New Year's Day hunt
RESIDENTS, farmers and landowners flocked to the Silver Ball pub to watch the New Year's Day hunt in St Columb on Monday.
Tony Blumenau, one of three joint masters, said: "It's a traditional New Year's Day hunt but we would never hunt on a Sunday so we did it on the Monday instead.
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St Dennis band plays outside the Silver Ball pub in St Columb Major at the Four Burrow Hunt.BOTB20111202B-001_C.jpg
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Tally ho !! the start of the four burrow hunt.BOTB20111202B-006_C.jpg
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The start of the New Year's Day hunt in St Columb.
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St Columb Major was the meeting point for at the Four Burrow Hunt.BOTB20111202B-004_C.jpg
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St Dennis band plays outside the Silver Ball pub in St Columb Major at the Four Burrow Hunt.BOTB20111202B-001_C.jpg
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William, the youngest member at the New Year's Day hunt.
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St Columb Major was the meeting point for at the Four Burrow Hunt.BOTB20111202B-002_C.jpg
"We laid a succession of trails during the day with a 'smelly stick' and tried to mimic what a fox may have done.
"To outsiders it doesn't look much different to what we used to do. We use a chemical to fool the hounds, and we don't find anything at the end of it, but if the trail layer isn't quick enough then sometimes we find him."
Mr Blumenau said there were about 100 people mounted in total.
"But to me the most incredible thing was the number of people at the Silver Ball," he added.
"It was absolutely packed. Without them we couldn't do the hunt because it's their ground we use. We are very grateful for their support."
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