We were checking out a badger sett in a barn when terrierman Christ Trotman et al arrived on a quad for no apparent reason. He watched us for a bit but got very jumpy when we approached the nearby artificial earth… which looked used and was blocked at one entrance. Then we had our stalkers with us… for another 5 hours.

We won’t subject the viewer to the ermmm “singing”, “dancing”, foot stomping and clapping but you can get a general idea from the film. As one sab films you can see a fox run and one stalker jump in front of the camera with others making a lot of noise, the hounds can be seen running to the main road near Adam Henson’s farm (and yes we did see him about, but going about other business as opposed to supporting the hunt, he was/is pro badger cull though). This may well have been another brace being hunted.

It may be asked as to what the point of all the music and stalking, quite simply they are fox hunting. If they beat us up, steal and/or vandalise our property they can get arrested for it. And so the hunts around here have adopted a tactic where they drown out any noise from the hounds and huntsman, frighten any foxes from where sabs/monitors are and follow us around very closely. All in all a hell of a lot of bother to avoid being seen to do what they are all proud of i.e hunting a small terrified wild mammal.

We did keep fairly close to the hounds for most of the day.

Earlier in the week on the 13th January 2020, same hunt, hounds were rated off a fox at Willersey. That fox ran to safety, Ollie Dale (huntsman and master) literally ran to the hills. One less “musically” inclined stalker followed a sab for the next 4 hours obsessing over footpaths.