Festive_Felicitations
Well-Known Member
So after missing the beginning of the season by living in the wrong part of the state, a bit of job negotiation and a small *cough*350km*cough* move later I can finally make it out hunting this year! 
Went out last weekend to a large sheep & beef property in the Southern Tablelands, beautiful place with acres of improved pasture, neat fences & healthy stock.
Day started with a pea-souper which combined with a steep, scrubby start to the country meant the first hour consisted of the hounds finding and hunting away into the fog, everyone getting seperated and mildly lost before the huntsman stopped and called hounds (& staff & field) back. We ended up doing a big loop ending up pretty much back at the meet as the fog was lifiting. To avoid a repeat of earlier we then pushed on 'out the back' where the hounds continued to hunt really well and set up a few foxes and we got a few decent runs before loosing fox & hounds into this little gully...
We could hear the hounds still working hard about 3km down stream but there was no way we were going to get down there!
By the end of the day we'd seen and hunted a few foxes but didn't manage to catch any. Well we presume the hounds didn't, a few did go AWOL for a while and could be heard hunting in neighbouring gully...
To be fair on the huntsman it was no lack of skill on his behalf that some went AWOL but it was really hard country to hunt - nearly impossible to get into the bottom of some of the gullies or stick with the hounds once they started hunting.
Today we met near Sydney, beautiful day and as I hitched a lift in the lorry with some of the staff's horses no driving for me! Though I've been told if I want a lift more often I need to get my truck licence !
Quite small steep country so a fairly slow day, but lovely weather and saw some rather sleek and shiny looking foxes and had some short fast hunts. There were 5 1/2 couple out who again worked really well and keenly. There were also lots of wallabies around who were most displeased at being disturbed!
However it was apparently a day for unscheduled dismounts - 3/4 of those out had one! (there was only 10 of us out incase your imagining 20+ falls! ) and a high speed collision with a gate - whipper in's horse appeared to completely failed to see it and listen to the riders desperate STOP! No harm done just a very loud clang and slight dent in the gate
Went out last weekend to a large sheep & beef property in the Southern Tablelands, beautiful place with acres of improved pasture, neat fences & healthy stock.
Day started with a pea-souper which combined with a steep, scrubby start to the country meant the first hour consisted of the hounds finding and hunting away into the fog, everyone getting seperated and mildly lost before the huntsman stopped and called hounds (& staff & field) back. We ended up doing a big loop ending up pretty much back at the meet as the fog was lifiting. To avoid a repeat of earlier we then pushed on 'out the back' where the hounds continued to hunt really well and set up a few foxes and we got a few decent runs before loosing fox & hounds into this little gully...
We could hear the hounds still working hard about 3km down stream but there was no way we were going to get down there!
By the end of the day we'd seen and hunted a few foxes but didn't manage to catch any. Well we presume the hounds didn't, a few did go AWOL for a while and could be heard hunting in neighbouring gully...
To be fair on the huntsman it was no lack of skill on his behalf that some went AWOL but it was really hard country to hunt - nearly impossible to get into the bottom of some of the gullies or stick with the hounds once they started hunting.
Today we met near Sydney, beautiful day and as I hitched a lift in the lorry with some of the staff's horses no driving for me!
Though I've been told if I want a lift more often I need to get my truck licence !Quite small steep country so a fairly slow day, but lovely weather and saw some rather sleek and shiny looking foxes and had some short fast hunts. There were 5 1/2 couple out who again worked really well and keenly. There were also lots of wallabies around who were most displeased at being disturbed!
However it was apparently a day for unscheduled dismounts - 3/4 of those out had one! (there was only 10 of us out incase your imagining 20+ falls!
) and a high speed collision with a gate - whipper in's horse appeared to completely failed to see it and listen to the riders desperate STOP! No harm done just a very loud clang and slight dent in the gate
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