Hunting Saturday March 1st, 2008 10:00AM
Valley Green Farm

Huntsman: Eleanor Hartwell (Seamus)

Whips: Betsy Park (Wakeyan) Jill Wagenknecht (Modesty), Gene Deutsch (Waffles), Lee Deutsch (Belle), Tess Fleishli (PT)

First Field: Mary Hensel (fieldmaster)(on Lark), Leslie Ayers (Gabe), Bob Wilmott (Crusader), Robert Mihlbaugh, Stephanie Mihlbaugh (Spellbinder), Sarah Zenisek, Kristin Herbst, Jean Mutrux, Abby Mutrux.

Jr. Field: Lei Ruckle (Fieldmaster)(on Floyd), Geri Waushausen (Rocky), Morgan Goe (April) Mackenzie Bussard (Bert), Shelby O’Leary, Leslie Granger (Lucy), Joy Yates (Smoky), Mary Smithing (Topsy),

15 couple hounds

GPS readings 9.49 miles 2 hours 21 minutes moving 1 hr 18 minutes stopped. Total time 3 hrs 39 minutes. Max speed 14.7 mph
Moving average 4.0 mph

Lunch/Brunch – Provided by Kristin Herbst. Two pasta dishes and salad.

It was a warm day but very muddy. Parking all the trailers without getting anyone stuck was quite a challenge but was managed. Since I had hunted Maurice the day before and Lei Ruckle was having truck problems, I loaned her Floyd and took Lucy hunting for her first time out with Foxhounds. (She’s been out many times with beagles). The weather was much warmer than recent hunts and it was quite a nice change. The temperature started at 40 degrees and went up to 60 degrees while we were hunting. Barometric pressure was falling. Winds were from the South to South East at 4 to 15 mph.

We started out from the kennels and headed westward up the driveway. We turned North along the edge of the wheat field and went around the little pond and through the horse pasture. All the little ditches were full of water. We turned east past the north side of the clubhouse and continued down the hill toward the pipeline. We crossed the pipeline and went through the woods and across the creek. Coming up from the pipeline Shelby’s horse lost his footing and wiped out. Fortunately both horse and rider were fine and her horse hung around so Morgan could catch him. The footing was really treacherous with all the rain and ice we have had. We stayed to the east of the pipeline and headed toward the dark house. Eleanor gathered the hounds there.

She then drew the valley in the woods while we stayed along the edge of the field. The hounds started speaking in the creek bed and Eleanor viewed a coyote. We stayed at the edge of the woods and watched, certain that a coyote would pop out any minute. We did not see anything. The hounds moved south and we followed. At this point, some of the junior field headed in. After we parted ways, Gene Deutsch also wiped out on his horse. Again horse and rider were fine and the juniors had the task of catching Waffles before he made it back to the trailers and bringing him back to Gene. The hounds were still speaking in the woods. We got to the top of the hill near the hog farm and Eleanor started to gather the hounds. Some were still speaking in the woods to the East of us and Betsy went after them. We started back to the clubhouse. All in all my young horse was very good as was the horse I loaned out who led the field for his first time.