make anything of it. A cast on down the ditch into the wet grounds held no line but two couple
had pushed on to cross over the bridge downstream from Dekay Rd. The pack was lifted and
cast forward picking up the line where coyote tracks had been seen a few weeks before. Now a
patchy line was taken over Meadowburn Road and into cover at the whip’s trail, turning right
below the lower trail. Hounds worked hard for a short time before coming to a check in thick
cover above the pond field. This area has been the end of many a hunt over the past few seasons.
The occasional baying convinced me to go on foot to investigate any possible mark. I found
hounds in a dry creek bed and in very thick roses and brambles. I pushed in, just seeing a
flash of black out the corner of my eye go past me. The line had ended here but as I pushed
out to regain my horse, 3 bears were seen to vacate the area, one going up a tree, the other
two making good their escape from a gnarly Huntsman. Hounds had covered over 15 miles in
the morning with a 7 1/2 mile run in 1:45 hr.
Florida, 9/30/18
H ounds drew below Taylor Road blank and up parts of the Ravine before being gathered
up at Myruski’s top gate. Hounds drew down the ditch to the tractor track, while the
field and points went on to the corn patch, to line out between the covert and the corn. A classic
find saw the coyote break for an out of bounds area. Not to be outdone, some hounds outflanked
the points and made a wide cast picking up the line along the brook in the Panoramic
Woods, leaving the field and tail hounds behind. Lead hounds pushed on over Jessup Road,
passing Bova’s triangle and headed for Union Corners. Crossing here they ran a slow line
through Andy Herskee’s to the old house at Wheeler Road meet field. I managed to get in front
of them here, turning back for Creamery Meadow. Hounds were stopped and gathered up at
the rushes and hacked back to Taylor Road–a run of five miles in one hour.
Opening Meet at Vernon, 10/6/18
A fter the Blessing of the Hounds, the Hounds were boxed up and vanned on to Meadowburn
and Dekay Road intersection due to the unusually high Wawayanda River. The two
roadside covers were blank so hounds were taken to the main covert. While drawing the rocks,
news was received that bow hunters had seen a fox some 15 minutes or so before, but nothing
could be made of his line. Finally picking up a line in thick cover above the pond field, hounds
hunted back over foiled ground to the rocks above Prices Switch. Deer moving in open woodland
foiled the line and nothing more could be made of it. The Drew Road end of the cover was
drawn back to the upper part of Card Farm, all blank. Hacking on to Borderland, the field and
points were sent on to the Enchanted Forest and the Dam/Marsh track. Doing so, the field
managed to disturb the cover and our coyote was forewarned.
Hounds were soon away towards the railway and turned left in Witches Wood through Norden’s
then ran parallel to Ryerson Road. The Coyote was viewed crossing Blooms Corners where
horses couldn’t follow, so 1st Whipper-in Dale Haysom went on to Card Farm and I turned down
Meadowburn and up the large hay field. I arrived at Suffern’s Wall as lead hounds came up
from Card Farm. Now running hard in cover, they pushed to the thick briars above the pond
field. This area has been a focal point this season and the end of many a hunt over the past
few years.
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