On Wednesday a small team of DCHS sabs hit the Eggesford meet at Higher Bidacott on the edge of Chittlehampton. Our two foot teams kept eyes on huntsman, hounds and terriermen for most of the day and guarded several locations where hounds marked a fox to ground.
The hunt left the meet towards Great Down and then crossed the road in full cry in direction of Woodland Farm before looping south through Higher Ford Wood in direction of Lower Bidacott. Meanwhile terrierman Seward Folland was stood waiting on the edge of a wood overlooking a large badger sett. A short while later, hounds were cast into those exact woods and, unsurprisingly, a fox was marked to ground. Huntsman Jason Marles congratulated hounds and then took them out via Stowford Bridge towards the first of many valleys north of Stowford, where they would spend the rest of the day.
They zig-zagged back and forth between Frogmore Copse to the west and Island Copse to the east, three or four times, and eventually crossed the road towards Stowford Wood where we watched via drone as hounds ran in and out of the copse. From there they headed back west and we witnessed a hare running from hounds in full view of riders and hunt support. Fortunately the hare ran a loop and managed to lose the hounds.
The pack split around Island Copse but sabs caught up just in time to witness them running past on a line which ended at another large sett. Sabs arrived at the sett to find whipper-in ‘Ron Weasley’ congratulating hounds as they were scratching and digging at the entrance to the sett. Huntsman Jason Marles then called hounds back and also congratulated them for hunting the fox to ground. While the hunt returned to the meet to box up, sabs stayed behind to document and guard the sett. A short while later a fox was seen sneaking off down the valley, no longer at risk of being dug out.
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