Day 46 of the Hunting Season - November 22nd, 2010
Meet: Ankrum's Dog Box
Temps: in the 40's
Couples: 21 1/2 Couples (JCP & LE Kennels) Puppies *Keno and Kiki
Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Fred Von C, Field Master - Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy, Leo and Flora Erb
Start: 9:00am
End: 10:30am
Twas a hunt of rather epic proportions and as our MFH Jim Paxson would add, "The hunting god's were with us".
I believe the weather had a big role in our day leaving the scent to lay fast and strong, and thus giving the hounds 'wings' as if the were flying across the fields and through the woods.
I rode a horse called Willie II (or as Fred calls him Willie Also), and I would say that through all of the hunting season to this point he has managed to be one of our fittest hunt horses at RHF. My reason for stating this, is that I hit the bottom of Willie II after our first - and only run of the day. I cannot recount any time when this has happened to me in all of my hunting seasons.
We started out by casting in towards the Old House and around the Palisades. Fred viewed the fox from the Stone Pile woods headed out across towards the Pipeline... (I do think it is safe to say this was Fred the Fox...but I could be wrong - it has happened once or twice), I do know this much, I got to the Fishing Creek Road, and didn't stop galloping until I got to the crossing where you can get up towards Gibson's and Ankrums little streams. I had to make a call, and as a whip you run this risk, be wrong and suffer the consequences - which are monumental, or be right and hope like heck all the hounds are there or acounted for before the Master gets there!
Hounds were coming off the meet side, heading straight down towards the little stream, and right straight back up the other side toward the cornfield at Doug's. I listened for a second to see if they were going to run high along the river, or was the fox going to head back towards the Bone Woods??? All I knew was that we had 21 1/2 couple of hounds running and I heard them and them I heard them leaving my direction the other way. Its hard to express the country we were hunting unless you've seen it or hunted it, but basically its a winding ravine and if the hounds get to one side of it you cannot hear them, and you can lose them, very fast!
So, I was given two options.. a: continue down the Fishing Creek Road in hopes the hounds didn't head out across Gibson's towards the park, or b: go up the path and just stay with the hounds and hope to god that we didn't go where ever we didn't plan on hunting that day (Deer hunting season is going to start next week - we were hoping to not go to the park, and not go across the Fishing Creek Rd... it is now safe to say, we did accomplish to not do one of those 'Do Nots' which was, we didn't go to the park... crossing the road - yes we did that!) To add to the decision process, I was the only one with the hounds, so, no one else was going to be catching up very fast either way.
I galloped up towards Dougs and I saw the hounds across the cornfield and heading towards Sinclair's, it wasn't until I got to the next cornfield behind Dougs that I saw the hounds had gone parallel of the Fern Glen Rd and and dropped down in the woods toward the Murder House. I knew what this meant... and I was pretty much panicked. Actually I was totally panicked. I was the only one with the hounds and I had managed to let the hound drop to the road and I couldn't get there fast enough to do anything. Its really hard to make the call on the radio and say, 'The hounds have crossed the road and are heading towards ... '
Oh... yes, for those who were out, this part, which is only now funny - In my little panic state I had managed to confuse my road names saying we were headed towards Scalpy Hollow Rd (total and complete opposite direction - Note to anyone every wanting follow in the joys of whipping-in, Whips are not allowed to be wrong.. not so much as once, ha ha). So, Scalpy Hollow was actually Harmony Ridge, either way, which ever road, I knew that as fast as I was going on my horse to catch up to the hounds, it was just that, I was only catching up, and not actually getting in a position to do anything. Not a good feeling.
The hounds had run from Gibson's, to the Murder House, up the Pine Tree Side of the Power Lines and thankfully took a bend towards the Loop and Montana Ridge. At this point I was on Harmony Ridge, I was not going to let a single four legged creature cross that road and head towards Benton Hollow and beyond. MFH Jimmy, Fred, Gary, and Al were along the Fishing Creek trying to listen through the echos and try to figure out where the hounds might go next.
I dropped in off of the Harmony Ridge Rd towards Herr's Point, I couldn't hear a thing... nodda.
MFH Jimmy was, to say in a way as to not over exaggerate, ready to sit down, put his head in his hands, and quite possibly need a glass of Jack Daniels in order to start to feel better because for a good 15+ minutes we had manged to completely lose all 21 1/2 hounds. With the Thanksgiving and Children's Hunt coming up, it was going to be rather embarrassing to have to announce that we were going to have to cancel, why.. because we lost all the River Hills Foxhounds. MFH Jimmy was starting to mumble on the radio, Gary, Fred and I started to realize we had better see or hear a hound quick or we might as well pitch tents because we were going to be pulling an all nighter finding hounds along the Fishing Creek. Also as a side note: I was suppose to leave that afternoon for New Hampshire, and I was also running thoughts through my head - how do i call my family and say I'm not coming because I lost all the hounds?
Fred thought he heard or saw hounds near the stone pile, and how he go up to the stone pile was beyond me, I was sitting on the Herr's Point Side listening when I saw Fred go cantering out across the field and found the lead hounds full speed ahead going into the Bone Woods, practically back at the meet. What joy. You know if you find lead hounds, the middle and back hounds will eventually meet up at that point as well.
If you could visualize the terrain and know that where I was and where Fred was, was a pretty big span of area. However, if you happened to be a bird you would have been fine, but in my case had to come down from the ridge I was on, cross the Fishing Creek, and go back up the other side. Putting two and two together I was making an assumption that the fox was going to head back towards the covert we originally pushed him out of, so I swung wide and came up by Adam's side and headed around the old house and back in towards Sam's and the Bone Woods (a part of my swinging wide was fear of running into MFH Jimmy and not having anything to be able to tell him that would have been comforting or assuring)
MFH Jimmy, Gary, and Al were at the Dog Box, and were able to get the hounds up to the horn. I was at the end of the Bone Woods and from my view it looked like a lot of hounds were coming to him. I rode around and to all of our amazement, astonishment, and disbelief, every single hound was there. The hounds were tickled with themselves, they had ran so fast and so strong, and they knew they had worked together as a pack. Personally, I found two things completely amazing a: Audry was with us and b: Keno and Kiki had kept up! I don't really know how that's possible... but they did and that's all that matters. I guess it really proves that the Pen Marydels have a lot of heart.
Sometimes people will say Pen Marydels aren't fast, now I have never been one to say this, but it has been said. But, let me tell you this Mr. Nay Sayer, when your riding a fit thoroughbred, your eyes are watering at a full gallop and you still cant keep up, then you my friend are riding to the wrong pack of Pen Marydel Foxhounds, because if your going to head out with us - hold on to your hat and get read to ride!
Next Meet: WEDNESDAY - Herr's Stone Lane - 9:00am
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