After getting a tip-off about the Ledbury this morning, we then attended a meet of the Ross Harriers in Aston Crews in the Gloucestershire cull zone this evening. They did not seem too happy to see us or the fact that the hounds paid as much attention to our horn-blowing as theirs. The hour was summed up nicely when one sab described it to another on the phone as “a fox ran by Emma’s legs and then they packed up”. Pretty much…

Terry Mayo’s hair looks like a badger… Support our work (which is usually much harder)? https://gogetfunding.com/new-camera-fundraiser/

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A huge thank you to the person who spotted the Ledbury Hunt out in the Longdon / Upton area today. A couple of us got there within half an hour and, with it difficult to find the hunt in that area, we prioritised checking some high-risk badger setts and other areas. Well done keeping an eye on them on the ground!

Keep the tip-offs coming in and we’ll keep sabbing the hunts and making sure local badgers are as safe as we can keep ’em!

https://network23.org/3chuntsabs/hunt-information/hunt-structure/cubhunting/https://network23.org/3chuntsabs/hunt-information/hunt-structure/cubhunting/

Threats, attempts at intimidation and the most blatant cub-hunting that either of us have seen post-ban.

After a rather quick pack-up early this morning of the Cotswold Vale Farmers’ Hunt we went out into the Gloucestershire cull zone before getting a tip-off about the Cotswold Hunt hunting up on Leckhampton Hill.

This video shows the hunt prior to our arrival yesterday. A huge thank you to those that filmed this and called us about the hunt – tip-offs like this help us to gather evidence against hunts and to help us help the foxes where and when we can.

All the noise and the movement is used to keep foxcubs in the covert so that the hounds can catch them more easily – cubhunting is now about the chase across open ground, but is used as training. It also disperses the fox population meaning ‘better sport’ for the hunt in the main season when braver foxes do make their escape.

We scrambled over there and met with the people who had called them in (thank you so much – this is why quick thinking and communication is vital) and soon caught up with the hunt surrounding a covert.

Hounds were speaking excitedly and riders, quadbikers, terriermen and foot supporters made huge amounts of noise, running at and alongside the wood to scare cubs back towards the hounds.

The hunt carried on, marking to ground, but huntsman pulled the hounds out as our 2 sabs ran in, supporters unsure how to deal with us. After some debate re using horses as weapons to move people on, hounds were again in full cry after more cubs and, with typical holding-up tactics in play we believe they killed. Ben Hughes, terrierman for the Cotswold Vale was out again this evening after seeing us this morning already. Other supporters remember us from the (illegal) North Cotswold Hunt on Wednesday. Police are taking statements regarding the illegal hunting, dangerous driving and threats.

Please keep calling in tip-offs about hunts and we’ll keep scrambling to them if we can.

We just sabbed the North Cotswold hunt from Ryefield Farm, Wormington. We seemed to have stopped a couple of attempted dig outs because of our presence and things did then get a bit violent. Nursing a few cuts and bruises now when the owner of the farm became somewhat unbalanced and physically agressive especially when the badger cull was mentioned he was a bit defensive about that, he was also pretty miffed about the fact that when he told sabs that the field was his garden and the sabs replied that it wasn’t a very good one….maybe some begonias could brighten it up for instance? He then stole the camera threatening to smash it but it was eventually retrieved, though he pushed the sab about violently. One sab was dragged across a field by a woman on a horse. Another sab was bitten by a hound when they marked to ground. Ho hum, so another day at the office. All being reported.

We split up to cover the North Cotswold Hunt in Stanton and the Ledbury Hunt in Castlemorton today at their cubhunting meets, teaming up with a rep from Outpaced and a hunt monitor down from Cheshire – pleasure to work with you!

Cubhunting is the part of the year when hunts and antis team up to make sure that hunt supporters are fit enough for the coming season… well, no, not officially, but the North Cotswold team kept Jamie and Tom busy for some time as they were tasked with following us for the day which included grabbing us by the wrist and dragging us off to where they thought the footpath was. Jamie kept saying something about rhubarb….repeatedly. They also ceremoniously called the police who….suprise, suprise. …had no interest whatsoever in their plight.

At least our Nige (Nigel Peel master/huntsman)was pleased to see us as were the hounds, but Libby seemed to want us to go play with the Heythrop instead which of course we will get around to very soon so they needn’t fret.

Over in Castlemorton the scent was bad due to the extremely wet conditions and the hunt picked up on very little scent. Terriermen were spotted out, but in normal vehicles, not in their official roles. We’ll be following up again on our ongoing communication with the Malvern Hills Conservators over the hunt having permission to use the hills for illegal hunting.

The North Cots had slightly more luck with scent, but our stalkers kept tiring of us and we had the opportunity to check a number of badger setts for signs of blocking by the hunt or landowners, illegal persecution and, of course, the cull taking place in the area. Tom seemed rather upset about the presence of an anti cull sticker someone had placed on a sign and spent some time picking at it in a determined way…

Back in the Gloucestershire zone soon, so we’ll see you in the fields!