[quote IncompleteSenten]@Megan2018
I have a question. It's going to sound snarky but I honestly am not having a go. I genuinely would like an honest answer and I am not looking to attack you but there is no way to ask the question that avoids it sounding mean!
If you choose to reply, no matter what your reply, I won't respond with an attack or an insult.
You went hunting pre ban. So you hunted actual foxes. What was enjoyable to you about chasing a fox down and having it ripped to bits by dogs? Did you enjoy that bit? Ignore that bit? How did you view the fox?[/quote]
I think I went about 20 times pre ban as I rarely had anything to ride then and didn’t go when I was at uni. I wasn’t fortunate to be a PC regular as my parents were skint.
I only saw 2 kills that I can remember in that time. Most of the field never saw anything at all as you can be miles away and it was fairly unusual for there to be kills at all to be fair. It’s a really minor part of it, for most people enjoying the ride, staying on, deciding what you are brave enough to jump and getting back in one piece is the focus.
I’ve hunted with several packs post ban and there’s been very few occasions I’ve seen a fox, and they’ve always got away as they weren’t particularly near the hounds.
I don’t have an issue killing foxes though, we shot one last year that was after our hens. My hens are pets and they take priority for me. Hounds kill very cleanly, nothing was ever ripped to bits. I think there’s far worse things in life. Intensive farming is certainly less ethical.
We’re getting the terrier man in soon to deal with some rats, I’d sooner do that than use poison or traps, I don’t see foxes very differently really. The hunt does so much for the rural community that people don’t understand. Foxes need managing, and without hunting they are still trapped, shot etc.
There’s still certainly mixed feelings in the village today-some people within our own family have different views on what should happen next. I think we all feel sad though overall.