Thankyou so much for the call which meant a sab could get out to this hunt. They were found drawing through Staunton Coppice and hounds followed a weak line of scent to Glynch farm. They were told off a bit by the sab’ with a quick rating as they started picking up and Mark Melladay , the huntsman, took them off on a traipse around some fields and spent a while calling back a few stragglers.
Predictably they ended up on top of Gadbury Bank where they soon moved away with Tom Stokes, terrierman, and chum doing something or the other up there and being VERY defensive and escorting the sab’ out. Why a quad needs to be on top of an ancient monument we will never know!
This is Gloucestershire zone 1 and in it’s 8th year of culling badgers. The first cages were found in this area in August 2013 and the whole area has been heavily shot and caged. 9 targeted setts were checked in the wider area and 8 found to be active with fresh spoil and bedding so well done to all who continue to protect these badgers. Really good news is that one sett that is persistantly blocked by the Ledbury was not so today and looked very active indeed!
*** Hounds scare deer on to busy A-road – 2 of which killed by cars * Cars written off * stalkers do nothing to help despite being on scene ***
Photos courtesy of independent hunt monitor Emily Lawrence.
Hounds frightened five deer from Farmington across the A429. Two were killed by cars on that road (both cars were written off). Two monitors called the police and helped to clear the road but the person from the Heythrop stalking them did not get out of the car. A large number of hunt followers also flouted Covid-19 basic regs which may well become stricter on Monday.
The two monitors did a fantastic job and are extremely traumatised. Gloucestershire police will be investigating the whole incident. If you witnessed anything please let the police know and call us if you see a hunt out and about – 07891 639803
… and have seen previous footage from us of this hunt ending up out of control on the A-roads outside of Stow! This. Hunt. Is. Dangerous. To wildlife, their hounds and horses and other people alike
*** blocked setts found where hounds were hunting ***
With Gloucestershire Constabulary taking sett-blocking more seriously over recent seasons (although it hasn’t been entirely stopped in Glos either) there is a perceptible difference when you head across the border into, say, Oxfordshire. Having determined that the North Cots Hunt were not out hunting this morning, we posted a video of them exercising so that we could “sneak up” on the Heythrop who had been called in to us.
Two sabs ran inland near to the meet, missed by stalkers (one of whom later referred to himself as such, forgetting to tow the party line that they are not stalkers…). With sab on road and sabs inland, their location unknown to the hunt, the hunt headed East out of the area. We caught up with them as hounds went into cry in a nearby wood, a blocked badger sett less than 100yds from them.
The sett (which our stalker Lizzie can be seen at here) was unblocked (though some entrances had a lot of earth pushed into them and, in the pouring rain, were difficult to fully open up) allowing badgers an airflow and the ability to get out and dig back into the entrances safely from outside. The landowner arrived and stated he was upset that we were trespassing, told us “of course” the hunt are allowed there then refused to comment on the blocked sett and left. We. Will. Be. Monitoring. It. In. Future.
The hunt packed up around 11am and we’re out (in the rain) checking setts and looking for cull activity while we’re at it – if you know any setts, etc or have info for the Oxfordshire area please contact the awesome Oxfordshire against the Cull. To support what we do, please keep those tip-offs coming in. If you can afford a few quid that can go towards fuel and equipment you can chuck ’em our way via PayPal.me/threecountiessabs
In the meantime Thames Valley Police you need to start taking sett-blocking and wildlife persecution more seriously! We will be reporting the blocked setts later and expect a positive response…
*** Little attempt made to socially distance at Heythrop Hunt meet * Hunt accused of almost causing a crash last week * Hounds rated off scents of two foxes ***
Waaay behind on writing up this report from Saturday because, despite Sunday having no hunting, this sab is trying to juggle many things and just forgot…
The day started, naturally, early. We were up and ready to go out looking for a hunt when someone on their way to work called in a bunch of horseboxes near to Lower Swell. They followed and kept us updated while we jumped in the car and headed over, others also on standby for tip-offs joining us in the area. Two of our sabs got inland before being spotted and headed for the woods we thought the hunt may go to, one sab startling a quad with terriers just outside of a covert with a badger sett. She was called in to the hunt and our regular stalkers Di and Lizzie sped up the side of the covert in a 4×4, sab seeking cover in a sparse bramble… successfully. With Di looking directly at the sab for over a minute we can only assume that, like a T-Rex, if you don’t move, she can’t see you. Lizzie spent quite some time chatting on the phone whilst others did the legwork looking for said sab, before they all decided “we think she’s gone this way” and drove off.
