The Loudoun Hunt

October 2002

Hunting Diary

Cast hounds into the school ring field headed to the big woods. Hounds opened but without conviction pushing toward the creek. Turned right towards Light’s only to drop left down to the creek, faulted on the far side of the creek. Drew forward along the creek bank picking up the line again on the near side. Line freshened, hounds on full cry all together.

Charlie stuck to the creek until the first big rise turning left at the base toward the Punch Bowl. Following the fall line into the Punch Bowl, hounds kept turning left; at the top of the ridge the fox veered right and quickly dropped down into the ravine headed toward Light’s.

Crossed through the big woods straight into Light’s, turned sharp right and headed down toward the creek again pushing up stream. Hounds crossed to the far side of the creek pushing into Vertz’s below the farmhouse. The fox carried on into the woods along the driveway on the south side of the creek.

The line faulted with hounds casting through the woods, picked up the line again but it is spotty. Steadily working the length of the woods along the creek out of Vertz’s into the backside of LeComps across from Old Wheatland Farm.

The fox recrossed the creek into Dennings, faulting again. Casting forward the hounds picked up the line in Dennings pushing north toward John Wolford Road. The fox crossed into the pasture through the cattle. The line broke up in the field. Hounds pushed forward into the barnyard by the pond.

The fox crossed into the bull’s paddock. The line swerved sharp right up behind a boarded up house and then left again across John Wolford road into R.T. LeGard’s cornfield. Hounds struggled on the line turning heel momentarily. Lead hounds crossed on over the road splitting the pack.

Pushed the tail hounds over the road into the cornfield. The field is very wet and the scent is failing. The lead hounds are far ahead. We collect the remainder of the pack 8 ½ couple and head home.

The lead hounds carried on toward Ash George Road, turning east along Ash George into the swampy bottom. Fox carried the length of the swampy bottom recrossing John Wolford Road into the lower field at McIntosh’s. Hounds carried on toward the start of the meet. Best run of the Loudoun American pack in a number of years.