hunting with Live Oak

Today we went hunting with Live Oak, a hunt up in Tallahassee Fl. they are known for being the best around, and, well. we certainly drove a ways to get there. After waking up at 2:15am, leaving the barn around 4:07 am we drove three hours or so north, to this incredibly beautiful country. 

It looked a little ho hum as we first hacked out into the woods. However, the fog quickly closed in, creating a kind of creepily quiet, swirling mist through which we walked through. hounds bounding in an out of sight through the fog, sometimes it lifted enough to see the ground stretching further than the tops of the trees, sometimes completely shrouding everything but what was fifteen feet in front of you. 

It seemed like a scene straight of of sleepy hollow, or a tim burton film with the trees dripping with spanish moss and mist, everything either bright green or a muted greyish brown.

the first field we walked through

fog dropping down

our crew. jen and hubert, ann and riley

the mist on Hunter's eyelashes.

So as we were carrying on, every few minutes, someone would stroll or trot up on their horse, introduce themselves, and then proceed to not only warmly welcome us, compliment our "incredibly hansom" "super cute" "so adorable" "perfect foxhunter" horses, but they would ask us about where we were from, how long we were staying, and we would of course be coming back, wouldn't we?

and considering how much fun it was, even though it "wasnt a normal Live Oak day", we are going to try and go again next sunday if we aren't too tired. (And missy said she wanted to come too!)

Honestly. Everyone could not have been nicer. Seriously the most welcomed I have felt in a really long time, anywhere, and I am pretty sure jen halds the same sentiment. Just the nices folks. and funny. and entertaining. 

keeping that in mind, and the fact that it wasn't a normal live oak day, we hunted for FOUR AND HALF hours. by the time we were back at the trailers the day had substantially warmed up, from about 38 degrees to 70, and the whole field, led by the master, had shed their jackets, and some their vests as well. They all started out saying how cold it was, then how hot. silly floridians. 

There were also two folks visiting from Canada, one was the master in Vancouver I believe, and his wife. Their season is even shorter (who knew it was possible) than ours in Pa.

We got on a couple little runs through the day, one just back to the trailer to tape together the masters horse, as he stepped on himself and was bleeding pretty good. And we got to do more jumping than they had thought we would, some really nice coops, the biggest about three feet, maybe three three, nothing too crazy. 

And we caught two grey fox. Apparently in that area they hunt, grey and red fox, bobcats, coyote and wild boar. CRAZY! Jen will get the mask and brush from the second fox of the day. And everyone insisted it go to one of their guests.