The last hunt of the Oak Grove Hunt season brought some fun surprises. With guests from Chula Homa Hunt in a joint meet, non-freezing weather and sunshine, conditions were ripe for good hunting! Huntsman Dickie Watson first cast hounds near the historic cabin, but with too much wind and no scent, they didn’t find.
So next, hounds were cast behind Billy Hall's barn, where they struck in the damp cool bottoms and ran across Blackwater Creek. But soon some of the best hounds returned to the Huntsman, as he proceeded toward soggy bottom. When a dozen deer were viewed there, hounds stayed true and soon struck on coyote, working south. At Eve's Pond, hounds exploded out of the woods, ran flat out down the hill, across the alley, through the ditch and up the hill headed east. Hounds were running hard across Blackwater Road, then turned north and ran towards the bridges. Huntsman and a fast First Field rode north with Second Field following close behind. Whipper-Ins viewed a coyote near the Stuck Truck; then hounds checked! The hounds came out of the woods to the horn, as Whippin-Ins reported the coyote went into a ditch and disappeared! Hounds, having caught their breaths, were soon off hunting again!
Hounds were now having a fine ol' time, as one Whippin-In commented to another: "Two ducks." The other replied, "No; too big. What is it? A beaver?" A pause and then another commented, "Biggest beaver I've ever seen!" When the hounds came out of the woods to the pond the Whipper-Ins realized, "It was the coyote swimming the pond!" As some hounds entered the pond, they could not carry the scent through the water. Others tried to find Mr. Coyote's trail by tracking down the sides of the pond, but they could not find the scent. So they ran to heel to see what else could be found. With lots of riders and some local folks observing the scene, it was a great end to the foxhunt season.
So next, hounds were cast behind Billy Hall's barn, where they struck in the damp cool bottoms and ran across Blackwater Creek. But soon some of the best hounds returned to the Huntsman, as he proceeded toward soggy bottom. When a dozen deer were viewed there, hounds stayed true and soon struck on coyote, working south. At Eve's Pond, hounds exploded out of the woods, ran flat out down the hill, across the alley, through the ditch and up the hill headed east. Hounds were running hard across Blackwater Road, then turned north and ran towards the bridges. Huntsman and a fast First Field rode north with Second Field following close behind. Whipper-Ins viewed a coyote near the Stuck Truck; then hounds checked! The hounds came out of the woods to the horn, as Whippin-Ins reported the coyote went into a ditch and disappeared! Hounds, having caught their breaths, were soon off hunting again!
Hounds were now having a fine ol' time, as one Whippin-In commented to another: "Two ducks." The other replied, "No; too big. What is it? A beaver?" A pause and then another commented, "Biggest beaver I've ever seen!" When the hounds came out of the woods to the pond the Whipper-Ins realized, "It was the coyote swimming the pond!" As some hounds entered the pond, they could not carry the scent through the water. Others tried to find Mr. Coyote's trail by tracking down the sides of the pond, but they could not find the scent. So they ran to heel to see what else could be found. With lots of riders and some local folks observing the scene, it was a great end to the foxhunt season.
