Yesterday, I wore only a light sweatshirt as I rode horses; it was warm (68), sunny and no wind.This morning, it was 36 degrees when we drew the woods northwest of the clubhouse at 7:30am with 12 1/2 couple. The wind was steady out of the N/NW@ 16mph,with gusts up to 25mph, and the forecast was for the gusts to only increase throughout the day.
It took but 3 minutes for one of Jim's hounds to open, and only seconds for the entire pack to honor. Our first fox was on the move at 7:33am!
And boy,did he ever move! This red bolted right out of the woods on the north side, crossed a fallow field on a long diagonal run of at least a 1/4 mile, pointing his mask toward the opposite side of Foxhunters Rd.
I viewed the fox, but he was moving so fast i couldnt get my camera out in time. The hounds were pressing him,less than 30 seconds behind. It was just enough time for me to whip out the camera and take some video as the entire pack crossed over the green field. Lovely, it was. Jim's hounds on top. He was SO wanting to see it on video. As were we all....but I digress...
Our fleet fox flew! Behind some chicken houses he went , then across another hard road toward "the Doc's" . A quick loop in the woods there,and then back over the road at the chicken houses. He circumnavigated the woods behind same for about 15 minutes, and then darted back across Foxhunter's rd to enter the woods where he had been found . Next, he headed in the opposite direction- threatening to crossa yet another road to the northwest, as if he might go to the Massey woods. (Cant let the hounds get there).
Fortunately for us, he turned back , running the wood's edge to re-enter the same covert where he had been roused.
And then, he proceeded to repeat the exact pattern a second time. When he made his return leg on this second loop, he handed the pack off to a fresh red waiting in that same covert where we started the morning. The time was about 8:35.
The second fox ran an entirely different pattern, winding round and round the cutover pines behind the Clubhouse, forcing the pack to work hard as they had to pick their way through heavy cutover and bramble. This one didnt stay up for very long -hounds marked him at 9:10. All hounds were on, with Marney and Repo being last to leave the hole.
By 9:30, we were on our way to get some hot coffee and breakfast.
O- and all that lovely footage of the pack? I accidentally erased it when I tried to free up some memory. I have the find on the first fox, and the cry as they put the second fox in. Everything in -between: POOF! Gone.
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