*** Brace of foxes escape hounds past sabs * Third fox goes to ground in drain * Badger sett found blocked ***

The meet was published on the Malvern Hills Trust website so we headed out to monitor the hunt on the Common and Hills. The hunt don’t usually spend their entire day on MHT land so it is important to have sabs out in the local area to keep an eye on them. We were pleased to see MHT wardens out and keeping up with the hunt, keeping an eye on them and the hunt were careful to only ‘linger’ in coverts not under their jurisdiction. We say ‘unblocked setts save lives’ fairly often and some locals spotted a fox running from an area that hounds were in and going to ground in a sett. Hounds did not pick up on his line but they stayed nearby in case terriermen made an appearance. Loose hounds were spotted all over the area, hunt unable to keep them together and it wasn’t long before they decided to head onto land where landowners are less bothered about illegal hunting.

We caught terriermen up near the site of an old dig-out (some of you may remember violent Ross Loader and Lance King from a few seasons back…) and they quickly left with the hunt taking the hounds off in a different direction to the badger setts. We kept with them and found hounds running through a covert and gardens in Castlemorton village. Foot sabs left the driver keeping an eye on the hounds and headed to nearby fields to look out for any foxes running and, just as they got to the gates, a fox ran past them, soon followed by a second fox who had been hiding up in a hedge (this is why we wait until hounds are closer to us before rating them – shouting and making noise too soon could prevent a hidden fox from breaking cover in our direction or turn one back towards the hounds).

We turned most hounds back, except for one lead hound who lost the scent naturally, and realised that huntsman Mark was still encouraging hounds on… and that they had picked up on another scent. It was a leash of foxes (three foxes hiding up together). Good communication with our driver meant that she drove round, leaving us inland, and caught hounds marking a drain – indicating that the fox had escaped into it. Hunt were forced to leave him alone, but sab remained for some time to deter terriermen from trying to flush him out whilst foot sabs kept an eye on the hunt on foot.

Into The Stanks, an area the hunt love going to, and a sett was found blocked. Scent was good, terriermen were spotted acting dodgy in a corner, followed by a holloa coming from their direction and hounds went into full cry… despite a long and circular chase we believe fox finally got away. Sett had been unblocked and the hunt packed up.