If someone is hunting today, would you please post a hunt report.
I would like to live vicariously live through your words.
We’ve had TOO much rain.
It was a dark and stormy night.
And a dark and stormy morning.
So when the alarm went off, I glanced outside and then went back to sleep.
I think the others with the COTH crew did go out, but the weather at HR’s place if often different than this part of the county.
This is miserable weather. Miserable.
We did go out at HR! And the footing was really pretty darn good! And yes JSwan, my truck got stuck and I DO have 4WD…(sigh)…but, that was pretty much the worst of the day, the rest was GREAT!!
Beautiful territory and great company…really a bright day in this last week of Ark worthy weather!
Yup! great day!
Yes the Hunting Princesses all hunted with the fabulous Old Dominion Hounds in the sun and early morning fog. A priceless view of the mist in the valleys of the Blue Ridge Mtns as we drove there for a wonderful hunt! They had not gotten as much rain as other parts of northern Virginia plus it drains well there! And Hunters Rest had a breakfast afterwards. We 7 HP’s commiserated on the front porch swings/rockers in the sunshine with refreshing beverages in hand afterwards.
See the other threads for more details! :winkgrin:
Oh JSwan, you had me going there for a sec. I thought I was gonna get a really eloquent hunt report.
Easykeeper, glad to hear y’all went out and had a good time!
And… it’s raining.
Again.
My place is a quagmire.
easykeeper - if you got stuck with 4WD there’s no way I would have made it up the hill with my rig.
There was sunshine? Like, REAL sunshine?
Yes, that territory does drain well. It drains and ends up here.:sigh:
Well, I’m glad someone got to go hunting, and I’m really glad folks had a good time.
I’m glad I got to at least see some of ya’ll on Thursday. If JSwan’s not getting out, I’m not getting out either. Between the damn school bus schedule and this rain, I haven’t been out hunting on a horse yet this season. My horse is moldy.
just sayin’!!
JSwan!! yes…we planned the rain going downhill thing well didn’t we? :winkgrin: and if you only have 2wd you can always park somewhere’s else ya know. Many of the big rigs did and do…just sayin’!! If there’s a will there’s a way. But that meant there was more food and refreshing beverage for me!! :D:lol::lol::lol::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Dang I’m funny sometimes! 
We went hunting today. If you want, cuddle up in a nice easy chair and you can read my report. 
My two dogs nudged me awake at 6AM - which I appreciated because, while the meet was at 9AM, I had to make the cornbread for the tailgate, plus get my guy cleaned up after he spent the night in his stall. ( I don’t relish chasing him around the field at the crack of dawn to bring him in!)
It was extremely humid, foggy and warm, drizzling and dripping all the way to the meet. Today’s fixture is comprised of acres and acres of rolling cattle fields (most of the cattle have already gone to market so no fresh cow pies to splatter through!) with thick deep, untrackable woods surrounding the many creeks that run through the property.
After a greeting from the Master to both 1st and 2nd Fields (each having about 20 riders each), the hounds were escorted across the field and sent down into the woods towards the creek to see if they could find a decent line. They were silent, silent, silent for the first 10 minutes, then all of a sudden the woods exploded with hounds opening at the top of their voices, right in the thickest part of the woods. We raced forward and then halted as around and around they went in a very small circle, making me wonder if it was a young cub they were on. Turns out it was an older fox not quite willing to leave the safety of the woods until the hounds, in full voice, finally pushed all the right buttons and sent him out and away.
The chorus of hounds now swept away through the deep woods, leaving us to follow at a gallop across the fields, keeping our ears peeled to their voices. Madly we dashed from field down into the woods then back into the fields, making it to the high field only to hear our hounds were now swinging back the way we’d just come!
Back again we dashed in a hand gallop, retracing our route. No time for strolling today as this fox was bound and determined to give those hounds a run for their money. The chorus roared through the woods ahead of us, sometimes at us, sometimes to the side, the hounds, and fox, only just out of sight. Suddenly the singing swerved away, heading back in the original direction to the high field, still deep in the woods, going away. There was barely time for those that had hopped down to adjust tack, or were sitting in their saddles with flaps up, tightening girths, to grab rein and fall in as the Field was once again pressed in a hand gallop. Back down across the same fields and woodland paths we had already raced we raced again, mud flying from the galloping hoofs, always the brilliant chorus of hounds just in front of us, now circling away, now suddenly coming back with a roar of breathtaking intensity.
