Woo hoo!
So for my first day this season I headed north. Thank you, S!
The hire car company "upgraded" me.
Very appropriate for tight turns and narrow roads. Note to self, refuse upgrades.
My hotel hosted a wedding.
Stopped by a battlefield on the way.
Shockingly, I called ahead and made arrangements, rather than my usual heave-up system. Even though my charming contact had read my blog, I was soon vectored in behind the hound truck.
This is a small pack, hunting multiple fairly confined countries. The meet was at 5:30 P. M. on a Friday afternoon, a first for me. Actually it makes sense. It's cooler in the evening, and I'm told that there are hunting people who work and go to school. The meet was at a lovely farm. There was a definite "family" feeling, everyone very friendly and low key. Love to see a nice pair of Bristols.
Best vans ever.
Quite a few racy looking horses:
They like them some big ring bits and rust breeches, too.
And a lovely mule!
Making the plan...
And off we go!
This pack hunts Penn Mary Dels, and they seemed to be ready for a pleasant day.
I followed a local expert, and he led us to the corner of the first draw.
Hounds spoke, but alas went toward a border and had to be pulled up.
Corn, elephant's eye, etc. It was a fairly dry day, although not as bad as we've seen down South.
Here's something you don't see every day...
A practice race track, with starting gate!
We ran into some rabbit hunters with beagles, of course one of them was from a town I had once lived in 600 miles away.
Hounds struck again, rattled around, and lost.
Kept hoping they would push Reynard across here...
Alas, no. That seemed the pattern for the evening, we ended up on a road not far from the meet:
Which shows you the difficult woods they have up here.
Dark coincided with blowing for home...
There was a post hunt feed, quite nice. I have GOT to start drinking...
One of the members very kindly offered me a room for the night, so I followed back to an old old farm. Adze shaped beams...
And midnight cow herding on a Gator!
I slept like the dead. Bright chanticleer proclaimed the dawn...
And off for a morning meet.
This was in a different place, most all woods and soy beans. My over night host was kind enough to drive me. Bonus, I learned quite a bit about equine dentistry as it affects balance and lameness!
I hope this stupid awful weather will not follow me AGAIN this year.
All young hounds, a good small field.
And I did not hear a lot of talk talk from them, even fairly close up!
Quite a few children out, like this (I assume) mother- daughter duo.
We have a future.
They have a good number whipping in...
And they need them! Clearly the hounds had been corrected in the past, because there wasn't anything that seemed riot to me. They certainly didn't need rating that I heard.
I admit this just charmed me no end. The professional whipper in was accompanied by one of the younger girls from the field.
Nothing like it for teaching the next generation.
There's more than one sort of cub learning things today!
Hounds tried. In the shady woods and cool low places they could run, and they had a good strong range of voices. The hot open places defeated them, though. Their huntsman didn't press, letting hounds have the experience of finding and running when it suited them.
All in all a good cubhunting morning, doing what those mornings are supposed to do.
And end of day...
Thank you for the visit, you all are welcome here any time!
