In this photo, hounds wander in a field as huntsman Geoff Hyde, top center, and members of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club prepare for a fox hunt to begin in Monkton, Md. More of a chase than a hunt, the hounds and club members pursue a fox by scent, but the goal is not to kill it. And in the midst of the heavily-populated Boston-Washington corridor, the club has made efforts to preserve large swaths of open land from suburban development, hoping to uphold the club's nearly 140-year history and traditions. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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MONKTON, Md. - A hound's howl breaks through the cold rainfall. Dozens more hounds emerge from a stand of trees and bound across a field in search of a fox's scent. Horses carrying riders in red and black coats follow from a ways behind, quickly disappearing again over a hillcrest, minutes away from Baltimore's growing suburbs.
The Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club has roots dating back to 1878, but records show organized foxhunts took place in Maryland as early as the 1790s. In order to preserve a pastime that requires vast open space in the midst of one of the world's densest regions, the club has managed to protect a patchwork of land that is larger than Manhattan. According to the website of the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America, there are nearly 160 organized foxhunting clubs in the U.S. and Canada.
And while the sport's ban in Britain over animal welfare concerns 10 years ago is still debated, the American hunt is a chase - the intent is not to kill a fox. But from dress to decorum, many of the traditions remain unaltered from its inception.
Here's a collection of images from recent hunts.
In this Jan. 3, 2015 photo, members of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club follow a path during a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. In order to protect a pastime that requires vast open space in the midst of one of the world's densest regions, the club has managed to secure a patchwork of land that is larger than Manhattan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Feb. 14, 2015 photo, a stuffed fox is displayed on a shelf in the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club clubhouse in Monkton, Md. The club has roots dating back to 1878, but records show organized foxhunts took place in Maryland as early as the 1790s. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Jan. 3, 2015 photo, a member of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club holds the reins of his horse after a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Dec. 31, 2014 photo, a member of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club puts on boots as he prepares for a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Dec. 31, 2014 photo, a member of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club leads his horse out of a barn as they head to a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 29, 2014 photo, a member of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club rides a horse through a stand of trees during a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 8, 2014 photo, pictures hang on a wall inside the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club's clubhouse in Monkton, Md. The Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club has roots dating back to 1878, but records show organized foxhunts took place in Maryland as early as the 1790s. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 29, 2014 photo made with a slow shutter speed, a member of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club is seen through trees during a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 29, 2014 photo, members of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club make their way around car traffic during a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Dec. 31, 2014 photo, the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club's logo adorns buttons on a jacket in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 8, 2014 photo, a man walks past a fox-shaped doorknocker at the entrance of the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club's clubhouse during a tea party following a hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Nov. 8, 2014 photo, Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club president Jay Young, second from right, talks with members at a tea party in the clubhouse following a hunt in Monkton, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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In this Jan. 28, 2015 photo, huntsman Geoff Hyde leads a group of hounds out of their kennel at the Elkridge-Harford Hunt Club as they head out for a fox hunt in Monkton, Md. While the sport's ban 10 years ago in Britain over animal welfare concerns is still debated, this hunt is strictly a chase. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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