Indiana, Farms, and Tracking

The Whitted farm has been in Alan’s family through his mother since the 1830’s.  The original farm was 150 acres.  When Maxine’s parents died, the farm was split between Maxine and her sister Margie.  Maxine got the farmhouse and 70 acres attached to it.  Margie got the 80 acres across the road.  About 10 years or so before Maxine died, she had the farm transferred to her 3 children.  Maxine and Sonny had lifetime use of the farm.  Maxine died a few years ago. 

When Alan and I were engaged and then married, we spent at least one weekend a month at the farm.  The farm hasn’t been a “working” farm for about 35 years.  It has pastureland, rolling hills, and lots of woods.  Tim really enjoyed it when he was young and brought various friends to visit.

Last week we drove up for the day so I could track with Magnum.  I want to get more experience tracking in the woods.  Alan laid a track that started in a pasture and then wove in and out of the woods.  The track was 1500 yards and aged 2 ½ hours.  Magnum did great.  He missed an article as he was going up a hill.  He was off the track by about 20 to 25 feet, but got himself back on it.  I think he had been following a recent animal trail.  Then in the last fourth of the track, he wanted to make a left turn.  I was able to get him back on the track and we discovered the problem when he finished the track.  Alan’s exit path had been too close to the track.  When Magnum was trying to turn left, he was following the exit path.  Tracklayers need to walk at least 50 feet away from a track. 

Yesterday, we tracked on the farm surrounding our house, which leads to woods also owned by our farmer friend Joe.  Joe tills his land; so there was bare earth and some ground up corn stalks.  Alan again laid a 1500 yard track, aged 2 ½ hours.  I wasn’t sure how Magnum would do on bare earth, which doesn’t hold scent as well as vegetation.  Magnum was awesome.  His only challenge was near a ditch close to where he was to enter the woods.  Scent collects in ditches.  There are a herd of deer that we see regularly on this farmland and they run along the ditch.  Magnum wanted to go to the ditch.  I thought I could tell from his behavior that the track didn’t go that way.  He struggled with it and kept trying to get to the ditch.  I finally took a step forward and said back to work.  It did the trick and he got back on the track running into the woods.  We zig zagged through the woods and came out into another farm field.  It really is great fun and exercise to get out with Magnum and track.