Fox Hunting in Waterford Township

From The Philadelphia Inquirer, 9 January 1898, page 6

FOLLOWING HOUNDS IN THE JERSEY WILDS

Down Around Waterford the Fox Hunting Fad Now Prevails

THE RABBITS ARE GLAD

“Bunny” Has a Rest While Villagers on “Old Dobbin” Try to Catch Sly Reynard—The Radnor Hunt Outdone.

Special to the Inquirer
WATERFORD, N .J., Jan. 8—A diversion new and exciting to the people in the lower section of Camden county gives promise of becoming one of the most popular winter sports in this section. Not until Harry H. Kunkle, of Wynnewood, Pa., came to Waterford three weeks ago with twenty-three fine American fox hounds did the farmer boys, the corner grocer and the village blacksmith and Innkeeper believe that there was any sport in following the hounds through the Jersey woods on horseback. Now they are enthusiastic over the sport and old Dobbin, who has been “eating his head off” and living in dried clover all winter, is being exercised as a fox hunter and he seems to enjoy the sport as much as his master.

A few days ago several of the residents of this place and Chesilhurst were invited by Mr. Kunkle to shoot a fox ahead of his dogs. In a very short time after Reynard was raised Jim Sinclair wounded him a few minutes afterward the hounds had him.

It was during this hunt that the Jersey rabbit shooters saw the fun to be had following the hounds on horseback. Houndsman Kunkle had kept close to the fox following the byroads on his hunting mare. As a result a fox chase was arranged for yesterday and an exciting one it was.

The woods within two miles of this place are overrun with foxes and within ten minutes after the hounds were unleashed, early in the morning, a fox was started. In the chase a few minutes afterward a second one was raised and the hounds were divided, sixteen of the younger ones taking the new trail and the other seven keeping on the original trail.

The first fox followed the New Jersey Central Railroad to Three Bridges and to Parkdale. He doubled at the latter place and followed the same course back to Chewtown, but there he went around the hounds again and off toward Atsion. When Reynard came back on the track he passed too close to the hounds and they “winded” him. At 11:30 the dogs caught the fox below Chewtown, but so close were the huntsmen that Jim Sinclair got the brush before the dogs had torn him to bits.

In the meantime the other fox had gone out of hearing distance. Off to Atsion and on toward Indian Mills and Shamong he went, followed by the greater pack of hounds and Houndsman Kunkle. Several time the hounds closed on sly Reynard, but he was a cute old fox and evaded them. At 5 o’clock in the evening they were called off away down in the Trenton Meadows.

So exciting was the sport that the residents here had a meeting to-night to organize a fox hunting club.

A few days ago the hounds raised the famous black fox that had been hunted unsuccessfully by sportsmen in this region for three years. Three times the black fox was seen and then he ran into the lair of a gray fox and the hounds, taking the trail of the latter, the cute black fox escaped.


Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

Teegate

Administrator
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Sep 17, 2002
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Those Houndsman traveled quite a distance. I suspect they followed the JCRR the entire way. In the woods that distance would have been tough for them. That is unless they were clear-cut :)

Guy
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
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Thank you for that Jerseyman. What a fun piece to read and again, the manner of speech and writing is enjoyable. It seems they really made a day of it. The fox following the line of the JCRR did give the men a good open run.
Remember, back then the set back line from the rails was significantly wider than in later years and what we see today.
Some of the ghastliness at the end of some of those hunts (not chases)
would bring a dozen different organizations and rights groups down on you like buzzards to a S**twagon in today's age.

Great article! My money would have been on the black fox.

g.
 

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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"Trenton Meadows".

Now there is a clue we should follow to see if they were large savannas now gone.

Would you say it had to be near Indian Mills? I don't recall seeing that named location before.

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
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Sep 17, 2002
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You could be correct on that, and if not, the next development will be named that after the builder reads this thread. They are always looking for new names to use.

Guy
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
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Pestletown, N.J.
Great article Jerseyman!
It was neat to see the old place name references for all of my current stomping grounds.
There are still a few fox hunters around here in Waterford and a friend of mine's father, who used to live in Atco, had over 20 fox hounds.
These guys would run the dogs all night from trucks and call them off in the morning, never killing the fox.
The fox numbers are down right now in South Jersey.
There were a few nice reds denning along Wharton Ave a few years back but I haven't seen one lately.
About 10 years ago, there were several running around with mange.
 

AJ1957

Scout
Apr 18, 2008
42
0
You could be correct on that, and if not, the next development will be named that after the builder reads this thread. They are always looking for new names to use.

Hovnanian has already used Fox Chase in Tinton Falls.
 

mudboy dave

Explorer
Oct 15, 2008
950
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atco
opentrailsnj.org
Great article Jerseyman!
It was neat to see the old place name references for all of my current stomping grounds.
There are still a few fox hunters around here in Waterford and a friend of mine's father, who used to live in Atco, had over 20 fox hounds.
These guys would run the dogs all night from trucks and call them off in the morning, never killing the fox.
The fox numbers are down right now in South Jersey.
There were a few nice reds denning along Wharton Ave a few years back but I haven't seen one lately.
About 10 years ago, there were several running around with mange.


would the last name be levoche (spelling) live on the corner of rairtan and tremont? i know theyre old timers that had/have LOTS of dogs
 
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