Glossary of otter hunting terms

The "sport" of otter hunting developed over time a language all its own. The following glossary of terms is reproduced from Otters and Otter-hunting by L.C.R Cameron, published 1908.

Abroad. To "hit an otter abroad" is a North-country term for "putting an otter down."
 
Babbler. A noisy hound, one that speaks when not on the line of an otter. 

Bar. A crowbar is sometimes used to move an otter from a strong holt.

Bend. The land between two reaches of a winding stream across which the otter has travelled to gain time or avoid the current. 

Bitch-otter. The female otter.

Blank. A day on which no trail or drag is touched.

Blooding. (i) Giving the dead otter to hounds; (2) marking a boy or girl on the brow and cheeks with a small piece of the otter's flesh to "enter" him or her to the sport.

Bolt. To put an otter out of his holt or couch.

Bottom-stickle. See Stickle.

Chain. The air-bubbles rising from the otter's fur to the surface when he dives or swims under water. Sometimes called Belling.

Challenge. The first hound to speak to a drag is said to challenge.

Check. To hold hounds back from time to time when they are pressing forward on a drag : necessary to avoid passing over the otter.

Chop. To kill an otter or cubs when found, before they have a chance to get away.

Coke. Same as Spraints and Wedging.

Coloured. Water which has been disturbed by hounds and huntsman, or by a flood.

Couch. Same as Holt.

Couple. (i) The unit by which a pack of hounds is counted: thus, 15 couples = 30 hounds; (2) to couple hounds together by means of a pair of couples and collars.

Cub. The young of the otter.

Dog-otter. The male otter.

Double. Where an otter has run out into a meadow and turned back towards the stream, leaving a loop of scent, it is said to be a "double." A “double drag" is where an otter has gone both up and down a stream.

Down. To "put an otter down " is to drive him out of his holt into the water.

Down-water. The cry used when it is found that the quarry has gone down- stream {cf. Up-water).

Draft. To remove hounds from the pack.

Drag. The trail of scent left by an otter, by which he is traced to his couch or holt.

Drain. A favourite place for an otter to lie up by day.

Enter. To take young hounds into the pack and teach them their work. See also Blooding.

Feathering. Hounds, before being quite certain, feather, or move their sterns quickly, when they think they have hit off the drag. 

Flash. To over-run or flash over the drag, or the holt in which an otter is lying.

Foil. To spoil the scent by walking over the ground. Hounds '' swim the foil " when they get the scent or  “ream" on the water. Sometimes used for Drag.

Gaze. To view the otter. " Heu gaze! " is still sometimes used for ''Tally-ho!"

Heel. To hunt the drag in the reverse direction to that in which the quarry has travelled.

Hide. The temporary retreat of a hunted otter, such as a tree-root, hole in the bank, or heap of brushwood.

Hold Hard. (i) An admonition to the Field not to press on hounds or over-walk the huntsman; (2) an order to the forward whipper-in to slacken his pace.

Hold-up. (i) Order to hounds to keep to one side of the road ; (2) to stop hounds for any purpose while hunting.

Holt. The lair of the otter, where he lies up by day or for which he makes when pursued: often in a drain, hole in the bank under tree-roots, or in a burrow.

Hover. Same as Hide, and sometimes as Holt.

Hunt Heel. See Heel.

Huntsman. The man who hunts the hounds: usually the Master or Deputy-Master.

Kennel. Same as Couch and Holt.

Kennels. The place in which the pack is kept.

Lay-up. A bitch-otter is said to ''lay-up" her cubs in a couch, when she produces her young.

Litter. The family of otter-cubs, varying from three to five and (rarely) six in number, and born indifferently at all periods of the year.

Lodge. The same as Couch, Kennel, and Holt.

Look-out Below. An official of the hunt or member of the Field stationed down-stream to gaze the otter should he pass the bottom-stickle.

Lower-stickle. Same as Bottom-stickle. See Stickle.

Mark. (i) When hounds bay and tear at the entrance to a holt occupied by an otter they are said to mark ; (2) sometimes used for Seal. 

Marking-hound. A hound that can be depended on to ''mark"at a holt occupied by the quarry.
 
Mask. The head of an otter. 

Meet. The rendezvous at which hounds and hunts- men meet the Field before putting hounds to water. 

