Hunting Friday March 03, 2006 1:30PM
Shawnee Joint Meet Bridlespur Hounds
Manning Farm

Huntsman: Eleanor Hartwell
Whips: Jill Wagenknecht, Mary Hensel, Tess Fleishli
First Field: Eddie Beyers, Tom Neese, Leslie Granger
Hilltoppers: Betty Beyers, Kristin Herbst



GPS readings (both days combined) 22.60 miles 4 hrs 10 minutes moving 1 hr 36 minutes stopped. Max speed 28.1 mph
Moving average 5.4 mph
This day was 12.82 miles total for me.

It was a perfect day. Bright shining sun that felt warm on the back. I met Eleanor and Tess and we then picked up Mary and caravanned to the Manning fixture. Lucky was I to have Mary with me who is a great navigator and had been to the fixture previously. Eleanor followed with the hound trailer and Tess was with her. The temperature started at 46 degrees and increased to 48 degrees. Barometric pressure was steady after falling slightly around noon, it was bright sun all day. The ground was for the most part dry with some areas of bog that are apparently typical of this area. Winds were from the North at 5 mph but increased to 10 mph by the time we had stopped.

We started off West down the road and headed South toward some winter wheat fields. The Field Masters had to be very conscious of where the wheat was to make sure that the field did not damage the crop. In short time a coyote was viewed by one of the whips. We headed west to the end of the field as the Field Master said that the coyote usually goes east and then turns North and we would see him come across there. However he turned toward the interstate and Eleanor was nervous that he would not turn back north so she called the hounds off and collected them. We then went west across the road and under the railroad tracks. The hounds were sniffing around in a patch of brush between two crop fields. I then heard a growl and a small beige coyote came out of the covert with Jargon not five feet behind him right on his tail. The entire pack joined in full cry and Eleanor and the whips were riding hard. They were headed to the West and North. We started running and then viewed another larger red coyote come out of the same covert and head east. The hounds stayed on the hunted coyote. We ran hard as far as the field could go and then waited in a field for the hounds to loop around. They did indeed and were headed back south and Eleanor was right with them. Eleanor came through the field and said that Tess had taken a “header” in the “wire field” and would I go back and check on her and make sure all was ok. One of the Shawnee members who was an EMT came with me and we worked our way back to where Tess had fallen. Fortunately we encountered Joy the huntsman from the Mells who knew where they had fallen. She graciously opened the gate for us and we went on through to where Tess was. Gail (a doctor) was already with her and the EMT with me got off his horse to assist. The local landowner had caught Gabe so I took him. Tess was clearly in great pain so the local landowner kindly agreed to drive her to the hospital. I took Gabe to pony back to the trailers and Joy came with me to help me find my way back. I ponied Gabe back to the trailers where Kristi’s daughter graciously took him from me and put him up. I headed back up but before I got to the end of the road I encountered Jill and Mark coming in so I turned back around and went in with them.

We then headed to Richard and Audrey Finke’s house where they hosted a great party. Eleanor headed to Mt. Vernon hospital to pick up Tess who had a broken collar bone. I ended the evening at the lovely home of Dr. Mark Smith MFH and Dr. Gail Petreikis where I was putting my horse and myself up for the night.