I talked a little bit about human fox hunts last year when I got handed a shiny postcard sized flyer promoting the northern california fox hunt's new location. At that point I had never actually attended one.
Now, don't get me wrong, I had heard of them, and the idea seemed rather interesting. I recalled reading about a human fox hunt (and seeing a few photos from one) online, but this, as I found out a couple months ago is very different to experiencing one in person.
As you can likely guess, I did not end up going to the 2013 hunt, but as autumn rolled around this year, I found myself gradually drawn to the concept, and, even better, with an uncluttered work schedule.
Nevertheless, it wasn't until the day before the hunt itself that I knew for sure I could make it (part of this is my nature to procrastinate), but being the cool people that they are, the organizers didn't bat an eye when I literally showed up on their doorstep at 8PM (after a two hour drive through scenic northern California countryside that I knew existed in principle, but had never actually experienced (and which did not have cell reception, which entailed a few panicked moments as I waited for Google maps to update my directions)) and told them that it looked like I could make after all.
Within a few minutes I was officially registered and shown to my cabin, which was still within the reach of the free wifi (I would have loved to have posted this article from my cabin, but there was so much going on that I didn't get around to it, but I could have posted it from the hunt).
Let me digress a moment to give you the lay of the land, so to speak. The northern California human fox hunt is held on a largish property about 2 hours northeast of San Francsico. The location is equipped with a main lodge surrounded by several large cabins and many smaller cabins. There is also plenty of camping space available (less expensive than reserving a cabin).
The main lodge is two stories. The ground floor is a communal space with a good sized sitting room and separate dining area (all meals are included in the cost of registration and are served buffet style). On the upper floor of the lodge are a series of shared bedrooms, which are priced lower than the satellite cabins with the added benefit of being situated right above the food.
Anyway, back to the story...I arrived just as dinner was ending (a delicious seafood paealla) and social acitivities were were begining.
Taking a moment to unpack the car with my meager overnight bag and set it in the cabin, I felt excitement building. The whole weekend stretched before me with fantasies of running around in latex and leather, chasing an elusive fox up steep hills and thick vegetation - ultimately, I ended up shadowing a hunt team to get a feel for the event (and to snap a few photos of course), but next year I'm hoping to take on a more active role.
After unpacking the car and having some dinner, I went over to the bonfire, which served as a mixer of sorts. Obviously I knew some people from past events or munches, but there were many new faces. The hours spent socializing and making new friends, bonding over drinks, shared interest in pony play, and roaring fire, flew by, and soon it was well past time for bed if I were to make it to the main event Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, I roll over the main lodge for breakfast and coffee and a little more socialization with new and old friends as we waited for bell to ring signifying the start of the hunt.
The first fox hunt, where human ponies, puppies, and their handlers, hunt down and capture human foxes - was slated to begin late Saturday morning (it started roughly on time, and honestly I'm not a huge fan of events that judiciously run on time to the detriment of the attendees' enjoyment).
Two more hunts were run after the first one with breaks in between to allow the participants time to cool off and get a drink of water or some snacks. Several foxes decided to become pup or ponies for the subsequent hunts - many more puppies and ponies chose to become foxes for the last hunt of the day.
The rules of the hunt are fairly simple: track and find a fox, then surround it on four sides at which point the fox is considered caught (there was some talk about running an extra hunt or two where the hunters can get a little more physical with the foxes that enjoy putting up a little more resistance). The first two hunts had a requirement that captured foxes had to be transferred back to the base camp before pursuing additional prey, which slowed down the number of human foxes we could capture during the timed hunt (this rule was relaxed for the final hunt of the day where the prey vastly outnumbered the hunters).
After the namesake event, on Saturday evening, there were several classes on both animal role play and BDSM. Classes ranged in topic from choosing a diet for human pets, to bootblacking, to basic pony play and carting. In addition to the classes, there was a bondage mermaid show over at the hot tub area, and the huge dungeon was filled with sound of cracking whips.
When Sunday came around, I found myself a little sad that I would have to leave this little BDSM oasis, but I was content in the knowledge that I would be attending the next year, and I would take a much more active role in all the activities now that I had tested the water and found it to be perfect.
It's easy to get caught up in the chase. Constantly scanning the foilage for the tell tale movement of a fox, then the hunter silently guiding the ponies into position while sending the puppies in to flush the fox into the trap.
And aside from the fun of the chase, the weekend offers the chance to immmerse yourself in animal headspace, or walk around in latex, or visit the dungeon for hours at a time, or even take some classes on BDSM and animal role-play topic. Most importantly, it allows you to meet many like-minded kinksters who enjoy pony play as much as you!