WMDT 47 News - For the Wicomico Hunt Club, the end of November is about giving thanks: for the beginning of fox hunting season. Joint Master and Huntsman Jane Rhoades said, "We fox hunt with ten Marydel hounds, and our idea is to chase the fox and follow him wherever he goes... It's been a tradition on the Eastern Shore of Maryland since the beginning of time. George Washington hunted hounds!"
Newcomer Wiley Jackson said, "I'm going to hang back and let the people who know what they're doing lead the way."
On Sunday, veterans and first-timers came together for the "Blessing of the Hounds." The ceremony kicks off the hunt for a fox on horseback with the help of man's best friend. Of the hounds, Rhoades said, "They are trained, when they are little, like the first year. They learn from the older hounds." In the end, the fox is not harmed.
To the hunters, it is a chase that never gets old. "It's very exciting, very thrilling, because you never know. There's no set game plan, you never know which way the fox is going to go, which way the hounds are going to go," said Rhoades. "You get a good adrenaline rush when you hear the hounds' first cry. It's music to your ears."
If you'd like to participate in any of the Wicomico Hunt Club's activities, call 302-822-4646, or click on 47 Weblinks.