18 couple, 4 foxes and too many followers!

Our foxes got turned too many times today -too many car followers out and in the way.   After the fox in the pic got turned twice, he took off for fields afar -and across the highway. Bobby and I got there JUST as Charles was crossing over this very busy road , but we were about 50 yards down from where he crossed.  Hounds were less than 5 seconds behind him , and we just couldnt get to them in time to break them.(Across the highway is forbidden country right now due to deer season).  This fox just kept going and going and going...away!! We finally managed to hold up the pack miles from whence they started this fellow. Nerve jangling day, it was.  And I was ever so thankful that both MARNEY and REILLY were safe at home in kennels ( they are both in heat).  Marilyn, Sara and Reno were right there on this fox, as were all of Bobby's.  We were loaded while the others were still trying to break theirs ( or FIND them, lol!)

To backtrack, our first fox, found @ 7am, stayed up for all of about 5 minutes before going to ground in a newly dug earth in the middle of a newly planted wheat field:

hounds at the hole after denning their first pilot. Perhaps this was the vixen...

...Because THIS sucker was the one that took our hounds on a tour of the countryside via the highway, not long afterwards:

We had two other hunted foxes this morning: one went to Garland Road, so hounds had to be held up there, and the other went across Knifebox Road. I'm tellin' ya' -those foxes are mating and on the move!!!

In all fairness, there was another problem that factored into the turning of quarry. When Freddy pulled up to the meet this morning, there was a young , very nice-looking tricolor coonhound wandering in the road  at the place where we meet.  Obviously,someone had dumped the pretty bitch puppy.  She ended up being shoved into my hound truck (which stayed parked alongside the covert all morning), so that she wouldnt be in the way.  But all she did was bark ALL morning long.  After the hunt, I took her to a customers' house only a few miles away and asked if she would take the hound in.  (Last year she had asked me if we had any foxhounds that we would give her to keep her rescue hound company).  She fell in love with this sweet-natured pup right away, and agreed.  Saying a prayer that the young bitch doesnt bark in Susie's kennel all night tonight! I dont want THAT phone call, lol!

Hunting tomorrow on Mel again. There should only be 9 or 10 couple out, and no coffehousers! A hard freeze forecast for tonight.This morning, the low temp was 38 degrees F.Calm winds at the draw, that increased out of the NW all morning. I'll break out the longjohns for tomorrow!