Off to our left I caught a good view of an unhunted fox determined to vacate the vicinity. Several others in the field saw it as well, but the hounds were clearly on a different fox only yards away. The unhunted fox could lead us another day because our hounds were focused on their fox, and once again their brilliant voices - some brilliantly operatic with deep baritone tones, some high, lingering and sweet, some puppyish with greatly excited yipping, all as one voice swung and headed down towards the creek. Sweating and breathing hard, our horses put petal to the metal and we found ourselves, for the third time! back at the high field at the wood’s edge.
Poised on the hill we heard the “Gone to Ground” on the Huntsman’s horn. We collectively sat back in our saddles, happy to finally give our wonderful horses a breather.
But no! That was not to be! No sooner were the hounds called off the denned fox when the entire pack opened again and the woods shook with the roar. Our eyes popped open! Was this the same fox, popping out of the den for another several go-arounds as had happened last Sunday? (…discussing it afterwards it was agreed that…no one knew for sure if it was the same fox or not!) Our Huntsman was of the opinion it was another fox that leaped out and laid another blazing hot line that swept us back to the meet, mud flying again (dodging clods was becoming the game of the day!) then up across a few new fields at a good fast canter, trotting a tight line through the woods as we beat our own trail, before coming back to the high field where we arrived in time to watch some great hound work as the hounds raced in full cry along the line laid out at the perimeter of the field before the hounds dove into the woods, their sweet song echoing through the trees until it stopped and remained in the same spot they had put the first fox to ground.
Sure enough, in short order the horn, tootling “Gone to Ground”, was raised above the softening hound voices, and we sat and listened on heaving horses drenched in sweat (it really must have been 100% humidity and it was warm as well), until the exhausted hounds with tongues down to the ground were called back out of the woods.
All this in only one hour!!!
Our Master decided both the hounds, and us!, had more than enough sport for the day as this is only cubbing season. How nice that we were within hailing distance of the meet where a yummy tailgate was already being laid out.
A good day all around. We hunt Wednesday - so pray for no rain!
We’ve been doing the hunter paces for years, and I started riding out with the hounds this fall.
This morning, I got a nice, long email from one of my mentors discussing clothes–and it started with an enormous paragraph about appropriate raincoats and where to find them, since we got a little wet yesterday. LOL. Totally reminded me of this thread.
We hunted yesterday in conditions that ranged from foggy to mist to light rain. The footing was great and we had several good runs. My wife looked at me when I got home and asked if I had fallen off since I was so dirty. It took three cleanings of the breastplate to get all the crud off.
6:45 AM. I have my tailgate contribution in the oven, cooking. Nasty rain moving in - it should hit us in about 15 minutes. Ack! Meet is at 9AM - hope and pray the rain has been and gone!
Rained out AGAIN!:(
Still in need of some more hunt reports.:sadsmile:
Aw Jawa, sorry about your rain! Our temps have been cool for cub hunting but today it is suppose to hit 82. We have new entry so our huntsman is working hard with them in the pack. My new mare has three hunts under her belt and she is doing very well.
Ran two to ground yesterday.
The foxes don’t seem any happier about the rain than humans. They weren’t inclined to run.
We are all pretty miserable here.
I glanced outside this morning and saw white things all over the yard, I thought a fox had raided the coop and left feathers everywhere.
Nope.
Mushrooms. Everywhere.
Sigh.
Obviously, we were out together. It was a good hour, and I was glad G called it when he did. The poor hounds were just overheating – it was too humid for them to pant and get cooler.
Look at the Virginia forecast for this weekend…woo-hoo! Cool and dry.
A hunting we will go!
I’m headed out this weekend with my 10 year old son. He came out with me once last spring, but it was a dry, breezy day and the hounds didn’t get onto much. A few opened here and there, but it was really hard for them to stay on anything for any length of time.
I’m hoping that we will hear some great hound music this time. We’ve been out coon hunting together, and he’s rabbit hunted before so I know he’ll love a good foxhunt.
He’s one that can ride ok, (we will be bringing up the rear of 2nd flight) and enjoys a trail ride now and again, but just isn’t passionate about the sport. I’m hoping I can spur some more interest if he sees how awesome hunting can be.
