Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 12 · column 3 of 9 · from the scan, no model involved
groundhog holes and the declining stamina of the fox hound masters. But what throws the odds off kilter — and threatens the future of the sport — is the deer. "The days of foxhunting are numbered," Corbin predicted. “It’s being ruined by the deer. I took my 23 hounds out yesterday and I've still got 14 gone. If it weren’t for the deer all my hounds would have been back here this morning. When they jump a gray fox, it’s no trouble. The gray runs more like a rabbit. Same with a red. But if the hounds jump a deer, the best thing is to get in the truck and go home 'cause they aren’t coming back.
“I’ve been hunting with Jack Bruce many a day. I've been knowing Jack since I was a little kid," Corbin continued. “We'd hunt more together if it weren’t for the (leer. If I go to Rappahannock to hunt or if he comes to Culpeper, we have to make too many trips back to find our dogs when they finally get tired of running after deer."
On Saturday, with a fresh heavy scent from the recently laid drag, both are counting on their hounds sticking to the fox trail. “If the ground’s not frozen, my hounds run about the same, no matter what the conditions," Bruce said. Corbin wouldn't mind mud, wind or cold. “I expect mine will have a better chance if the conditions are real bad,” he added.
It’s not necessarily speed that will count on Saturday. The first over the line isn’t always the winner. Judges stationed at five points around the drag check to ensure that the hounds follow the entire trail. Points are awarded for first, second, third and so on at each station and the hound with the highest total takes this year’s crown.
It’s a chancey thing. In 1972, not a single hound finished. They dashed in every direction but along the drag trail, some running completely out of the county. Again in 1974, the hounds refused to cooperate. Every year, about half the field fails to make it past the first turn, chasing instead up Red Oak Mountain. “It never changes," Bruce laughed. "Some go north, some go south, some go east, some go west and a few, just a few, follow the scent."
But whatever the direction they may head, the hounds will go singing, giving the spectators at Thornton Hill an opportunity to hear what fox hunters believe to be the world's most beautiful music. “The sound gets in your blood," Bruce said. "It's the greatest music of all."
66.7%