The Hunt

We've encountered the local fox hunters on several occasions getting started from their parking spot in the hayfield we walk through as we start and finish our walk. They hunt three days a week during the season (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday) weather permitting. They don't always start off from here - there are a number of properties in the area where they have permission to gather. There seemed to be a lot more riders than usual this morning - so we wondered if perhaps this was the last hunt of the season.

In any case - the hounds and the riders with them were headed in the direction of our house, and we followed them down the hill. The huge gang of riders seemed to go in a slightly different direction. By the time we got down to our driveway they had all disappeared - but then after we'd been home for about 10 minutes there was suddenly a lot of commotion outside so I went out to look - and to gather up Bugsy who was seemingly oblivious, but who I didn't want to suddenly notice what was going on! Up the driveway came a part of the pack of hounds. There was a fair amount of rushing around baying going on in our front yard - and up the hill to the south of the house - with some woman who I couldn't see shouting "GET BACK! GET BACK!" And then pretty quickly they gathered themselves together and went away. It made for an entertaining - SILLY - interlude.

I have no doubt our property has a vast array of confusing fox scent - given that I'm pretty sure we still have at least one fox that comes in the evening to eat leftover birdseed. I've only caught a glimpse of him/her once recently, but I'm sure the place smells like fox to a foxhound.

Edit - the fact that the soon to be retired President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia rides with a hunt in the Valley indicates to me that however it is that they chase the fox (or a fake fox with just scent) isn't particularly hard on the fox. And they don't catch and kill them. So I'm not TOO worried about the cruelty feature of fox hunting here in Virginia.