FHC, Indian Echo, March 11,2023

 

Coming into this weekend I had to decide which day to hunt. Both days had drawbacks. Saturday was to be high winds and Sunday had the possibility of snow/Ice during the hunt and afterwards. I decided to go yesterday. I figure not much would happen because the scenting would be poor but it would still get Wally and I out.

It was junior day as well at FHC and we had an abundance of juniors spread out through all three flights. Some of the kids I've now seen multiple times over the past few years. Its great to see them enjoying coming out to hunt.

I wasn't expecting much because of the high winds and thought maybe we could get some short runs in if we got low and stayed out of the wind. For the first 90 minutes that seemed to be the case. We came out of Indian Echo and crossed the road and started heading north behind Spring Breeze and Moriah farrm. We passed beehives and eventually crossed back over Catterton rd. Wally I were last in second flight, so after everyone else had passed through the gate I jumped Wally of the barway jump that was there. We then cut through to McNeeley's and then over to Yadkin.

We worked through Yadkin and then back across Buck Mountain Ford Rd when the hounds hit. They were off and running and followed the creek south before making a u-turn and coming back up the creek. They came back to the ford and it took a bit before they latched onto the scent again. They went around the back side of Yadkin and then up Buck Mountain. They started down and went off the north side where the fox was lost in the wind.

It was a great run. As the horse travels it covered four miles in about an hour and ten minutes. I was in second flight behind the juniors and they did great whether it was running hard on the trails or negotiating some pretty deep muck.

For the day we covered 12.24 miles with a top speed of 19.6 MPH.

THH, Mountain View, March 7,2023

 

Wally and I were out hunting this morning with THH. When I was getting him ready, the temp was a pleasant 49, it was a little cloudy and no wind. Pretty much the same when I got to the meet. By the time we headed out, the wind was howling.

Today I knew I was going to go in early so that I could get Ann at the airport. I had a plan and stuck to it. Unfortunately from the start until I went in, nothing much happened. Then when I was walking Wally down the road I heard the hounds open up.

It seemed for while that they were running parallel to us. So we could hear pretty good. Then it seemed like they were turning toward us. Wally kept stopping and would turn to the sound and listen. Then the hounds faded in the other direction. We could still hear them and he would still stop to listen.

After a little more than a mile hike back we got to the trailers. I had gotten him untacked and a cooler on him when the hounds got really loud and didn't sound like they were too far off. He just stood there real still and listened and looked.

I think he knows why we are out there. I am also pleased that he will go by himself. I think he could staff with that attitude.

Despite not a lot of action while we were out Wally got some good check marks. There was one young lady riding near us. Her horse had been good but then kind of lost its senses. It was in that mode of bouncing around and not wanting to go forward. So we just walked along with her. wally's thought process seems to be "I don't what that horses problem is but its not mine."

Later got to a downed tree that was blocking the trail. The way around was negotiating the top brush of the tree. That elicited a lot of funky and abrupt jumps from members of the field. Wally just picked his way through and then hopped his butt a little at the end. Very quiet and calm.

We've got a couple of more hunts this season but Wall has it figured out.