M. O. H. Master of otter-hounds.

Move. An otter will often " move " when hounds have been taken away from a holt or drain after marking. 

Notch. The cut made on an otter-pole to record a kill. 

Otter-pole. A pole of ash or bamboo, shod with steel, carried by otter-hunters, and used for leaping or sounding purposes.

Out of Mark. When an otter is lying-up in a holt whose entrance is under water he is "out of mark."

Over. To pass over an otter is to leave him undisturbed in his holt, through the latter being ''out of mark."

Own. To speak to a drag.

Pack. A number of hounds, usually from 10 to 20 couples, kept for otter-hunting. 

Pad. The foot of the otter.

Padding. Sometimes used for Seal and Spur. 

Passed. When hounds carry the drag beyond the place at which the otter is laid-up.

Pelt (anciently Pyles). The skin of an otter.

Put-down. To drive an otter to water.

Rattle. The note sounded on the horn at the ''worry."

Ream. Scent coming down on the water when an otter has "moved."

Recover. To find the drag or otter after losing it for a time.

Ring. otters will sometimes land and run a ring through undergrowth back to the water.

Riot. When otter-hounds speak to or run deer, fox, hare, rabbits, water-voles, or moorhens they are said to riot. (N.B. No hound can, apparently, withstand the temptation to hunt the scent of a Muscovy duck.)

Rough. An otter is said to be ''lying rough " when found away from the stream in a hedgerow, among undergrowth, brushwood, faggots, &c.

Rudder. The tail of the otter. Occasionally called the Pole.

Scent. The odour left by the otter during his nocturnal rambles, or on the water after he is "put- down."

Seal. The track of an otter, recognisable by the mark of its five toes and the absence of a heel ; to be sought in mud and sand. Also called Spur and Mark.

Shoal. To drive an otter into shallow water.

Skirter. A hound that will not work properly, but remains on the bank when the pack are swimming their otter.

Speak. Of hounds, to give tongue when on a drag.

Spear. An obsolete weapon, consisting of a double steel prong affixed to one end of an otter-pole, with which in former days (when but two or three couples of hounds were used in chase) the otter was finally despatched on a shallow by harpooning or spearing.

Spraints (from the French épreindre, (to squeeze out). The excrement of the otter found on banks and boulders; it is agreeably scented, like snuff. Also called Wedging.

Spur. The Seal of the otter.

Stain. Both ground and water that have been disturbed by the passage of hounds, cattle, and human beings are said to be ''stained " thereby.

Stern. The tail of a hound.

Stickle. Formed by the Field standing leg to leg across a shallow to keep the hunted otter from passing to unhuntable water above or below.

Sticky. (i) Said of a stream with a muddy bottom ; (2) of a bitch-otter which hangs about the hides and hovers on the same stretch of water for a length of time, usually a sign that there are cubs nearby.

Stoop. Hounds stoop to the drag when they put their noses to the ground.

Stroke. When hounds carry the drag at racing speed or full-cry across a bend or on a double it is said to be a good stroke.

Tail. To catch the otter dexterously by the rudder as he forces a stickle or crosses a shallow. Not countenanced in some hunts, but sometimes necessary in order to terminate a hunt in very cold water or late in the day.

Tally. To shout ''Tally-ho!" when an otter is ''gazed" or viewed swimming or venting. 
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Trail. Same as Drag.

Top-stickle. See Stickle.

Trophies. The rudder, mask, and pads, when cut off, are the '' trophies."

Un-kennel. To dislodge the otter from his couch.

Up-water. The cry used on a drag when it is found that the otter has travelled up-stream {cf. Down-water). 

Vent. The otter vents when he comes to the surface of the water to breathe.

Vent-hole. A hole leading into a holt above water at which an otter may be winded by hounds or terriers. 

Visit. A dog-otter will often come down-stream or cross a watershed to visit a bitch, thus giving the chance of a long trail hunt.

Wedging. Another name for Spraints.

Whippers-in. The hunt officials, whether paid or voluntary, whose duty it is to see that hounds  obey the orders of the Master. 

Who-whoop. The cheer announcing a kill.

Worry. When the dead otter is thrown to the hounds after the trophies have been removed. Also when hounds are killing their quarry. 

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