Fox Hunt in Duckhead

The greatest event of the season in the Mudlick neighborhood was the pulling off of that Fox chase near Hume Store. The Houston boys and James Hume caught a fox the day before, and sent out word of the time, when, and place where Reynard would be turned loose. When the time came, there were 45 men and 26 dogs at the appointed place. David Houston was made master of ceremonies, and at 9 a. m. the fox was liberated, and was allowed four minutes before the start of the hounds. The dogs were sent off on good order, and during the first hour, they gained very little on the fox. At the end of two hours of the hardest running that has been witnessed in this country for many years, the fox was caught on the ground, and of the 26 dogs that started in the race, the following five only were at the catching: Arthur Stephenson’s Brady; Bob O’Neal’s Bob; Rube Houston’s Kate; David Houston’s Dinah; and James Hume’s Flora. It seemed that every man within a radius of several miles of here was a fox hunter that day.”

From William Conrad’s Yesterdays: An Enriching Adventure in Boone County’s Past, comes this account from the Boone County Recorder of February 17, 1897. “Mudlick” was an early name of the area you likely know as “Duckhead,” but may well remember by the name “Hume.”