Hunting on Boxing Day

[GreyMary23]

I've seen numerous reports about Boxing Day hunts going ahead yesterday. What the fuck? I despise hunting anyway - like most decent/sane people - but to allow it to go ahead when so many are spending Christmas alone due to covid is utterly unbelievable. Before anyone says it's because it's outdoors, so is children's sport yet my dc haven't been able to attend rugby or football training in weeks.

How on Earth was this allowed to happen?

Should be banned, vile sport.

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Yes... Does that include the sabs that beat the shit out of a 16 year old lady who was laying a scent trail?

Or is anything sabs do acceptable and to be believed without question?

The scabs round here threatened to kill the person laying the trail.

@foodlesnoodles

The word hero is overused - sabs aren't heroes - they're just dedicated and passionate people who take a stand to protect the innocent and vulnerable.

A lot of sabs are involved in various other organisations from the badger cull, badger vaccination, wildlife sanctuaries and rescue, locating lost dogs, trapping and neutering feral cat colonies, getting footage of poor welfare on farms and slaughterhouses, some might even do the shopping for the elderly neighbours...

Whatever the reputation of sabs (violent, money scrounging, jobless, benefit thieves) the sabs and antis that I know are all wonderfully caring - animal and human - who have jobs and careers from all walks of life, united by a common cause, to protect the innocent.

Super (vegan) cheesy but it's true.

This is my experience of hunt sabs as well.

@countrygirl99
Hope this link works.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-38635389

It happened again last year on a neighbouring beach. The hunt appears to be able to ride literally roughshod

@Suzi888

Should be banned, vile sport.

Yep.

[quote scentedgeranium]@countrygirl99
Hope this link works.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-38635389[/quote]
They’re foxhounds in that link

Drag hunting use bloodhounds - our local pack is also used for search and rescue, helping track lost pets, etc.

Blood hounds/drag hunting is a completely different thing. They “hunt” a person carrying a scent, they’ve never been trained to the scent of a fox.

My DD goes out with the bloodhounds - it’s fun. A fast ride in areas they wouldn’t normally be allowed to ride in, jumping hedges, etc.

Yes I understand that. But here the controversy was whether those same foxhounds should be out again this Boxing Day. I don't believe they did go.
And they've played merry hell in the fields round our way. I dread them getting into our garden

@GCAcademic

If anti hunting were all about cruelty to animals I could understand it but it isn't it's largely about class hatred and resentment towards those with land and/or money. Regrettably there is usually zero cognizance of the countryside economy.

What does hunting contribute to the countryside economy? That’s a genuine question, not snark, btw. I ask because some of the farmers I know around here have repeatedly asked the hunt to keep off their land because they are sick of the damage the hunt causes, the cost of which these farmers have to bear. But to no avail, they just carry on trespassing and damaging crops, fences, etc. So, yes, I suppose this is a class war, as these farmers are really struggling to survive, and the hunt doesn’t give a shit about contributing to those struggles as long as they get their jollies.

All the farmers in our valley (including us) have banned the local hunt, because in reality they are a bunch of joy riders on horse back contributing nothing constructive. They trespass, create mess and chaos, damage hedges and ground, upset livestock and cause havoc.

They also claim it's for "fox control" which is utter bollocks. apart from hunting with dogs being illegal, fox control is far more effective when you use a decent marksman, lamp and rifle.

The purpose of a fox hunt is to go on a jolly with all your mates across other peoples ground and create carnage and mess that other people (farmers/landowners) have to clear up. A hunt contributes nothing useful to the countryside, other than providing a fallen stock service. And even then there are plenty of knackermen who are not affiliated to a hunt so even that is not neccessary.

A hunt is just a bunch of wankers on horseback getting their jollies trying to kill a fox.

dugupdeadcat All the farmers in our valley (including us) have banned the local hunt, because in reality they are a bunch of joy riders on horse back contributing nothing constructive. They trespass, create mess and chaos, damage hedges and ground, upset livestock and cause havoc.

It is this sort of generalist argument that does your cause little good. We live in Britain, a country which has very varied terrain. Hunts which cover moorland, upland country perform quite a different service to those in the lowland shires. There aren't even hedges once you get on top of the moors and there isn't much livestock in the fields in the middle of winter. The ground is so boggy and riven with deep steep sided small valleys and plantations that hounds really are useful to flush out foxes towards the guns. I am failing to see the problem when the fox is shot and the hunt acts within the law. This sort of land is not suitable for arable farming or cattle of any description, what it does support is a certain type of sheep and lambs of a small hill variety which are particularly good prey for foxes, which can be moved from a particular area by a skilled hunt. God knows how you think you would control tens of thousands of acres of moorland with one marksman and a lamp. That beam of light would have to be seen from space.

The purpose of a fox hunt is to go on a jolly with all your mates across other peoples ground and create carnage and mess that other people (farmers/landowners) have to clear up.

This too. The local hunt here is composed of many farmers and they have a hunt committee which go around repairing fences and putting in hunt jumps.

A hunt is just a bunch of wankers on horseback getting their jollies trying to kill a fox.

Its language like this which really turns me off. My vet, my GP and my primary school teacher all hunt.

So I'm sorry, but you are making up a lot of this to be deliberately emotive and it sounds like you have no idea of much of the countryside of the UK, none of which convinces me that you are telling the truth about all these hunts risking criminal records by not relying on all the trained marksmen that follow the hunt on quad bikes.

@GreenlandTheMovie - I am going by my direct experience of our local hunt, the master of which has stood in my living room bragging how he manages to get around the hunting ban and kill foxes whilst at the same time asking for access across our ground.

