Parade Grand Champions
Ok, we admit it, our entire hunt
membership is nothing but a bunch of campy extroverts who can’t resist any
opportunity to strut in public. As for our hounds, let them prance down Main Street in
front of a crowd of screaming children and watch them shine!
In invitation to join the
Winnemucca, Nevada Labor Day Parade was a tease we could not resist. Our joint master
Marshall Ward joined Lynn, her staff, a group of hunt members and 15 couple of hounds to
parade through town in the company of horn-honking antique automobiles, trick-riding
Vaquero’s, smiling rodeo queens, stern VFW’s, waving politicians and a buckboard
drawn by two rearing and plunging mustangs. Hard to imagine, but our hounds took
everything in stride and appeared to enjoy themselves thoroughly. They packed around
Lynn’s horse in perfect form and paid heed neither to the terrifying nor the enticing
distractions that surrounded them.
Some may say that huntsman and
hounds have no place in the spectacle of the Winnemucca Parade, but of course, the Red
Rock Hounds say otherwise. We were barraged with questions, the hounds loved the
attention, and we were declared Grand Champion of the Parade. We brought home a plaque
from Winnemucca, and left behind a lot of children who now recognize an American Foxhound
and think that what we do is pretty cool.
Special thanks to Lynn’s niece Emily Smith who
carried E-mail, a 4 month old
puppy, the whole length of the parade. The spectators found Emily and E-mail equally
irresistible.
Hunter Pace/Poker Run Success
Our fall hunter pace/poker run was a huge success.
Over 70 riders participated, and the winning poker hand sent Cathy Clark and Ricky
Fernandez home with $500! The event gleaned $2,000 to support the hounds this season, and
everyone had a great time.
Gina Gildone once again did a fabulous job
organizing the day. Lots of thanks to Gina and her helpers—everyone who sat at check
points and our ever faithful timekeeper and honorary hunt secretary, George Freuhan.
It was a busy day for Cathy Bodner. She raced around
the jumping course to win fastest time with Chrysann, only to start again with 5 years old
daughter Amy on lead line. The mother/daughter team of Cathy and Amy Bodner on her pony
Jake won their first blue ribbon for the slowest time around the course. Congratulations
Amy!
The day wound up with a heart-wrenching acapella
rendition of Patsy Kline’s Crazy sung for us by Maggie Loving as we finished off a
luscious pot-luck lunch. All went home full of good food and great company.
Don’t miss the spring hunter
pace/poker run at the end of March! |
Does the Coyote Run Like the Fox?
by Lynn Lloyd, MFH
I would like to share
one of my observations concerning coyotes in my hunt country. As the human population has
increased, so have the number of coyotes. Consequently, each coyote’s personal
territory has decreased in size. As a result, I find that coyotes in these more populated
areas run in much smaller circles, similar to those of a fox. When I chase coyotes out in
our Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fixtures, which are comprised of hundreds of thousands
of acres of open rangeland, the coyote takes off very quickly and seems to run straight.
Of course, that isn’t quite true because all game circles at some point. The circle
simply is so large in the case of the rangeland coyote that he takes most hunts out of
their country. The large size of this coyote’s territorial circle is likely a direct
reflection of the low density of food sources for him on the range.
My personal history: I started running my
home based coyotes in 1980 when there were only 10 homes in our 5,000 acre kennel fixture.
At that time, coyotes ran fast and far out into BLM land. Often they headed west over the
Peterson Range, which rises another 3,000 feet above our kennel elevation at 5,000 feet
above sea level. Having crossed the Petersons, the coyote frequently would run another two
miles to cross the only pavement within 20 miles of the kennel. Around 1995 I began to
notice a change in this behavior. The human population in our valley had increased from 10
families to over 150 homes, each on a 10 acre parcel. The local coyote population also had
increased, due to the abundant, easily available food sources. Instead of running up and
over the Peterson Range, the 1995 coyote would circle half way up the mountain then head
back down to the central meadow in the valley. Now, in 2000, I find the coyotes staying
even closer to the valley floor and running just like a fox.
Our kennel territory is the only populated
region of the hunt’s seven fixtures. Twice a week, when I trailer out to one of our
BLM fixtures in the wilds of Nevada, the validity of my theory is reinforced in living
color. Coyotes in unpopulated rangeland in 2000 still run our horses into the ground in
their fast, enormous territories. They haven’t changed or been tamed in the least
since 1980. My conclusion: with plenty to eat and training from the local pack of hounds,
the coyote will run just like the fox.
Lynn
Lloyd Would Love
to Hear From You
E-mail |
