The Loudoun Hunt

October 2002

Hunting Diary

Hacked down Canby Road to the Old Laycock Farm behind the house, across the creek. Hounds struck a fresh line in the heavy thicket east of the creek, pushing hard into the Hume Woods turning left running parallel to Laycock’s. The fox turned hard right headed to the Old Deck Place.

As we neared the Old Deck the fox turned left again. Hounds overran the line and faulted. Three of the young entry kept running straight past. We drew back toward Laycock’s along the Pine Woods. Along the Hume Woods the hounds picked up a the line again but we are well behind.

Hounds worked the line past the first corn field down toward the fence line bordering the second corn field, turning left toward the barnyard. We worked counter clockwise around the barn yard up and around the house back across the creek to the corn field.

The hill toppers saw the hunted fox come out of the Hume Woods into the corn over 15 minutes ago. We put hounds into the corn at the lower end by the creek. Hounds worked up the length of the corn crossing the line that the fox entered the corn strip and struck. The line is cold but hounds are working it out. Crossed through the corn toward Canby Road.

The line faulted in the open field, picked up again at the fence line and turned left toward the barnyard. Out of the barn yard toward the round bales up to the driveway turning right in the open field the line sharpened again. Hounds recrossed the driveway into the corn strip.

The line was spotty but consistent through the length of the corn strip. Hounds came out still working the line in the Northwest corner near the telephone pole jump onto Canby Road. Hounds faulted on the road but picked up the line again in the Laycock Farm woods.

The line sharpened in the 24 acre woods moving left handed toward Digges Valley and Anita’s coop. Kept working the line steadily as we neared the vertical by Anita’s coop the line sharpened with the pack tightening up significantly.

The fox took us in a wide sweeping left hand turn through Laycock’s bringing us back to the coop on the turn at Canby Road. The line faltered picked up ever so slightly and then shut down completely in the wooded cover at the center of Laycock’s southwest end of the old Leesburg Road near the creek.

Cast forward into Yellowwood to find the line picking it up on the hillside behind Mr. Kent Sr.’s house. Hounds worked steadily to the wet weather creek at the base of Patty’s hill. Turned into the wooded trail that borders Kent’s and Traubel’s. Hounds found strike hot on the line. The fox took them up the hill toward 704 turned left and made a dash for the Pine Woods at Mrs. Traubel’s down to the pond on her land crossing into Westerly where the line shut down.

Arriving at the small pond at Westerly the hounds were marking a large den. Blew to ground and called it a day. All the hounds were in except one.

Submitted by Solo Lord.