We are a lowland farm. We farm sheep - not on the scale of the hill boys, but enough that we have an issue with foxes. I have no issue with killing them whatsoever. I actually have no issue with a properly managed hunt that is under control and respectful to other peoples ground doing properly managed fox control.

What I do have, is a massive issue with a bunch of over entitled knobs on horse back galloping across the middle of grass leys and arable fields claiming they're "drag hunting" and supposedly following a trail. Blatant bollocks, because if they were following a "trail" they wouldn't be galloping across the middle of our fields chopping up the ground like hooligans thinking they're racing at Ascot.

Not only does the particular hunt I'm referring to behave like absolute hooligans on horseback, but they cause chaos locally with hounds running loose and out of control on roads and trespassing and they have no respect for livestock or property. They certainly don't do anything to predispose non-hunt supporters to re-evaluate their thinking.

The most recent figures of how many creatures are killed by cats are from the Mammal Society. They estimate that cats in the UK catch up to 100 million prey items over spring and summer, of which 27 million are birds.

This is the number of prey items which were known to have been caught. We don't know how many more the cats caught, but didn't bring home, or how many escaped but subsequently died.

Yeah, but that's cool, because 'normal' people have pet cats, and cats are cute. Only nasty and horrid people go trail hunting.

My husband used to love it. He got paid handsomely to put a combo of goat piss and curry powder on his running shoes and head off for a 20km run or so, pursued (after a slight delay) by bloodhounds (not fox hounds) and the horses. He often got to run through private land he couldn’t usually access on his runs.

Running shoes were a right off though ..

It's OK for hunt groups as toffs can't catch coronavirus. So thought Boris...

@Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel

Unless you're in denial or as thick as fuck you'll know that the " trail" and " faux" hunting is a cover for real ILLEGAL fox hunting where they chase and terrier men ( thick scumbag Neanderthals paid by the hunt) often dig out the Fox and they all watch whilst the hounds rip the Fox to pieces whilst alive. Often the cunt sorry hunt will cut the tail of the Fox. Smearing blood on participating children's faces seems popular.

All very well documented and thanks to the recently leaked zoom conference and emails ,it's become public knowledge and has revealed a lot about these monsters .

If you hunt you are a low life piece of shit and that is being generous. It it illegal yet the police ignore it because they hunt themselves and are in the hunts pocket if not.

They also treat their horse and hounds terribly. Often abused, left for dead and shot when no longer useful.

Defend the hunt and show everyone what vermin you are.

♥️ just that really! Have a look at the Hunt Saboteur Association and see the wonderful work they do!

@greenlandthemovie My vet, my GP and my primary school teacher all hunt

I don't understand how these (presumably) intelligent people find it entertaining to see an animal being torn to pieces. I wouldn't be taking my cat to your vet...I'd be worried it'd end up as dog-fighting bait.

In all seriousness though, this vet, GP and teacher need to find themselves a new hobby.

@PlainHonesty

It's OK for hunt groups as toffs can't catch coronavirus. So thought Boris...

😂😂😂

@GreenlandTheMovie the experience of @dugupdeadcat is far from general. S/he is an actual farmer. You can't just dismiss experience like that.

[quote scentedgeranium]**@GreenlandTheMovie* the experience of @dugupdeadcat* is far from general. S/he is an actual farmer. You can't just dismiss experience like that.[/quote]
Well, they claim to be a farmer. I could claim to be a farmer. Anyone can be anything on the Internet. And farmers are some of the most bloody minded unpleasant sods out there when it comes to their land (not all, but some) and have adopted a general attitude of resisting any form of interference or intrusion (in that I can't blame them). But it's not really akin to being Saint Theresa.

There's always an awful lot of unusual, dramatic personal experience on these threads lacking enough evidence for the police to do anything. And then all the conspiracy theories about the police, judges, God knows who else.

Prosecution under the Hunting Act is actually easier and in comparitive terms, more frequent than prosecution for dangerous driving. Because its criminal law, not civil law.

If someone is trespassing in your garden, endangering your pets, threatening you, etc you would go and get it on film, or install a cheap doorbell security camera - not mutter about conspiracy theories.

Its the little reminder posts from other posters too, to back up yet another completely unquantifiable personal exierience. Evidence should stand on its own. None of this is evidence, and if you do have proper evidence, take it to the police instead of mumsnet.

It’s outdoors. SD tennis and football is also allowed. As long as they SD then it’s allowed.
And of course they hunt foxes still.

I must admit, @dugupdeadcat does sound pretty far fetched in her descriptions. Makes me wonder which bits are true and which bits are hyperbole.

They hunt foxes because they think that the law is bollocks re hunting
That foxes are predators, that city people have no clue about the countryside, and because it’s tradition. Farmers and country folk often think it’s hypocrisy that city people are happy to have them breed animals for slaughter while whining on about a handful of predators.

It is awful and I think it’s going to be one those things people look back on and can’t believe was allowed.
Have no issue with the group activity- I think I’ll organise a walking group for all of my friends!

@GreenlandTheMovie farmers bloody minded? That's a pretty wide generalisation too! Gosh this thread abounds with broad brush strokes and characatures!

I’m not going to get into some of the arguments on here but I would question how it is that in some hunts the riders are seemingly unable to control their dogs when they pick up the scent of a real fox and start chasing it?

Surely they should be in sufficient control of the hounds so that they can be called off with a single command?

If any pet dog was rampaging around out of control and killing things people would be outraged and it would more than likely have to be put down.

Also I wonder what would happen if a load of people in the inner cities started gathering in large numbers with dogs that seemingly can’t be controlled and end up ‘accidentally’ killing animals. Would this be tolerated do you think? If not, I’d be curious as to your thoughts about why not.