Professional huntsman Andy Bozdan cast the Tennessee Valley Hunt Penn-Marydels early on the morning of October 13, 2012 at our Berry Hill fixture, owned by the Dobbs. The country consists of cattle pastures dotted with thick cover and lots of hills.
After a slow start, hounds hit a line in the woods outside of the Dobbs’ house, and what ensued was an amazing day of sport and a smorgasbord of quarry—red and silver foxes and yellow and gray coyotes—one or more of which were viewed by nearly every field member.
The first view was by field member Ryan Broyles of a fox running behind the first flight through the cow pasture back into the woods below the house. The second view was of a silver fox near the driveway by whipper-in Russell Haynes. (The landowners have viewed this silver-coated red fox around their house before.) The hounds came around the hill, lost the line for a bit around the driveway, then picked up the line in the woods. Hounds were away down the hill, through the Florida Flats field and across the road. The chase went around the Dobb’s stud barn, back across the road, through the Flats again and back up the ridge.
First Flight was on its way to the edge of the Johnson’s Field when there was a third view by whipper-in Carrine McRae and landowner Debbie Dobbs. A red fox was seen leaving Johnson’s field into the trees in the direction of the stud barn. Later, the red circled back into Johnson’s field and ran in front of first flight to the woods on the other side of the field.
As the pack got closer, a yellow coyote was viewed streaking across Johnson’s Field to the trees on the far side from first flight, perpendicular to the red fox’s line. First Flight could hear the pack come up the hill where the red emerged from, but the line was lost when they got out in the open again.
Hounds picked up the line of the coyote and ran it through the trees that encircle Johnson’s field. Just when First Flight was trying to decide which way to go, the voices of the pack got very loud. The sixth view came for First Flight when the yellow coyote ran through the pasture just below First Flight with the hound Austin just a few feet behind. The coyote slowed before crossing under the fence, and Austin got to within ten or so feet of its brush. The rest of the pack was about a minute behind.
The pack went into the woods and ran an identical loop around Johnson’s field. They lost the line near where the coyote broke in front of First Flight. Andy brought the pack back to where the red fox was viewed in the Johnson’s field and the pack hit on the edge of the woods. First Flight raced back to the driveway, and the pack was headed down the driveway towards the road and the stud barn. The last view, number seven, was of a grey coyote that came out through a herd of Angus cattle in a muddy bog. The pack hit the bog and lost the line. Andy gathered the pack up and blew them in.
There were seven views by just about every member of the hunt. I’m not certain if all were the hunted game or not, but I really don’t care. What a hunt!
Posted October 31, 2012
