these hung in pubs) and real ones of these are extremely rare,

3, Materials of construction - Apart from solid nickel or silver plated ones, the mouthpiece and stem are normally made from nickel or nickel silver, and the bell from copper. Brass was very rarely used for real horns. The stem should usually appear white / pale metal and not yellowy brass. The nickel stem of a real horn is typically around 1/3 of the total length. Reproduction horns have the stems typically 1/2 or even more of the total length (due to the constraints in the spinning process of the copper part). This is the easiest way to spot a reproduction horn at a glance.

4, Method of construction - The bells (copper part) of most reproduction horns are made by a process called spinning where a flat sheet of metal is formed round a spinning mandrel. As a result, the angle cannot be too sharp and so reproduction horns are usually more conical shaped. The stem therefore has to be conical to take this. Real horns are made by beating a sheet of metal by hand and joining it along the length with a brazed seam. Look for this seam - If there isn't one, it's a repro. The nickel silver stem on a real horn is almost a straight tube and not tapered. A real horn has a pure, clear tone. A repro sounds more like a cow in labour!

5, Mouthpiece - Real horn mouthpieces are usually fairly plain and robust with rounded edges and rim for comfort. Repros are usually ornamental with square edges.

6 - Decorations - Some real horns have silver / nickel bands on them but these are always smooth and rounded. Chunky bands are used on fakes and the detailing is often rough. Chunky fox heads / whips etc made from brass or silver (sliver prices are cheap now) look tacky and are found on reproductions, ofen they are very crude. Real horns with embellishments are extremely rare as decorations can affect the tone. If they are present, they are finely crafted (usually from silver or nickel) and very flat and thin profiled (less than 1mm). If it's chunky, it's a fake. I have been shown a reproductions catalogue which has imitation hunting horns listed with a choice of a brass fox head, horses head or man on horseback, and they are ÂŁ18 each to buy direct from the catalogue. I am also told there is a version with a fleur de lys. A real hunting horn is either carried in a leather pouch on the saddle or between two buttons on a jacket, so you can see why ornamentation is rarely found on a real horn.

7, Engravings - Apart from the maker's name, the only type of engraving on a real horn is likely to be a presentation from one person, or hunt, to another person. names like "xxx hunt" are put on reproductions. Some hunts did actually sell them as souvenirs but they are not real.


8, Wide bells - Real horns have a bell diameter of typically less than 2 inches (with some exceptions). An average diameter is 1 3/4". Anything wider than 2" is likely to be a fake.

9, Dents - Anyone can put a few dents in a horn to make it look more authentic!

10, Quality of finish - a real horn will not show machining marks either on the outside or in the bell.



Remember - if you buy a horn in good faith as a "genuine" horn and when it arrives it turns out to be a repro, the buyer has misrepresented it and you are legally entitled to return it for a refund.

NEW: A fellow enthusiast tells me there is someone selling something on Ebay described as VINTAGE HUNTING HORN WITH FOX'S HEAD FEATURE. This ia a reproduction, and I am told the fox's head looks more like a girl thingycat! He also tells me that people have paid silly money for them, so beware. Doesn't seem to be any of these listed at the moment so perhaps Ebay have taken note of his complaint.

........ as well .....

http://reviews.ebay.co.uk/Dating-Antiqu ... 0003615308

Dating Antique Hunting Horns by Manufacturer & Retailer
by: tackagain( 4501)
27 out of 27 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 5422 times Tags: BOOSEY | KOHLER | KEATS | HUNTING HORN | SWAINE ADENEY


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I have assembled a guide to the historical manufacturers & retailers of hunting horns as a reference for dating quality antique horns. Any additional information would be gratefully recieved. I hope that this page will make a useful resource and I will add to it as often as I can. Pictures of most of these makers stamps can be found at my website at http://www.tackagain.co.uk//mall/infopa ... Hornmakers

1] Keith, Prowse & Co
Keith, Prowse and Co operated from 48, Cheapside , London in the 1800's

2]G.B.Butler
George Butler started up in Dublin in 1826, then opened a London branch in 1858.Marked "Butler Haymarket London and Dublin".The Haymarket address puts it between 1865 and 1898.


3]Boosey & Co
In the 1850 Boosey & Co started making brass and wind instruments and merged with Hawkes & Son in 1930 .

Henry Distin
Boosey & Co bought out Henry Distin of 31 Cranbourne St , Leicester Square in 1868 so any Boosey horns bearing the Distin trademark would be later than that date


Boosey & Hawkes Ltd
Boosey & Co merged with Hawkes & Son in 1930 so horns made after this date were stamped Boosey & Hawkes



4]Swaine & Co
James Swaine started in business in 1798 and moved to 185 Piccadilly in 1835 .Swaine & Co dates horns to before 1845 when James took his nephew into the business and the company became Swaine & Adeney


SWAINE & ADENEY
SWAINE & ADENEY 185 PICCADILLY LONDON PROPRIETORS OF KOHLER & SON MADE IN ENGLAND. Horns made after 1851 usually bear the exhibition medals from that year.

Swaine & Adeney merged with Brigg's in 1943


5] Kohler & Sons

Kohler & Sons 12 Gt Chapel Sreet. Westminster (From Covent Garden) London .The mouth piece is marked K & S. Kohler horns carried various addresses over the years which helps to date their horns quite accurately.


Kohler & Sons
Kohler/Kohler & Sons were manufacturers of horns from 1780 until 1907 .

The company achieved Royal Appointment in 1801 They were registerd at various addresses over the years one of the earliest being I.Kohler - Whitcomb Street London 1790-1793


35 Henrietta Street
Horns made between 1830 - 1863 usually carried the 35 Henrietta Street address and after 1851-62 the Exhibition medals


12 Great Chapel Street , Westminster
Horns made between 1863 & 1881 carried the 12 Great Chapel Street , Westminster address.The Kohler inscription became Kohler & Son in 1863.


116 Victoria Street ,Westminster
Horns made between 1882 & 1888 were marked with the 116 Victoria Street , Westminster address . From 1888 to 1896 the address changed to 61 Victoria Street


167 Edbury Street ,Eaton Square
The address between 1902 & 1904 was 167 Edbury Street , Eaton Square , London


185 Piccadilly , Covent Garden
From 1905 until 1907 the address was 185 Piccadilly , and in 1907 the company was aquired by Swaine & Adeney


6]Henry Keat & Sons

Henry Keat have made horns for all the leading saddlers including - Merry , Whippy , Wilkinson & Kidd , Cornish & Rogers as well as Army Navy Stores and Potters of London .

When Swaine & Adeney took over the business of Kohler & Sons in 1907 Keat & Sons made all their Hunting Horns till 1984.



7]Rudall Rose & Carte
Rudall Rose & Carte operated from various addresses in the mid to late 1800's.

From 1852 to 1857 they were at 100 New Bond Street , London.

From 1858 till 1878 they resided at 20 Charring Cross , London.

And from 1878 onwards the address was 23 Berners Street , Oxford Street , London




8]Louis Jullien
Louis Jullien sold horns from his music shop in Regent Street which he operated from the mid 1840's until he went bankrupt in 1848

[NorWester]

I won't drop dogs without my horn. I'm always amazed hearing of and watching guys that have to "catch" their hounds. Mine come when they are called and my horn is an essential part of that process.

Do not buy a horn with a reed.......... waste of money. It's not much louder than a party gazoo and sounds the same.

[BlacktailStalker]

Does anyone have a video they could post of the horn being used, to give an idea how loud they are?
I didnt know guys used these, kinda cool.
I think they might be handy around rivers etc.

[Hermit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVVOY3_j5OE

hope this works