Ripping live animals apart is a wonderful British tradition that should be preseved.

[ItsAWonderfulCervix]

Let's overturn the ban. After all boxing day just isn't any fun without a few dead foxes and blood and guts and stuff.

And while we're at it, don't you just love a bit of badger baiting for variety When shredding foxes gets dull.

can't believe this is all being regurgitated. They've banned hunting thank the Lord. Those who say they love it etc pleased for you. You can get the same adrenalin thrill by following a laid trail (drag hunting). No need to chase something for miles and celebrate whilst its torn apart. Ugh.

Oh, a myths and legends thread.
Both sides.

JonSnow are you saying there is no sport in shooting pheasants? Its merely about eating them all?

Nigella do they really do that re the lambs? . Learnt something new today!

Pheasant shoots are big business.

No, badgers do not bite the heads off lambs .

(almost as ridiculous as saying there are too many of them)

Animals are culled as a matter of course; but nobody seems to chase any other type of animal around the countryside to achieve that. It's outdated and ridiculous.

this really IMO.

And wasn't part of the pro-hunting argument that they hardly ever catch any anyway? ... How does that sit with their argument that 'foxes need to be culled'?

Can't have it both ways. It's either a shite method of fox population control or it isn't. It would be more honorable to just admit they do it because they find it fun.

Boombus I'm assuming she meant the Foxes did it (and she just happened not to be that clear in her post). hence my question not the Badgers! Even I havent had that much alchohol! .
A family of foxes live behind our house (it backs on to a field and woodland).

JonSnow are you saying there is no sport in shooting pheasants? Its merely about eating them all?
I said nothing of the sort. I'm more than aware that there is a lot of money in pheasant shoots (and grouse round here.) But the birds we kill are eaten. They are given to friends, family, etc. and used productively. Do you object to this?

Badgers do bite the heads of lambs. What on earth leads you to believe they don't - the lambs are usually dead already but badgers like lamb brains (sorry if thats a bit graphic!) Very rarely badgers will also kill lambs.

Foxes kill lots of lambs and are a much bigger problem since the hunting ban than before.

Countrylife is brutal - sorry folks but it is. I personally don't agree with fox hunting AS A SPORT but agree with it as a necessary part of countryside management.

I don't know Misspixie, I think she does mean the badgers, which is really very silly, and would be funny if it wasn't for the fact that badgers are also badly persecuted by farmers.

Maybe we should cut out the small ginger middle men, and just chase down the "hunt saboteurs". There are far too many of them and they are a bloody nuisance!

Oh dear.

I do wish shooters would be honest.

Shooting is for sport and enjoyment it's not a worthy service. However there are benefits.

The money made at the shoot (£0000s btw) preserves land for the purpose. I'd rather a few birds lived happy free lives and a % were shot and eaten in a few secondsof flight than that land get eaten up by the developers that are the true killers of wildlife in this country.

Hunting, well yes again they preserve land with the subs paid, and they do cull and manage the fox population. Not if I'm honest mainly through the meets themselves but through the terriers and cubbing and shooting outside of the meets, not sure if that's all illegal now though. It probably is and that's why we have overpopoverpopulation issues.

Why do people not protest cats? Evil murdering fuckers. And why not protest the hawks used by cities to control pigeons? Or the poisoning and snaringof rats and squirrel's?

All of those things just as terrifying as a fox being chased by hounds that probably has no clue a load of horses are there too. People just get wound up by the dress around it which is a bit blind really.

And please don't promote the sabs, those willing to trip and lame horses and acid blind hounds can't claim to be animal lovers to me.

"Country" people have probably far more respect and love for the animals they kill than anyone else. I hate this detachment from killing. People buy a clingfilmed pack of dead flesh from tesco with no idea of its origins then decry the hunt. The hunt attended by those far more connected to animals than they ever would be.

a most of what Softly said!

softly there was a massive campaign years ago when our City bought in a Hawk to control the millions of pigeons.

defra revised in 2011

I actually agreed with it by the way as it was getting out of control. Very good points raised softly.

And please don't promote the sabs, those willing to trip and lame horses and acid blind hounds can't claim to be animal lovers to me

I know many Sabs personally, they would never do such cruel things. Don't judge a group on poor behaviour of a few.

You know what. I do understand that most people are completely ignorant about how the countryside works and don't get that it is a complex human/ natural ecosystem.

I get that you are all so far removed from the process that it seems alien and occasionally cruel to you. Its your prerogative if you want to make rude and ignorant judgements about the men and women who work 16 hour days (more at busy times of year) 7 days a week 365 days a year for below minimum wage. Similarly its up to you if you want to read a load of lies and half truths on the internet about farming practices (mainly from america) and buy into the organic con - its your money.

Thats fine - your entitled to your opinions. Just don't come knocking on the door of the countryside when the whole world goes to shit and we are the only people with the knowledge and the capabilities to put food on the table and keep the land in a fit state to grow things on.

"Don't judge a group on poor behaviour of a few"
You mean like everyone else does regarding hunters?

Softly. According to the defra figures, the hunt only kills about 8,000 of the 100,000 foxes per annum that die.
I am a country person, I know where my meat comes from. I can kill and skin a rabbit and have done so. However, fox hunting in my opinion is a cruel and unnecessary way of doing things. If you want to get dressed up and go for a ride, fine, do so, but there's no need to have a go at people being removed from their meat as an excuse to pursue, cruelly, an animal that in fact won't be eaten by humans.

Also many people seem to forget that many hunts now purely drag hunt

As it is illegal shouldn't that be 100%?

And as for culling, bollocks, there are cases of foxes being holed up in their dens and fed dog food until the day of the hunt.

It is a totally inefficient way to cull any animal and sometimes other animals are killed.

I would have more respect for people hunting if they actually said, "I really enjoy it, it's fun" than pretending that it is some necessary evil.

Ok "some sabs"