Gaston Phebus

First we must clear the hunting grounds of any "animals" that might distract the sight hounds. There will be wild cats to shoot out of trees, mountain goats to shoot off of ledges, otters to spear out of the water, a badger to find and dispatch in his hole, a tough wild boar, rabbits to whack with sticks, and the ignoble wolf for whom any death short of hanging would be too good. [The Hunt Course will open no later than 10 am - riders will go forth and find the animals in the hunting grounds which will cover 50-100 acres. Weapons will be available on course. Please reset all stations to the manner in which you would have liked to have found them.]

We will hold a bow and stable hunt in which we use arrows to dispatch the tough and tenacious bear. As all good bear hunting requires team work, one rider will drag the bear by the attached rope while others shoot it. [The Bow and Stable Hunt will begin no earlier than 1 pm.]

Once we have the forest cleared of animals that might distract the hounds, we will hold two stag hunts par force of dogs. We have word on the location of a prime hart. Some say this might be an elusive white hart who is known to run hard and without restriction as to speed. The second stag is a roebuck who is smaller and a bit slower, but still should provide a good chase. [The Par Force Hunt will start no earlier than 2 pm. Riders who choose to participate as sight hounds or huntsman should be prepared to ride hard and keep the stag in view. Riders who would like to ride with a little more flexibility are welcome to participate with in the field. The Hart will be all gaits. The Roebuck will be walk trot limited. Riders are welcome to change roles between the hunts.]

Hounds of all sizes and designs are welcome to participate in lure coursing as long as they can be safely loosed. We have word that there will be hares to provide runs with quick turns to highlight to agile runner. We also have word of foxes, ready to use obstacles to challenge to agility of the stalwart hounds. [Lure Coursing will begin no earlier than noon. Remember all dogs must remain on leash when not running the course. NO DOGS ARE PERMITTED IN THE BACK COUNTRY]

The cooks of the kingdom are welcomed forth to prepare delicacies for the hungry populace. The eaters of the kingdom are welcomed forth to provide the cooks with targets. In addition to whatever supplies visitors bring, scouts believe that there will be plentiful rabbits and fish for the cooks to play with over the open, but grated fire pits. In addition to any sampling during the day, there will be a grand picnic with roasted chicken and bread provided by the Shire of Canale to celebrate a successful hunt. [The Shire of Canale is willing to accept donations of money to offset the cost of the food. The Cooks are always willing to accept donations of ingredients. If you let the Autocrat know what ingredients you might bring she will get that information out to the cooks. There will be plentiful wood provided for the fire pits. Potable water will be provided for the cooks. There is one electrical outlet in the cooks area. The picnic will begin no earlier than 3:30.]

Pacheco State Park, 38787 Dinosaur Point Road, Hollister, CA

The event is one day, but we have arranged for camping for horses, hounds, and humans Friday and Saturday nights. There is no set site fee being charged, however the State Park does charge a fee parking or camping (self-pay, bring exact change). Parking is $5/vehicle/day - State Parks passes are accepted. Camping is $10/vehicle/day - paying the camping fee covers parking.

There are 14 12x12 pipe pens available on a first come, first served basis. There are 6 large wooden pens - priority will be given to those on the set up crew with more than one horse. There is running, non-potable water on site including places to wash off horses. Bring buckets for watering horses over night. There is room to set up portable corrals.

We will be having rental horses provided by Jerry Best Pitch of JB Ranch.

Rentals will be $200 for Friday and Saturday. Friday will be set up for Jerry to evaluate you and get you matched up with a horse. Saturday will be the event itself. Jerry is also willing to provide trail ride time on Sunday morning for an additional $75, if there is interest.

Interested riders should email Else and contact Jerry 

Jerry reserves the right to limit the pace that riders can ride at. If you would like to use your own tack please talk with Jerry about it in advance. If you are greater than 200 lbs, let Jerry know so that he can bring an appropriate horse.

Jerry needs reservations from 4 riders by March 1st. Payment in full will be required by April 1st.

The Stag Hunt will require a Basic Riding Authorization. The Bow and Stable Hunt will require a Mounted Archery Authorization. The Hunt Course will require a Games Authoriztion. The Wild Cats and the Mountain Goats will require Mounted Archery Authorizations.