Bristol Hunt Saboteurs

It’s not often we get to go out mid-week, but we managed to fill our landy and head to Apperley this morning where the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt were having their opening meet of hunting season.

Joined by a sab from Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs we followed the hunt from the meet and watched as they tried to create a huge distance between us and them. In reality, it meant most of the riders and support were left scratching their heads as the huntsman took off.

Knowing the area well we figured where the hunt would head and we came up trumps. We watched two foxes running for their lives despite hunt supporters hollaring to the huntsman that they had been spotted. We covered their scent with citronella spray and the hounds came nowhere near as a result.

We stayed close monitoring the hunt for the rest of the day and even caught the hunts terrier-men armed with spades and terrier at the edge of a wood getting off their quad. Upon spotting us they masked up and sped off at a high speed. Up to no good boys?!

The hunt packed up shortly after and we headed home. A great result for local wildlife.

Back to The Tedworth Hunt today with friends from Southampton Sabs & South West Sabs for the opening meet of main hunting season. It was quickly apparent that support for the hunt has dwindled massively. in fact, only a handful of foot supporters were watching the Tedworth leave their meet at Oare House.

The hunt didn’t waste any time in trying to pursue wildlife and soon enough, hounds were in full cry chasing a fox. Sabs managed to take control of the hounds and the scent was soon lost. The huntsman quickly gathered up the hounds and headed off in an attempt to lose us but we stuck to him closely which set the tone for the rest of the day.

Teaming up with Bath Hunt Saboteurs we acted on a tip-off (thanks, you know who) and headed for an overdue visit to The Tedworth Hunt.

We turned up at the meet to be greeted by a lot of surprised riders and hunt staff. The hunt were clearly thrown into disarray by our presence and the new huntsman shot off from the meet leaving the riders far behind!

Heading for a large covert with us following on foot, the hunt tried to shake us off but we weren’t far behind. The hounds were occasionally heard but failed to get onto the scent of a fox for the whole duration they were in the wood. The terriermen we came across looked bored as hell and it wasn’t long before our other sabs were informing us that the hunt were leaving the wood and heading home.

We started the day outside the Berkeley Hunt kennels on the off chance that they might actually leave to go hunting with us present. We were quickly clocked by hunt staff who were straight on their phones. So we waited, received some words of support from some local joggers and some pissed off glares from passing hunt followers. And we waited some more. A few horses left the kennels on a hack, no hunting gear in sight and no sign of hounds leaving. So we took a drive to look around a few likely meets, all appeared quiet.

With no sign of movement any time soon at the Berkeley and word that a Three Counties sab had been assaulted and a camera smashed by supporters of the Cotswold Vale Farmers’ Hunt, our next move seemed obvious.

After an unnecessary hold up (no thanks to the boys in blue) and a bit of a search around the Deerhurst area, we came across hounds, huntsman and mounted support coming down the road in front of us. As the hunt took off across country, foot sabs finally got an opportunity to stretch their legs and went off in pursuit. It soon became clear that the hunt were heading straight back to their meet, so we watched the hounds get boxed up and the hound van leave before departing ourselves.

With the main hunting season starting in a matter of weeks, now is the time to contact your local group. Whether it is to get involved in the field, to pass on info about hunts in your area or to help fundraise, we all have a part to play in the defence of hunted wildlife.

Charlie Fox waves goodbye to the CVFH hound van

After last week’s blatant illegal hunting we thought we would return to the Ross Harriers Hunt today. We headed to Orcop, Herefordshire, where we found a number of horse boxes and support arriving. No sign of the hound van or the huntsman for a while with some of the riders off around country lanes with us in tow. A poor attempt to throw us off them perhaps?

The huntsman and hounds arrived a little while later and joined the small field just before 9am, a fair bit later than previous weeks.

Hounds were soon put in to draw a maize field in an attempt to put up a fox, so sabs used horn and voice calls to bring most of the pack out to us! The whipper-in and supporters then spent some time trying to gather the hounds up before the huntsman again moved off.

Sabs stuck with the hunt as they rode up and down a few more lanes, probably in an attempt to put some distance between them and us, again to no avail.

Hounds were entered into a wood shortly afterwards, quickly picking up a scent and going into cry. The huntsman could be heard encouraging the hounds on before taking off to follow them. Sabs tried their best to rate hounds, splitting the pack somewhat, but they were now heading away from us in cry on the other side of the wood.

At this point the field were getting more agitated and it wasn’t long before supporters started attacking sabs, often a sure sign that the hunt are up to no good and are wanting to keep us away. Sabs were shoved around with hunt riders charging at sabs, using their horses as weapons against us. Video evidence we obtained during the attack is astonishing.

While this was happening vehicle sabs saw a fox, looking disorientated, being closely pursued by a handful of hounds. When we next got eyes on them the huntsman was on foot with support gathering up the hounds. With this members of the hunt were heading back to their horse boxes to pack up. Unfortunately we do not know the fate of this fox but we can only presume the worst.

When will these hunts learn? The more they blatantly hunt wildlife and push sabs about, the more attention they will get from us and the more determined we become to stopping them and their barbaric acts. Ross Harriers Hunt, consider yourselves firmly on our radar.

Bristol sabs were up in the early hours, filling out two vehicles with sabs and headed to Gloucestershire to sab the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt. Following a tip-off from concerned locals, we found the hunt meeting at 7am.

Clearly upset about being found, the hunt took off and ditched a few attempts at holding up coverts in order to lose us. This was never going to last long as we had vehicles patrolling country lanes and a drone in the sky looking for the hunt.

We paid a visit to The Berkeley Hunt this morning with our friends fromBath Hunt Saboteurs but the hunt chose to exercise their hounds instead of going hunting. Because of us? Who knows. Maybe they’ll try and sneak out in the afternoons like last year to avoid us but we’ll be waiting.

Happy that any foxes in the Berkeley area were safe, we shot off to sab the Cotswold Vale Farmers Hunt who already had sabs from Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs watching over them. We split into two groups and soon enough we found the hunt going about their dirty business.

The amazing bunch at Lush, Broadmead had Bristol Hunt Sabs in-store recently for the weekend and raised £433 for our group. Thanks guys, you rule!

The Berkeley Hunt tried to sneak out of their kennels this morning at 6.30am but had Bristol & Bath Hunt Saboteurs on their tails.

The Berkeley, just like every other hunt in the country were out cub hunting. This barbaric practice involves surrounding woods known to home young foxes and sending in a mixture of young and old hounds to kill them. Riders on the outside of the wood slap their saddles to scare any fleeing foxes back toward the hounds.

Unfortunately for The Berkeley, we know their area well and were able to monitor the hunt from the off. Sabs kept the hunt away from their much-loved coverts and sent the hunt into disarray by distracting the hounds. We watched the hunt take their hounds straight through a deer park, scaring the deer senseless.