The hunt, not wanting to be caught in their illegal activities, avoided drawing the coverts right by the meet and headed towards Condicote, being picked up by our friends who were waiting for them. They hunted around Banks Fee Farm (where they were 2 weeks ago) and near the weir not far from Doctor’s Walk (where terriermen were caught at an artificial earth at the end of last season) and near to Donnington Brewery (where we caught a guy blocking a badger sett just before a Heythrop meet a few years ago). One of our sabs joined up with those who had been keeping an eye on the hunt in Condicote and stopped hounds when they ran on to a road, no hunt staff on the road for their safety. Lizzie suggested that she was in fact the whipper-in (having arrived after our sab anyway) which is worrying considering it is not up to random hunt supporters to do the job that the actual whippers-in are paid to do. If this is how disorganised and unqualified the hunt staff are it is no wonder they recently got in the news for almost causing a crash on a main road…
Having been stopped on the scent of that fox the hunt headed back towards the meet, briefly drawing the coverts that sabs had been in earlier that morning before swiftly heading West and to a series of disused (yet still dangerous) quarries. With everyone else now under stalk, having had to come out of hiding to intervene with the hunt’s activities, one sab made her way towards the quarries, arriving as hounds started to speak on a scent. As she turned a corner, the brief flash of a fox caught her eye as he broke covert in front of hounds who picked up on his line, but were rated back by the sab. Hunt supporters immediately called through and it was not long before the hounds, having already checked and lost the scent, were gathered by the huntsman. Sab kept an eye on them as huntsman tried again within the quarry, hounds failing to pick up, sab stalkers just following our sab around (not 2 metres away from her) as she kept watch. Di rocked up, looked displeased to say the least and drove off, a quad turned up trying to intimidate the sab and instead almost running over one of the stalkers.
The hunt packed up around 10.30am and we enjoyed some vegan ice cream in the car…
*** 50+ people cub hunting with NO social distancing with CVFH * Fox hunted through maize and hunted into a drain * Sab presence stops terriermen from bolting fox but they hunt another towards main road in dark ***
Well, the Countryside Alliance advice was stapled to the gatepost at the meet at the hunt’s kennels and then several dozen mounted and foot support all came out bunched up together from several different hunts. Lockdown? What lockdown? Doesn’t apply here…
Anyway, hounds rioted on deer but were successfully stopped. They then were in some maize (and who would lay a trail through maize?) Bear in mind the hunting exemption applies ONLY to trail hunting, NOT fox hunting.
They hunted a fox out of the maize and he escaped into a drain – hounds could be heard marking & Matthew Vater could be heard calling the terriermen. The terriermen sped to get that fox out & were observed changing their clothes to get down into the ditch, one carrying a torch.
They ran away very fast indeed when a sab approached… the “5 rules for terriermen” state not to run away if acting lawfully. How odd… They kept going back to the drain to try their luck, but were unsuccessful. Terrierman Nick Hodges hung about for a few minutes before joining his chums.
Last heard the CVFH hounds were hunting in the dark towards some main roads including the roundabout at Teddington…
*** As the nation is told that we are all in it together, and that no more than 15 people can attend a wedding or 30 at a funeral, mingling is OK according to cub hunters ***
A small covert was held up by the mounted field and others above the meet at Hyde Farm, Temple Guiting. This means that the mounted and foot followers surround the woodland in order to scare any fox trying to escape back into the hounds. Bolder young foxes and adults will run and learn that they need to run to escape*, whilst youngsters (in human terms a teenager) who are too frightened at the noises of saddle slapping and shouting will be killed by hounds and will ‘blood’ the new entry of young hounds. Tim Pearce May was very keen to show off his saddle slapping prowess. We will post the video later.
*these foxes will be thought of as ‘good sport’ later in the season as they will give the hounds a good run and therefore entertainment for the riders
The mounted field then joined together and could be seen riding together in greater numbers than 6 at various points throughout the morning. Also known to be hunting today nearby were the Duke of Beaufort’s, the Cotswold and the VWH.
Meanwhile you face a £200 fine for chatting to your neighbours. This anomaly must be sorted out and hunts are doing themselves no favours in flouting Covid 19 regulations whilst fox hunting. They should cease forthwith. Please share to local online noticeboards. Write to MPs and press. Thankyou.
This is not a fun place to be as a sab’ on these banks, VERY hilly! However the hunt were kept up with (despite us having stalkers) and, apart from hounds seen hunting on a very steep hill above Stanton, they drew blank (which means that they did not pick up any scent).
First of all we had singing and dancing from stalker number one – this is done alongside loud music, so nothing else can be heard. Then a man in the yellow jacket tried the same thing, with the occassional whistle. Ollie tried very hard at the end to find a fox in some fields near the meet. No trail here at all.
So, we know this lot and they are not trail hunting. They are fox hunting and that is an offence under the Hunting Act. As such how can they be exempt from the rule of 6? Trailhunting doesn’t actually exist to our knowledge.
Also bear this in mind, 46 participants were counted. Most were mounted. Then a few foot followers, terriermen and whoever else, that is for today only. The NCH were out yesterday around Snowshill – chances are that a different lot of people were out hunting today, what with work commitments etc. And they were out on Wednesday too. And Monday.
A few miles away the Cotswold met with a similar number of people, they are out 3-4 days a week as well, different people joining every day…
The Ledbury were near Upton, they were out yesterday at Ashleworth, again out 3-4 days a week, lots of people tooing and froing.
Some will have grooms, not counted as being out but there to mingle at the end.
Also out today the CVFH near Tewkesbury. The Beaufort, the VWH, the Heythrop, the Worcestershire… around 200 hunts nationwide.
