Hunting with Moore County Hounds

After the JNAFC wrapped up, we decided to stay on and hunt with Moore County Hounds again; and what a day we picked! Within the first hour we’d already covered nearly seven miles of flat-out galloping, the kind that leaves your cheeks windburned and your horse humming underneath you. Monroe felt fantastic, ears pricked and all business, and the Moore County field couldn’t have been kinder or more fun to ride with.

At one point, as Monroe powered along, I joked to the gentleman riding just ahead, “I don’t think I have brakes.” He glanced back with a grin and said, “Well, maybe you don’t need them!”

We tucked in behind him for a while. Hounds accounted for two—maybe even three—coyote throughout the morning, each one lighting up the pack and sending us flying across that beautiful country once again. As we came to a paved road, I decided to ease back for a moment as I wasn’t about to play games on pavement without studs... so we slipped behind with a handful of the second flight riders to keep things safe.

But it didn’t last long. Whipper-In Colin spotted us, waved us on, and ushered us neatly back into the action as if we’d never left. The whole morning was the kind of hunting that reminds you exactly why you love this sport: the speed, the kindness of the field, the unspoken teamwork, and the thrill of a pack working well.

And Southern Pines? A dream. Thousands of acres of flat, sandy footing to move out on, not a single gate in sight, and the kind of country that hunters dream of.