Day 41 of the Hunting Season - November 12th, 2010

Day 41 of the Hunting Season - November 12th, 2010

Meet: Red Pump

Temps: in the 40's

Couples: 19 1/2 couples
*including a 1 1/2 couples of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Kiki & Kirkwood & Keno

Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Hoppy Stearns, Fred VonC, Dott Cochran Field Master - Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy

Start: 9:00am
End: 11:40am


We had a really fun day today. A lot of good views, and foxes afoot.


We went straight into the Red Pump road covert and were hit and miss for a while until they got into the woods along Lees Bridge where they were able to move up on a fox that went towards the Highland cattle and then back toward the ravine and wanted to go way too close the the big bend in the road at Lees Bridge, so, we had to stop them and move up off the road. Not long after that we push the 'River Fox', a deep red and grey-ish colored fox, out of Holy View towards the coop and the river at along the mouse house. He gave us a good run that wrapped around the big bank across from the mouse house and then to the point and right along the river in the direction of the amphitheater.

Karen viewed the River Fox head towards the second deer stand across the corn field and in the direction of the ravine where he would end up going to ground.

MFH Jimmy took the hounds toward the bridge abutment and we hunted towards Hogs Run. We picked up another fox (which Dott viewed) from the pine trees near the coop, ran it along the bottom of Hogs Run and the path that takes you to the pond. Dott saw him go toward the Junk Yard, which he did go towards but ended up bending towards Devines and then through the woods towards the Bamboo Forrest. I went out towards Lee Bridge in case anything crossed, so I'm not sure what happened because the ran the fox really strong but then lost in the woods and the leaves. Who knows?!

We went in from there. Good day!

Hounds are working together better and stronger every time out. Its a really exciting pack of hounds, and a whole new beginning of hound work with the 13 puppies.

SATURDAY: Joint Meet with the Warwick Village Hounds (Doc Addis) at the Down Patrick Meet at 10:00am

Day 40 of the Hunting Season - November 10th, 2010

Day 40 of the Hunting Season - November 10th, 2010

Meet: Funnel Lake

Temps: in the high 40's

Couples: 21 couples
*including a couple of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Kiki & Kent

Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Hoppy Stearns, Dr. Carl Mease, Dott Cochran Field Master - Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy

Start: 8:30am
End: 10:40am



Nice morning out and about the 'river hills'!



We had a good run on the Amish side of the river. Hounds were really strong heading toward the Township Woods but split of two foxes, one headed in the direction of the covered bridge and the other went to complete opposite direction towards the Red Barn (not young Herr's red barn). The group that went towards the red barn out their fox to ground and Dott and Hoppy picked up the hounds and brought them back to the other group that we picked up after they hit a miss across the stream near the bridge.



MFH Jimmy put the hounds back to work towards "Chicken Sam's" and they quickly got a fox (which Dott viewed running along the path and the river in the direction of the Horse Shoe). ALL of the hounds ran the line to the river where they dead stopped at a log the stretched a good 20 feet across the river, and was about 6 feet high from the stream... Journey a puppy, had his nose down and kept going across the log but fell off into the water! His nose was working faster than his feet. Aurora, mom to some of the pups, went across the log to show the pups how it was done... and if that wasn't good enough, she double checked the line once she got to the other side and went all the way back again!

Devon, Cyndy, and some H's also followed carefully along. We all held our breath as they basically tight roped their way across the river. Such a cool sight to see. I tired to get video of it but I just wasn't close enough. MFH Jimmy went into the river with his house and helped to move the hounds up so the all didn't navigate the log. We picked up the line again and headed in the direction of the stone pile.

We decided as the hounds hit a miss and were headed back in the direction of the ground we just hunted that we would pick them up and head back to the meet.

Good day :-)

Day 39 of the Hunting Season - November 8th, 2010

Day 39 of the Hunting Season - November 8th, 2010

Meet: Ankrum's Dog Box

Temps: in the 40's

Couples: 17 1/2 couples
*including a couple of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Keno & Kane

Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Hoppy Stearns, Fred VonC Field Master - Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy

Start: 8:30am
End: 10:40am

okay.. it was a bit chilly.. and with newly clipped horses, everything seemed a bit 'fresh' ha-ha.

I whipped-in off the Fishing Creek Road which was pretty nice because it was not so windy but it had its costs because I was the only one that didn't get to view the fox today. O well.. I was able to hear hounds!

'Fred's Fox' did well by us, and I think we are going to call the fox that runs with 'Fred's Fox', Cyndy... hopefully that one is a girl so that works?!

We had a good day, worked from the meet toward the Old House, wrapped around the bottom toward the Flat, and the Pipeline, and then on toward the Bone Woods were the foxes popped out and headed all the way across the open fields and towards the Stone Pile.

Our foxy friend went to ground on the steep banks of the Palisades. MFH Jimmy picked up the hounds and we went in from there. We had pretty much hunted everything on the side of the meet so we called it a day.

