Wednesday, January 25th hunt- Back in the Saddle

A pretty start to a pretty day

...after missing two hunts because of the flu.   And 5 hours in the saddle was more than Rap and I needed,  but it felt good to be out on such a beautiful day.  We'll both sleep well tonight.!

Our guests from Delaware  were back again, but today our total number of hounds was only 11 1/2 couple.
Bobby left Shamrock home because he noticed Part-time humping her and naturally assumed she was coming into heat.  He had also left her home on Monday for the same reason.  I remember he mentioned  earlier this  morning that she wasnt bleeding, and that was kind of odd....This has relevance later in this report, honest!!

We drew Johnny-boy's woods at 7:55am, and at 8:06 we had a fox on the move.  Part-time made the find and  he and 4  other hounds got ahead of the others.  There was some babbling going on by  some of the guests' hounds which caused the rest of the pack to be unable to hear those front hounds. It took us a good ten minutes to get to them and get them to shut up long enough so that they would hark. ( The woods is virtually underwater, and the surrounding fallow cornfields are as wet as a soaked sponge.  Rap was sinking in past his ankles with every step across the fields).

 Our fox made one big sweep through Johnny-boys  woods, running west to Frog Hollow where he was viewed crossing the dirt road by a car follower.  He made a loop through Frog Hollow and came right back to where hounds found him.  All with only 2 1/2 couple on his brush.  But his decision to swing back worked in our favor and by 8:40, all hounds were on. This red gave the hounds a good chase until just before 10am, when he went to ground only a few hundred  feet from where he had been roused.  I was able to get to them and call them out, and by the time I had them on the edge of the field, the guys were pulling up  along the dirt lane where we had unkennelled earlier.  I had a very sloggy couple of hundred yards of wet field (planted in ground cover) to cross to get the hounds to the trucks.  All but Part Time followed me out, and he wont follow anybody but Bobby, so my feelings weren't hurt, lol! ( this little tidbit also has relevance for later in this report!).

Bobby  had to walk in and retrieve Party, who was doing what Party does best when he's not hitting a line - farting around.  Meanwhile, the rest of us headed a bit north  for the next cast.  Bobby joined us only a few minutes later.  While Tommy cast his hounds, we got a chance for a quick cup of coffee.  The time was10:30am.

Rap wanted a bite of Bobby's sandwich.  He got a peppermint  instead ..

No sooner had we begun our  brunch break  when   Tommy's hounds opened.  I hopped back on Rap and we dropped the tailgate. ... And then  Tommy's pack shut up seconds later!  We walked ours into the woods  towards his and you-know-who began to tongue. Our other hounds honored, Tommy's harked, and our next chase was gearing up.  It was around 10:36.

This fox ran the "14 acre piece" and  the woods on the north side of  Wilhelm rd for about 1/2 hr.  A little after 11am he crossed Wilhelm Rd , setting his sites for the  woods where our first fox gave chase.....and  went to ground in a hole about  100 yards in from Wilhelm Rd.  This particular covert is rented by  unfriendly deer hunters, and although the season is pretty much over, we try to stay out  of it.  Horse tracks would not be wise, so I dismounted and walked in to help get hounds away from the hole.   

All were accounted for save 3 couple.  Part-Time and my Marney were two of them.  For the next ,o- almost two  hours (!!!!!)  we hunted for   hounds. By 12:30, all were accounted for save... yep, Part-Time and Marney.  What a pair to have out.....together!

At 1pm, I put  a very tired Rap on the trailer , hopped in a hound truck and got a lift back to where the fox had crossed over Wilhelm Rd.  I began to walk  the woods where the fox went in, while the guys did reconnaissance on the roads. At the same time,  Bobby walked into the "14 acre piece" .   And there,  he just happened to hear Marney yelp, one time.  And THERE was  Part -Time -  all over her, trying to hump her.  Now I KNOW she's not in heat, since she was just  in heat in December...

Well, that explains it.....lol!  Part-Time is becoming quite literally  a pain in the arse. ( And Shamrock missed out on two hunts for no reason.)

Hunting tomorrow, but it will be only my hounds, Tommy's and Bobby's. YAY!!!! Since Shammy isn't really in heat, and neither is Marney, we should have a total of  9 couple out.  Yeah -  including  Part-Time.