So let us say they are out 3 mornings a week with different people attending and swapping over, going to different hunts for those who live on the borders of various hunt countries and this is actually taking the piss in a huge way when you consider that they have been given permission to TRAIL hunt as opposed to cubhunting, which is what they are actually doing. In all other cases such as grouse shooting (regrettably) these are all still legal activities.
It is really important to film right now. Look for coverts being held up, saddle slapping, any digging out, sett blocking, hounds being encouraged into brambles where obviously no trail has been laid and so forth. Film and report to police, MPs, media and so forth.
Anyway, well and truly knackered, cub hunting and the badger cull taking it’s toll but a bit of sleep will remedy that We are halfway through the 4th month of culling here and helping in newer zones so please keep the information coming in and if you wish to help keep us going paypal.me/threecountiessabs
*** Two sabs keep hunt on run all morning and rate hounds off the scent of a hunted fox ***
The Cotswold Hunt were due to meet just outside of Winchcombe this morning and so we headed over to keep them company and watched them leave the meet, at Cockbury Butts, from a misty hill in the sunrise. Up towards Stanley Hill Barn, the hunt drew blank* in a number of coverts, moving on quickly between them when they saw us watching and they headed downhill towards Langley Farm.
*drawing blank means that no scent was picked up on
Hounds picked up in a covert where one sab was hiding up and another spotted a fox making a run for it along a hedgeline, getting to the area in time to rate** the hounds off the line.
**rating is basically ‘telling off’ when the hounds are doing something they shouldn’t be – it can be using your voice or the crack of a whip (or loud clapping of your hands if you don’t have a whip)
Picking up again on another scent elsewhere, hounds ran back towards the covert they’d just chased the fox from and were rated by the sab there, before being taken south and towards Langley Brook. We must have been having an effect as they spent hardly any time in there, drew blank and went off back to the meet where they quikcly drew a covert before leaving as we rocked up once more. The pack up was accompanied by a car alarm soundtrack coupled with some trantrums being thrown at a local woman who had called the police about their illegal activities.
Being in cull zones, many hunt meets give us a perfect opportunity to keep an eye out for cull activities as well as the usual illegal sett blocking, etc which we keep tabs on. A successful morning (though not for the sourfaced hunters who offered us hunt meets for other hunts if we would leave them alone…).
We are currently at Tewkesbury Vegan Fair at Watson Hall on Barton St. A joint stall between us at 3C and Gloucestershire Badger Office 😊 Money also being donated from the fair to the fabulous Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre.
Please come and join us (but bear in mind there has been a major incident this morning on nearby M5 – our thoughts are with those who may have been hurt and the emergency services helping them. The motorway is said to be closed in this area for the rest of the day on the Gloucestershire police fb site).
We are accepting cash donations (to be disinfected later today) and cash payments (with a bag of disinfected notes and coins for change if needed). We are running a smaller stall than usual with most merchandise under the table and only a few items on the table to show what we have available). You can also pay for merchandise via BACS and PayPal!
*** Heythrop terrierman caught on camera telling others to stand on badger sett ***
Today’s sabbing is dedicated to our friend and fellow sab Mel who was recently seriously injured by the Woodland Pytchley Hunt. Due to personal commitments and new sabs wanting to come out, we stuck to a local hunt this weekend.
We heard, last minute, that the Heythrop were going to be near Donnington this morning and tracked them down at Banks Fee Farm. They left the meet around 6.15am and drew blank for the first 30 – 40 minutes. Having moved on, hounds picked up on a patchy scent on and off further within the woods but lost the scent and were moved on again by hunt staff.
Some of our sabs were within the woods, hiding up in order to stay unseen but also to avoid putting up or heading any foxes (basically scaring foxes towards hounds) and checked on a badger sett nearby. Other people were out and taking the heat off us by keeping our usual stalkers company. As one team found a sett, unblocked but covered in boot prints, we heard from another sab that terrierman Gary Morgan had been caught on film telling his mates where another sett was and to go to stand on it*.
* We’ve done well in this area in deterring the blocking of badger setts, but many hunts and followers will stand on a sett instead in order to scare foxes away from them and stop them going to ground.
The hunt did a runner back across the main road towards Condicote soon after and teams caught up with them at Banks Fee Rough and a maize field which hounds were going through. Stalker Lizzie-the-liar**, who had already missed one sab by about 5ft earlier in the day, missed another in the covert when looking for them, one sab distracting her while the other carried on with the hunt. The hunt packed up not long after, around 10am.
** having walked up to our sab, then called in ‘the boys’ Lizzie told us that our sab had walked up to her and tried to intimidate her (2 cameras were running at the time, so that accusation won’t go anywhere). She also intimated that she could have told ‘the boys’ about it if she’d wanted to, but she didn’t, as though she’d done us a favour by not lying to them to get him beaten up. Cheers for that Liz, clearly we owe you one…
Check out our cubhunting article for more information about how and why it happens.
so well done to all who continue to protect these badgers. Really good news is that one sett that is persistantly blocked by the Ledbury was not so today and looked very active indeed!
