Tallyho! Hunt club hosts quest for elusive fox

It didn't matter that they never actually saw a fox. For these folks, it's all about the thrill of the chase.

The recent fox hunt at Poplar Grove, a property that sits on the border of Charleston and Dorchester counties, brought more than 130 people and their horses from around South Carolina and three other states. It was likely the largest fox hunt in the state, according to several huntsmen — those who manage the hounds.

"We've got horses stuffed all over Charleston County," Nina Burke said regarding stabling. Burke is joint master of Lowcountry Hunt, a relatively new club, which hosted the event as part of its first Hunt Weekend.

The club participates in live hunts as opposed to drag hunts, the type primarily held by the more well-known Middleton Place Hounds. In a drag hunt, hounds follow a scent that has been laid by humans.

The action of a live hunt depends on the hounds picking up the scent of a wild animal.

Lowcountry Hunt members, who are unarmed, "hunt" foxes, coyotes and bobcats, Burke said. They don't want to catch the foxes because they're rare, she said, "and we generally can't catch the others."

The morning included chasing a coyote (enthusiastic cries of "tally- ho" could be heard when it was sighted) and a gray fox (which was never seen).

Anthony Gibbs, huntsman of Lowcountry Hunt, said he knew the hounds were following a gray fox "by the way he ran through the woods."

Gibbs was pleased with the way his pack and the two others, one from Virginia and one from Florida, worked together, he said. They followed the direction of the horn and commands such as "Yo, yo, yo" and "Find 'em!"

The 48 American, English and crossbred foxhounds wore tracking collars so they could be found if any were separated from the group.

The riders seemed to blend together well, too.

For many, the Hunt Weekend is largely a social event, an opportunity to meet others with similar interests. They bond not only during hunts but at the accompanying oyster roasts and champagne breakfasts.

Marsh Davis of Maidens, Va., said she came "to check out the Southern hospitality and see how a different area hunts." She said the flat and sandy terrain was great for horses' footing. "It's like you're riding on carpet," she said.

Kris Deal, another Virginian, said he doesn't have many opportunities to hunt this time of year because of ice and snow, while Floridian Anita Crouse said she came partly to get her horse out of the hot West Palm Beach area for a bit.

The weekend also included hunts at Airy Hall and Turkey Hill Plantations.