July fox hides on old tow path

The fox hunt for July started promptly at 1:30 pm, 8 July, one week late due to the 4^th of July holiday. On hand were three eager foxhunter teams, Steve and Linda, W9’s SAN & LAN, Don, K9LI and his wife Kathy, and Charles, KC9MUT, Fred, KC9EZP accompanied by new ham and foxhunter Stuart, KD9LFW. 

The foxes for this hunt were Jim K9OMA and Anne KA9YYI. The fox location was on the near west side of Ft. Wayne just off Glendale Ave., on the Tow Path, part of the River Greenway This location was a bit of a challenge for the hunters because the direct path from the Corbin Memorial Park starting point to the fox location ran right through downtown Ft. Wayne. Experienced foxhunters will tell you the signal bounces around due to the tall buildings.  

Don was the first hunter to localize us at about 50 minutes in to the hunt. He and Kathy drove past the high power fox and went about ¼ mile further down the road. Don appeared about 10 minutes later on foot with his portable fox sniffer. 

The microfox was in a shallow hole covered with grass and just off the Tow Path. After a bit of careful sniffing Don located the microfox. About ten minutes later Charles and Stuart arrived on the scene and were successful also. Steve and Linda arrived about 20 minutes later. Being the last hunter is really frustrating because all of the other hunters critique your work. So after some very anxious moments Steve pulled the microfox out of the hole and nearly pitched it at me. So to get cooled down we all headed to Penguin Point for some Cold drinks and Snacks. 

Given Don and Kathy were the first to find the microfox, they will perform the duties of the fox for the August (5 August) hunt. The foxhunt scorecard so far this year is as follows:

Why not give foxhunting a try? It’s easy, fun (although at times it can be a little frustrating), and you’ll most likely learn something about propagation.