Hacked down Digges Valley Road to the Branch House. Cast hounds into the swampy area below the bank barn drawing up to the equipment shed and the bamboo grove. Hounds open hot but the fox does not come out. Continue the draw toward the pine grove along the barley field. Hounds pick up a line in the Northwest corner driving it across the wet weather creek into the pine grove.

Hounds are on a fresh line not far behind the fox. The line breaks up a bit in the pine wood as the fox takes the hounds on a counter clockwise turn through the grove. Hilltoppers view the fox coming out of the southwest corner of the pinewoods by the creek.

Cast the hounds onto the view. Charlie had laid down in the multi-floral rose when hounds push him out running hard due east toward Canby Road. The fox drops into the boggy patch half way through the field, turns right and drives for the pinewoods.

Hounds fault at the turn and then find the line is fresh and scent is good. Driving hard the pack is completely together, a blanket could be thrown over them. The fox stays up, its feet running parallel to Canby Road in the Digges Valley woods then straight for Canby Road.

At the power line off of Digges Valley Road the fox turns hard right down along the old springhouse crossing over the creek and over Digges Valley Road. The line breaks up a bit on the harvested cornfield, freshens and hounds drive up into the woods below the Kirkpatrick’s. There is a large debris pile below the Kirkpatrick house. Hounds are marking, so we blow to ground.

Head back to Digges Valley Road intending on drawing toward the Grub Farm. A fox has been viewed crossing Digges Valley into the bean field across the main house at Digges Valley. We cast hounds onto the line but it is not very fresh, push into the cabin woods but we are just picking at it. We are too far behind this fox so we pick hounds up and recross Digges Valley into the Airplane woods. Draw the airplane woods blank, cross over the airplane field toward Old Route 7.

Hounds feather on a line near the cornfield. Put hounds into the cornfield drawing toward the Old Route 7. Hounds find the line again but it is not holding well. Work the line into the thicket east of the cornfield, Charlie has either slipped out or gone to ground, scent has deteriorated.

We draw out of the thicket toward the grub farm. Even in the late afternoon sun the scent is not improving. The temperature is not dropping. The Grub Farm woods draw blank. We cast along the eastern edge of the airplane woods back toward the meet.

Scent is gone we call it a day.

Submitted by T.J.