Epp Wilson leads foxhounds, staff, and field. / Reflected Glory photo
The radio crackled.“Tally-Ho coyote at the Catfish Pond headed west.”
It was the first day of our annual Joint Meet weekend with the Shakerag Hounds (GA), and we had just unkenneled 22-1/2 couple of hounds. Whipper-in John Bell had already left—standard operating procedure—to get into position for the draw and viewed the coyote away even before we put hounds in. Tally Ho Lake is in the southeast corner of our hunting territory, where only two herds of cattle remain in our entire country.
The field members were spaced out in a long line on the south side of the first covert to, hopefully, keep the coyote in the country if we find him there. It’s one thing to find a good coyote. It is quite another to get him to go the way you want him to go
We trotted out the gate toward the view right away. No dilly-dallying today, which we often do on warm days when we aren’t really expecting to find a coyote until later when it is cooler and the temperature is closer to the dew point. The meet was at 3:00 pm and hounds struck at 3:15, right where John said the coyote had gone.
Hounds ran due west—so west that I came back around the catfish pond where the hunt fields were stretched out across the hill to be south of them in order to turn the coyote if needed. No problem. The pack followed his track north across the pipeline with our entire country in front of him
The pack crossed Jon McCorkle Alley and Stagecoach Road. They ran past the Water project, Rock Dam, Barbara’s Ridge, Coyote Hill, Quaker cemetery, the clear cut beyond Old Red barn, Bill’s Hill, Hawe’s Hill, and finally checked to the east of the cattle pens. There, hounds split with some running west and most of the pack headed east.
A couple of the whippers-in stayed with the west group. The rest of us stuck with the main pack. Our pilot led us back to Bill’s Hill, to Winser’s Crossing. Honorary whipper-in Kim Holsomback radioed clear information about location and directions of the running. I found it interesting that hounds were able to run the coyote across the clear cut that was only burned a week ago—right across the ashes—without even slowing down. The pack was still running: south now to Kudzu Woods, Saundra’s field, Dewberry Crossing, and finally a brief check at Stage Coach Road
“Gate please! Gate please! Gate please!” I try not to jump the field towards pavement. (Away from pavement is fine.) Horses were already tired, so we went through both gates at the Burned Church. Pecan Grove—so beautiful—is one of my favorite places to run a coyote or a fox. I felt like we were in an old English hunt scene come to life. No time to wait for the gate crew or road whips as we raced across the in-and-out coops at the feed lot on Wrightsboro Road after hounds that raced by the Peach Barn. Passing Orange Gap I was starting to think I needed my second horse. On past Kindersley Road, Judith Wilson viewed something ahead of us crossing to the south. Hounds were still running west, not toward us. We paralleled them on the left. Yes, I miss some views. It just depends upon which way one is looking, and Judith was looking the right way at the right time. She does that a lot.
A moment later we viewed either a small coyote or a grey fox crossing to the south just ahead of us. Thank goodness we had stopped before crossing the line or turning him. Hounds were now coming straight at us. We were sure they were running this critter. Fifty feet before coming out on this line they turned east for a hundred yards then south on the line of the coyote Judith had viewed.
Leonard radioed the direction; hounds headed for Brick Crossing, top of Grand Canyon, and right down the steep side into the canyon. We went by way of Hootie’s Coop, down that steep trail to Wyatt’s Crossing. Hounds crossed Galded Hill/Rugall Mountain and were heading northwest to Regina’s Hill and Victoria’s Pasture. We riders crossed Hal Sims Bridge. Hounds now headed west toward Jim Junior’s Bridge, then the L-Shaped House, and Five Points.
I switched horses. I wondered which Casino I would be riding today. The good Casino or the spooky, balky Casino. No choice but to switch. Stoli had hunted hard last Wednesday and was tired. Thank the Good Lord This was the good Casino today. She was actually wonderful. Best day yet. On past Brent and Louisa’s, Nicole and Tyler’s, after which we crossed Ridge Road headed north.
“Try to stop them at Wrightsboro Dirt,” crackled over the radio. We have permission for half the land beyond Wrightsboro Dirt Road but not all of it. And the road is the best place to stop them. Chuck radioed back, “Mitchell and I will do our best, but we are the only ones here.” Other road whips headed that way. Horses were getting tired, and hounds were still going strong.
We took the trail just east of Kentucky Jones’ Place, north to Verdery Road, then west on the road. Thank goodness the hounds had not crossed Wrightsboro Dirt Road; they turned away from it. On we ran to Winsome’s Crossing, where we heard that hounds were headed west. We continued west on Verdery Road, past Hardy Pickett’s Crossing, and still headed west was the call.
The trails along Hart Creek are really boggy this time of year, so we chose to stay high and parallel the pack on better footing. On past Stormer’s Hill and continuing west. Now we had passed the area where we have maintained the trails and had to bushwack our way through. Our best bet was now Ridge Road, heading west and trying to stay parallel with the pack. Hounds passed Island Crossing, Wildcat Crossing, New Pipeline Crossing, Yelton’s Bridge, past the church property, and ran on west into Warren County. Thank goodness for the road whips and the tracking collars as most of the mounted whips were out of horse and out of the race.
By the time we passed the Church Property on Ridge Road and were well into Warren County, the only people in first field, other than our amazing Field Master Jean Derrick who did her usual fine job leading the field, were Heather Currier and two ladies from the Deep Run Hunt (VA)—great riders on great horses. Impressive! Wendell and Allison Williams were there with the second field and had about a dozen intrepid riders. They all got triple rough rider points as they had run for over two hours. As hounds ran it was a twenty-mile chase.
We picked up the last of the leading hounds in the very last property before reaching Highway 80. Quadruple Rough Rider points went to Heather Currier on Rupert and Judith Wilson on Parker. Resorting to the “Call for the Trailers” maneuver, trailers came for the twenty plus horses waiting in the dark on Ridge Road near the Deer Cooler Store at Highway 80. All hounds were in and accounted for by dark.
We believe this was the longest continuous run in Belle Meade history. It went twenty miles, as hounds ran, from start to finish on one coyote. Horses clocked a top speed of 19.5 mph.
Wilson praises hounds for a fine effort. / Lauren Giannini photo
Posted February 22, 2019