Friday, August 31 was hot but skies remained clear allowing us a pretty view of the blue moon as it rose a bove the horizon that evening.. Guests had flown in the day before to hunt with us over the holiday, and I had hoped the conditions would be more fall-like since we planned to run hounds all three days.
The next morning , the full moon was high overhead as 12 couple were cast into the cornfield near Georges Pond at 4:50am. Bobby and I were hunting with Freddy in his home country -it is one of the few places where we are able to go this early in the season. 3 couple of the 12 out belonged to a friend of Freddy's
whom I had not met before.
Less than 3 minutes after hounds entered the corn, Bobby's Part-Time opened on a red fox and hounds were in full cry behind a pilot that would provide great chase for the next 90 minutes. All were on, including the new entry. The hound music resonated in the stillness of the moonlit darkness as Charles made large circles through the corn. We sat on a dirt lane that bisects the field, and although this pilot crossed back and forth over it at least 3 times, my guest and I did not get a view of him -it was just too dark. Later, when it got light enough, Freddy and Jim did view the fox but Bobby, Claire and I had moved and missed it.
Charles popped in the hole at about 6:20 . Bobby got to them first and had most hounds loaded by the time the rest of us arrived only a minute or two later. As soon as we got them sorted ,Bobby and I took ours to the "overgoin" and let our very hot hounds out to cool down drink in the cold water.
If it poured for the following two days, I didnt' care -this mornings' chase could not have gone any better , IMO. I'm really happy that all three pups, Reilly, Rebel and Raven, packed up and ran with hounds that they had never been exposed to before this morning. (I think alot of this success is due to the fact that it was our hounds that found, and the unfamiliar hounds harked).
Here is some of the music:
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