So there I was in a section of woods that borders public land. The great thing about it...., the hunting on the public land pushes deer onto the private land where I am.
I'm creeping around and have gotten into a pretty good position between the standing field corn and the little creek. I checked the prime on my flintlock, and refresh it, and start to wait. In the distance I can hear several dogs barking, and perhaps the faint noise of some sort of horn....,
The sound of the dogs is nearer, BUT hey that will definitely push any stubborn deer my way. THEN..., a red fox comes running through the woods past the fallen logs where I am sitting, he's almost close enough that I could've tapped him on the head with the muzzle of my rifle, as I sat there awaiting a deer to wander past. He's doesn't notice me and isn't flat out sprinting, but has a good pace, and is moving in a pretty straight line.
OH NO! IT CAN'T BE
So about a minute later, the sound of the approaching hounds getting louder and louder, then the whole pack comes trundling by...
Followed in short order by about ten riders in "pinks" and one fellow blowing on a tiny little horn.
Tooroo tooroo tooroo....tooroo, roo, rooooo......
Now this IS private property, and I know from the land owner that he hasn't given the fox hunters permission to cross his boundary and hunt on his property, but the fox and the dogs don't read warning signs (Well OK so IF they do read English..., they never obey warning sighs, eh ?), so even if the riders had respected the property boundary, the hounds had made the day's hunt completely FUBAR.
OH Well....
So it's like this. I can't hunt certain locations on two different farms where I have permission because if I did, I might shoot in a direction where the bullet, even from my muzzle loader, would cross the boundary line, and I don't know how close the other properties have tree stands, because of some pretty thick evergreens, if there is a hunter or just a person on their property over in that direction.
So, YES it's legal to fox hunt on the strip of public land that is the state park, and on any private land that borders the park and permission is given..., but since you have to be on horseback, it means a pretty good distance is involved, and the area is just NOT good for that type of hunting, with dozens of tiny "hobby farms". So why engage in it in the first place if one knows (or should know) that it's likely the quarry and the dogs will trespass ???
LD