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.