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| Reilly on her first fox hunt, 3/02/2012 |
Thursday was probably the most disappointing hunt all season. We had 13 couple out: my 4, Bobby's 7, Olin's 3, and Larry's 12. It had rained heavily the day and night before, leaving standing water everywhere.
Things got off to a good start when the hounds were cast into the first covert at 8 am, and a fox was roused at 8:09. But he promptly went to ground about 10 minutes later! Darn! Hounds were gathered and a VERy long draw followed, lasting over an hour. Another red was finally found at 9:20 and a good chase began to unfold. Unfortunately, winds were variable all morning making it difficult to hear the pack and somewhere around 10 am, our fox slipped out of the woods and over the open to the west before we could get an ear on them. By the time we caught up with them, they had checked in the middle of a paved road. We tried everything to help them recover the line, but we just had no clue which way Charles had gone. Larry was convinced the fox had run the middle of the road for as much as a hundred yards and then crossed over. I think the fox got doubled right at the road by a passing car and went back to the covert. After all possibillities were exhausted, the hounds were walked to another woods for another cast. By now the temps were rising quickly into the high 50's and a southerly wind was making it feel even warmer. After an hour of scouring that woods without a single note sung, we finally just gave up! It was 11am, and hounds were panting even though they had barely run. Better luck next time....
THE "R" PUPPIES FIRST HUNT!!!!
...Which was today!!!! As poor as Thursday's hunt turned out to be, today could not have gone better if we had written a script.
We took Reilly , Raven and Rebel ( Ryan, the other pup, was not present because Tommy is away) for thier first real fox chase . Their mentors were old M&M ( my Marney and Marilyn's dam), Roscoe (Marney and Marilyns sire!), and my Sara. Three steady-eddie hounds to help out the new entry. ( FYI: We can't use couples here because of the dense undergrowth of thorns and briars found everywhere within the woods.)
We drew the south side of the County House Rd, beginning at 8am. A long cast of close to an hour yielded no pilots . I was beginning to think this would be only another hound exercise for them. However, when we crossed the dirt road and entered the woods on the north side, old M&M found us a fox who would take the little pack on a nice spin around the County House woods for 56 minutes, crossing over the dirt road 4 times.
My Reilly harked and went with the older hounds right away.( Puffed up chest, here!!) Bobby's Rebel and Raven were not as quick to hark. Raven decided to hark late, and we could hear him woefully crying when he got left behind on the north side of the woods while the "pack" crossed the lane and entered the south side. He did catch up when the fox and hounds circled back over the road about 15minutes later, and stayed with them for the duration.
Meanwhile, Rebel couldnt decide if it was ok to leave "Daddy" and go on with his brother and sister. He would hark and we wouldnt see him for a couple of minutes but then he'd come right back to Bobby. But each time he left us he would stay away for a longer period of time. He just needs as little more confidence, and a little less attention from Bobby! LOL!
When the fox was about ready to make his fifth crossing over the road, we decided the hounds had had enough.. Some hollering and a couple blows on my horn brought all three pups right out to me. Sara was right behind them. M&M and Roscoe emerged once Bobby caught up to us and he called them .
Just shy of an hours' running = just perfect for their first time out!
In the video, the second time you see the hounds cross is the last time we let them follow their fox over the road. Roscoe and Sara ( currently hunting and fit) are up front, M&M has slipped back with Raven (who , along with Rebel, gets walked out every day for at least 45 minutes) , while Reilly brings up the rear. You will see her stop in the road.. I held my breath, hoping that she wouldnt quit and come running up to us. She paused, looked at us, and then continued right on with the others!! THAT was the icing on the cake , because I knew she had to be tired, yet she made the decision to keep going rather than come to me.
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| Raven, Reilly and Rebel ( in the center) with old M& M , their mentor, on the far left |
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