Next Meet:

Wednesday - Funnel Lake - 8:30am - Tally HO!!

Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races - November 7th, 2010

River Hills Staff:

MFH James C. Paxson

MFH Gregory T. Paxson

Priscilla Godsoe

Lindsay Jones

Kelly Conner

Hoppy Stearns

Dr. Carl Mease



http://sidelinesnews.com/blogs/chasin/2010/11/08/patriots-path-and-the-holy-grail-the-pennsylvania-hunt-cup-unionville-pa-november-7-2010/



We will be hunting tomorrow!

Monday morning at 8:30AM - Ankrum's Dog Box

Day 38 of the Hunting Season - November 6th, 2010

Day 38 of the Hunting Season - November 6th, 2010

Meet: Red Pump

Temps: in the low 50's

Couples: 21 1/2 couples
*including a couple of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Kalev & Kirkwood
Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Hoppy Stearns, Dott Cochran, Dr. Carl Mease, Field Master - Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy, and Leo Erb

Start: 10:30am
End: 1:??pm


We had a nice day. Very beautiful countryside views and a great pack of hounds to follow.


We covered just about all of Red Pump, including the Holy View and Hog's Run Side.



We had a good run from the Hogs Run Side, into the big corn field at the meet and then we put the fox to ground at Hotel California.

From here we moved across toward the Stone Pile, across Red Pump Road, and up in the direction of the first Deer Stand. It was a little slow working along the top side of the Ravine between the two deer stands and along toward Holy View. Out in the cornfield across from the Highland Cattle we picked up a line which took up towards the banks at the Mouse House and toward The Point and the Amphitheater. Daniel took a lead out on front of the pack out of the woods before you get the the woods with the two coops and headed straight out toward the second deer stand dropping into the ravine.

Hounds worked the bank pretty good when they hit a miss on all the leaves but picked it up strong headed straight toward Lees Bridge Rd... bummer! Dotty had to call them up off the road and I was able to get on the horn and bring the hounds up to MFH Jimmy and Jim Herr. Its always a cool feeling when all the hounds stop what they are doing and come with you.



So, from here.. we re-grouped and hunted toward the meet.



Sunday: we will be outriding at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup
Gates open at 11:00am - First Races at 12:30pm

Day 37 of the Hunting Season - November 3rd, 2010

Day 36 of the Hunting Season - November 3rd, 2010

Meet: Herr's Stone Lane

Temps: in the low 40's

Couples: 21 1/2 couples
*including a couple of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Kalev & Kane

Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Hoppy Stearns, Dott Cochran (4x4), Field Master, Gary Kennedy, Hound Trucks - Karen Kennedy

Start: 8:30am
End: 10:29am

We had a pretty good day after the frost 'burnt off'... but it was pretty tough going at first.

We went by way of Pierson's woods, wrapped around toward the Park Road, and up towards the ponds... from here we headed towards the Horse Pasture, and out through the Cow Fields and in the direction of West Ridge. The frost was still a bit heavy but we started to get closer to the fox and in the woods had a few good runs around the Old Barn Foundation and the Stump Woods.

We headed toward Jim's Ring and picked up another line towards Jim's House, but poof! I have no idea what happened, perhaps aliens picked up our little red friend? I don't know.

Cheers for now!

Day 36 of Hunting - November 1st, 2010

Day 36 of the Hunting Season - November 1st, 2010

Meet: Funnel Lake

Temps: in the low 40's

Couples: 21 1/2 couples
*including a couple of 8 month old 'K' puppies - Keno & Kirkwood

Staff:
MFH- James Paxson, Staff - Priscilla Godsoe, Fred VonC, Hoppy Stearns, Hound Trucks - Lynn Hart and Leo and Flora Erb

Start: 8:30am
End: 10:29am

We had a really nice morning at the Funnel Lake meet. Right as we started into the first covert we pushed out a brilliantly red fox that I viewed for a good while across the Amish fields. The older hounds took their noses through the woods on a different fox that gave us a great run through the 'river hills'. We put him to ground (aka he ran to his hole and said 'we'll play another day').

From here we hit the line of (what I think-not fact ha,ha) the fox I viewed early on. Hounds worked that line pretty well, but I think that fox had also gone in a bit before. After we worked through the woods near the log cabin we headed across Fair View and we got a great fox that went out across the wheat fields at Herrs and it headed towards Pumping Station, paralleling all the way toward the dairy farm and Springdale where the fox went to ground along the bank. The hounds sounded great and the puppies kept up! (amazing)

Hounds and MFH Jimmy went towards home and I flanked them along the road, so I'm not sure where or how the picked up the next line coming in, but it worked the hounds back in the direction of the meet. When they hit a miss we picked them up and headed in.

Next meet: Herr's Stone Lane at 8:30am - New calender is posted www.rhfpa.com