11/11/2021
Opening Hunt 2021-22
Good morning sunshine!
Opening Hunt 2021/22 was yesterday and what a crowd! It was the biggest opening that I’ve seen in many a year.
Steve and Ryan Hubka came-I’ve seen them almost every year. More on them later…..
Huntsman David Kruger is starting his seventh year carrying the horn. Professional whip Bre Kruger, Honorary whips Helen Smith, Catherine Dargin, Jubilee Miller, Junior whip and birthday boy, Mason Herman rounded out our staff. Although staff will change up quite a bit today .
Pastor Claire Winklebauer gave a robust, inspiring blessing of the hounds, the riders, the horses, the landowners, the coyote and the glory of the day!
Huntsman Dave asked for a minute of silence in remembrance of Jinx (a wonderful, sweet hound) and Benado. He was such an amazing dog. So fun to watch him chase coyotes. They WILL be missed. 💔
60 riders were brushed, braided and well turned out. Including former member Kristen Van Pelt and her guest from Oklahoma. Tom Leavenworth, Lyse Strnad and Jim McNutt from Tipton.
We had four flights. I led the first flight, Krista Brown had second, Holly Barrett had third and Nancy Evans had the Hilltoppers.
Most of the fields have been harvested and it was a glorious day! So. Much. Fun!
Our wonderful whoopee wagon did not disappoint. Cookies, pop, beer, all the usual necessaries to make hunting even more fun.
We made a loop through some new land that we were granted permission on late last season. We’ve seen multiple coyotes there in the past. Nothing today.
We headed to our first WW break and then onto the field east of Big Jim’s pasture. The hounds broke loose and started voicing. We galloped up the hill. The hounds circled and worked. Nothing. Dang. This is where the uphill/downhill/photo op coop is. It has a name plate, Hail Mary. Donated by member Mary Curran who now lives back East.
We headed east and the plan was to make our way to the honey hole. A big stand of trees that seems to be an apartment complex of coyotes. We have had pretty good success flushing them out of there.
As we are trotting down the hill I overhear two riders discussing how post menopausal women appear to lose their chutzpah…..I quickly interrupted a conversation that I was not a part of and gave them a small piece of my mind. I don’t have much to give away, so I was careful (as a PMW my mind seems to be fading away) I was going to tell them about the coop coming up, but the hounds started speaking and we galloped away, jumping the coop in stride. Took them by surprise…..oops 😁
As we are galloping through the cornfield Jubilee’s horse steps into a hole that was hidden by the corn stubble and they both rolled. Praise God they were both shaken up, but fairly unhurt. James (the horse) limped a few steps, but shook it off. Jubilee was forcibly retired by Bre and watched the rest of the Hunt from a truck.
Enter Ryan Hubka. In his jeans and his beautiful, some type of skin, cowboy boots. He’s going to hack James home. Except James was like, I’m ready to keep going! Keep me in the game, Coach! Next thing I know Ryan is pocket whipping with Huntsman Dave! I haven’t seen him ride in 15 years? He can ride, folks
I will back track a bit and give you the play by play of what has happened with another part of our Hunt.
MFH Dave Keffeler had taken a small group of riders with him to protect the interstate side of our country. We’ve had coyotes break from the honey pot and head the interstate with the hounds in hot pursuit. Huntsman Dave is wisely being proactive.
So as we are all milling around with Jubilee and accessing her injuries, I can hear MFH Dave on my radio. That group doesn’t have any idea we have a rider down. They can’t see us and none of us have thought to radio him.
The hounds have pushed a coyote out and it’s running hard to the east. MFH Dave and his group start chasing and Dave is giving a great play by play. ‘Another coyote is out! Running hard between the tree cover. Across the opening. Will hit the second tree cover in 3-2-1. He’s in the trees and heading east. Running hard ‘ He finally stops to take a breath and to say they have a loss. Bre breaks in to say we have a rider down and we’re regrouping. Silence. ‘Sorry, we had no idea. We’ll come join up’
They did join up and after the appropriate amount of time passes & we know Jubilee is okay, they go into big stories about how much fun they had and how cool it was to watch the coyotes run, yada, yada, yada.
Huntsman Dave gathers the hounds and we head towards the last place MFH Dave has viewed the coyotes. Brit Vegas has moved up to help whip, Jamie Vollmer is moving around filling in where needed and Tom Leavenworth steps up as the first flight master.
We can’t find anything and we have received word that the food has arrived at the kennels.
We all head to the Hail Mary coop for a photo op (where I’m guaranteed to have a bad jump). Rowdy Miller has gone ahead to get in place and a coyote jumps out about 10 feet from him and runs away. So the hounds were true when they first voiced hard there. Mr/Mrs/Ms coyote must have been away from home the first time we were there.
We have a flying dismount over the coop. Horse went one way, rider the other. Neither are hurt.
Thank you NHH board President Jay Stockhausen for putting the meal together. It was a beautiful day to hang outside
I forgot to mention that we hunted Cumberland on Saturday. A fabulous day to ride. We didn’t view anything except some hard running deer and a couple of owls. We had one involuntary dismount when the biggest culvert known to mankind startled a horse, he slipped on the pavement to avoid being eaten by said culvert and the rider was discharged. MFH Monte Antisdel on his steady mount, Sidebyside, was there to pick up the rider. Melinda Brahms was there to put a new cartridge in the blow up vest. That blow up vest saved the rider from a painful smack down on the asphalt.
It takes a village and we have a great village!
Next weekend is Tipton!!!
Tally Ho!
Carine
Wicked and Indie
