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Final Results The Almost Halloween Fox Hunt October 29th 2011 A Saturday Hunt The starting point: The Family Fare parking lot in Jenison/Hudsonville at 28th Ave/Port Sheldon. Shortest distance rules. What a beautiful Fall Morning!

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'Doggone, have been we following a reflection from the water tower? Our fox is Sheila, K8AJ, and she is known to add a little twist at the end of her hunts. I know! K8JHR lives behind us a couple of blocks. She must be in front if his house! --Wrong. The first rule of fox hunting is
Don't Guess.

But we are getting a little ahead of ourselves in our fox hunt story. Before the hunt, we were told that Shella was our fox (vixen) and she was in a vehicle with an automatic foxbox running one watt to a magmount antenna.  At exactly 10 o'clock her first transmission started.  Her signal was very weak and coming from a general eastern direction.  We caught our first break!  If she was across the expressway, there was a easy crossing 3.5 miles straight east.  We wouldn't have to figure the shortest distance to get across.

We followed her signal east through two golf courses and lots of condos. Could she be on a golf cart? No. On we went through a Walmart shopping center, finally the expressway and then the Lowes shopping center and the high school.  The signals around the football stadium seemed to come from every direction. Further to the east was the large Rivertown Mall complex. She wouldn't make us hunt through that big parking lot, would she? At the next street we caught another break. The fox signal was now coming from the south.

We were now on our way into the countryside taking readings at every corner. That brings us back to the water tower pictured above.  We decided that we must be following a reflected signal off the water tower.  Everything fit.  Sheila had tricked us again. Off we went. We started to guess. The fox signal got weaker.

Then we remembered the fox hunting rule about water towers. It goes something like: 'When your strongest signal seems to be reflecting off a water tower, go to the base of the tower and get a new direction.' Back up Wilson Avenue we went. There was a little road up the hill to a church and the water tower. And there, right behind the little church was our fox. Obviously the fox had made her own new rule -- hide by a water tower and nobody will ever believe you are there.

Back at the food court at Rivertown Mall, everyone had a story about why they drove right by the water tower and had to retrace their steps. What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Once again, thanks to Sheila, K8AJ for a great hunt.

Stats: The fox was 4.8 miles air miles from the starting point at a bearing of 108 degrees. Seven cars in hunt.

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Individual Fox Hunt Results

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First Place Team

Total Miles = 7.2

Chuck Nowak, AJ8W
James Richards, K8JHR

Second Place Team

Total Miles = 7.6

Tom Bosscher, K8TB

Third Place Team

Total Miles = 9.0

Laryn Lohman, K8TVZ

Fourth Place Team

Total Miles = 9.9 miles

Jim Leys, KD8CAN
Mike Hill, W8DER

Fifth Place Team

Total Miles = 10.3

Larry De Blaay, WD8PAP
Brian De Blaay, KD8PZJ

Sixth Place Teams

Mike Maciejewski, WD8AHB and family
Jack Maciejewski, K8CYV

Gerry Lerch, K8GGL