Eggesford Hunt met at Higher Biddacott on the edge of Chittlehampton. They seemed a little surprised to find a small team of sabs already waiting for them in the fields north of the meet. The hunt set off north towards Stowford, first drawing a blank in a large gorse patch and then carrying on east towards Breakneck Cross, with huntsman Jason Marles on foot a lot of the time.
They continued north through Bottomley Wood towards Stowford Wood, hounds failing to pick up on any scent. After drawing another blank in a scrubby area around Breakneck Cross, Jason took hounds via Sandy Lane back towards the area north of the meet and into Woodland Wood and Higher Ford Wood.
It wasn’t until they got to the Frogmore Copse valley north of Stowford that hounds picked up on the line of a fox, following the scent in full cry all the way east to Island Copse. Hounds marked a badger sett, indicating that a fox had gone to ground. The presence of sabs averted a digout, protecting the hunted fox as well as the resident badgers at the sett.
With not much to see all day, hunt supporters David Evans and Helen Dunn turned to their usual belligerent antics, both of them seemingly desperate to get their fingers caught up in the propellers of our drone at takeoff and landing.
They boxed up before 4pm at Woodland Farm, where the hound van and several horse trailers were parked for the day.
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