How did a traditional fox hunt begin at the meet?

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A person wearing an orange vest and holding a shotgun walks through tall grass with a hunting dog ahead in a field with scattered trees. — hunting Bird hunting with a dog.

A traditional fox hunt begins at the meet, where the followers gather to join the hounds. During this time, participants acknowledge the master of the hunt, and the group is frequently offered hospitality by a host for the occasion.1

Once the master gives the command, the hounds move off to draw—or search—the covert, which may be a woodland, a field, or a patch of gorse where a fox is suspected to be hiding.1