The Loudoun Hunt

September 2002

Hunting Diary 

The hunting plan was to hack north along Little Brook from Digges Valley Road to the end of the corn and draw back south. The plan was changed when young entry ducked into the gap between the first and second cornfield. 

Hounds showed little interest, suggesting the scenting was dodgy. However, drawing along the line between the soybeans and the corn soon produced sport. Scent was not ideal but hounds could keep pressuring “Charlie.” Worked the line north into the second and third lot of corn, speaking intermittently supporting that scent was ok but not sharp. 

The fox turned west into the beans, always a challenge for hounds to keep up. Steady progress was made as they worked consistently to stay with their quarry. Jumping up above the beans occasionally to see where they were, they looked like fish rising in a pond. 

Pushed the fox out of one bean field into another to be viewed by the field and staff. A small cub, healthy-looking and not at all under pressure, scent was just so so. Kept moving south, expecting “Charlie” to keep turning, no reason to leave the cover of the beans or the corn. 

Surprised all of us when hounds bounded out of the beans by the trailers. The line hardened up on the open ground, not brilliant but better than the beans. Crossed Digges Valley Road into the corn heading toward the cabin woods. Hounds well behind the fox, but steadily pushing it, speaking well and working together. Suddenly, they faulted, drew them out to the edge and along the side heading east along the fence line. Nothing came back and determined the fox must have gone to ground. 

On foot into a swale and trees at the far west end of the cornfield, hounds marking an earth, blew to ground. Slow steady but a solid performance that took about 1 ½ hours. Called it a day and headed back to the meet. 

Nearing Digges Valley Road when hounds opened sharp and hard, cheered them on crossing the road into “Airplane Field Woods”. Went into the middle of the woods, when a holler came far to the east. Learned later the hounds had gone in at the east end of the woods hard on the fox running north, turned east and broke the cover to head back to the beans and corn. The field had a great view of the hounds and fox right into the beans. 

Got to the entry point and tried to work it out pushing the fox around the beans counter clockwise. The fox slipped out of the cover again viewed by the field but scenting was definitely deteriorating as the temperature rose. Pursued the fox, but slowly back to the “Airplane Field Woods” faulted and decided to really call it a day now. Hacked back to the meet, all hounds accounted for. 

Submitted by Tucker.