JOIN US

There are NO MEMBERSHIP DUES OR OBLIGATIONS associated with becoming a Ranger. Each Ranger receives a FREE pewter Ranger Badge (cast in a hand-carved soapstone mold like many of the the medieval originals).

Membership in St. Hubert's Rangers is a judged process. Individuals interested in becoming Rangers, who meet the criteria below, should submit an Introduction Form, and email a photo for consideration.

To be eligible for membership an individual must portray a mid-to-late medieval (for our purposes, the 10th century through the 15th century), Western European* hunter, and have at least a basic head-to-toe set of clothing, accoutrements, and hunting equipment specific to the chosen century of their persona. Clothing should be suitable, in style and color, for hunting afield, and the prospective member must have one of the following period weapons or animals typically used for hunting:

(PLEASE CLICK ON THE THUMB-NAIL IMAGES BELOW FOR LARGER VIEWS)


SELFBOW	CROSSBOW	SPEAR	JAVELIN	SWORD	SLING	HAWK / FALCON	HUNTING DOG	FERRET

A member's persona could be that of anyone who hunted for sport or necessity on a regular basis in the Middle Ages, such as: a huntsman, nobleman, forester, poacher, outlaw, etc. For our purposes, a hunter is defined as anyone who participates in the chase of a small game or large game animal, with the means of personally dispatching the hunted animal (Trapping and angling are beyond the scope of St. Hubert's Rangers). Participating in actual hunts is not a requirement of membership, but having a complete, period, hunter kit is. Prospective Rangers who are interested in participating in medieval-themed hunts should become familiar with the guidelines here: HUNT RANKINGS.

The evaluation of submitted photos is a subjective process. However, photographic evidence of a reasonable effort towards head-to-toe authenticity that reflects an understanding of the time period, will most likely qualify. Clothing, accoutrements, or hunting gear that is not consistent with the time period, or obviously modern materials or items would make one ineligible for membership. If prospective members belong to other living history organizations, such as the SCA, they need to make sure favors, badges, and other regalia specific to that organization are not displayed in their submission photos.

It should be the perpetual goal of each Ranger to improve upon the period authenticity of the design, materials, and use, of their clothing, accoutrements and hunting equipment. But minimally, a Ranger’s clothing, accoutrements and equipment should satisfy an educated and discerning eye from all but the closest distances**. Authenticity beyond that is at the discretion of the individual. Things that could not be readily detected without close personal inspection, such as period under-clothing or hand stitching, reflect a higher level of authenticity, but are not required.

This website is the public face of St. Hubert's rangers. However, Rangers are also invited to join a (members only) discussion site, where they can share all their interests in medieval-style hunting with like minded individuals, and organize group hunts.

* 'Western European' in the context of St. Hubert's Rangers is a reference to the general 'style and culture' of medieval England and many of the surrounding areas with a similar culture, more so than it is a specific, defined geographic region. Subtle regional motifs and embellishments aside, a good rule-of-thumb is that a Ranger's clothing, accoutrements, and hunting weapons should be very similar in style to those commonly used in medieval England. Portrayals with Eastern, Asian, or other non-Western European cultural influences is not acceptable for the Rangers.

** The components of one's kit should 'look the part', but due to the time/expense of creating/acquiring extremely authentic replicas, reasonable facsimiles are acceptable, so long as they have the general form and appearance of their authentic counterparts, and no modern materials are visible. For example, Western European shortbows and longbows would have been selfbows made from a single stave in-period, but similar looking bows tillered from laminated boards would be an acceptable modern alternative, especially for beginners. Similarly, hunting animals DO NOT have to be species indigenous to the region of one's portrayal. For example, falconers may train and use any species of hawk or falcon available to them where they reside.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please contact us: rangers@sthubertsrangers.org

Here are some select articles by Rangers from our 'Research' page that may be helpful:

"...Getting Started"
by Paul Wilburn

"Archery Hunting in the Middle Ages"
by Erik Roth

Medieval Hunting in Modern Times
New World Challenges --Prey, Seasons and Methods
by R. Swinney