The Scent of a Woman

The Scent of a Woman

By Mike du Pont

But the hounds stuck to their task and soon followed a line off the trail to the right.

An Orange County Hound in full flight over a coop.

Photo by Middleburg Photo

We met at Byrnley. It was a cold, damp January day and we were soon hunting the woods at Whitewood back where it borders on Rockburn Stud.

The trails were wet and sloppy and you’d have thought the scenting would be good. I’ve hunted for 44 years and haven’t yet figured out scent. But this much I did know, scenting conditions with the Orange County Hounds clearly were tough that day.

After much hard work, hounds picked up a line on the trail in all that slop, though admittedly, it wasn’t much of a line.

With many horses going up and down that trail, many foreign and misleading smells can be left on the path, all camouflaging the scent you must have. But the hounds stuck to their task and soon followed a line off the trail to the right.

The lead hound that day seemed to be a nice bitch. I mentioned her to Huntsman Melvin Poe who said, “yes, that’s Jonquil, one of our best bitches.”

I made it a point to keep my eye on her the rest of the day. Still, as hard as those diligent hounds worked and try as they might, that line got weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared altogether.

Then came the magic!

The pack abandoned that vanished line and, led by Jonquil, returned to the trail where she last had something of the scent. She refreshed her nose and the rest of her companions did likewise. Jonquil then led the pack off to the left and soon picked up the line and off they went.

No, it was not a great run. But to see Jonquil lead the pack back to where they last had the scent and then to do something with it, that just made for a wonderful day. Good girl Jonquil, and many thanks.

Mike du Pont is a long time Middleburg area resident and a former Master of the Orange County Hounds.