<P> In the US, it is sometimes the practice to have some fox cubs chased but allowed to escape in order for them to learn evasion techniques and so that they can be tracked again in the future . Many foxes evade the hounds by running up or down streams, running along the tops of fences, and other tactics to throw the hounds off the scent . </P> <P> Once the season proper starts (usually from early November in the northern hemisphere, or May in the southern hemisphere), the idea is to drive the fox from the covert and pursue the scent that it leaves for long distances over open countryside . The northern hemisphere season continues through to March or April . </P> <P> Drag hunting, an equestrian sport which involves dragging an object over the ground to lay a scent for the hounds to follow, can also be popular, either instead of, or in addition to, live quarry hunting . Drag hunts are often considered to be faster, with followers not having to wait while the hounds pick up a scent, and often covering an area far larger than a traditional hunt, which may even necessitate a change of horses halfway through . A non-equestrian variation, hound trailing, is practised in the Lake District . Since the UK hunting ban, hunts are using a mixture of an odoriferous substance with an oil in order to improve the persistence of the scent trail, and then to lay the scent about 20 minutes in advance of the hunt . Bloodhounds are also used to hunt a human runner in the sport of Hunting the Clean Boot . </P> <P> As a social ritual, participants in a fox hunt fill specific roles, the most prominent of which is the master, who often number more than one and then are called masters or joint masters . These individuals typically take much of the financial responsibility for the overall management of the sporting activities of the hunt, and the care and breeding of the hunt's fox hounds, as well as control and direction of its paid staff . </P>

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