Cub hunting.

Cub hunting or cubbing, an act so cruel and barbaric that even the most hardened hunter will not talk about it.  Hunters and hunt supporters are even trying to soften the term, and prefer to refer to this despicable act as ‘Autumn hunting’. Just another play on word to try deceit the animal loving public, similar to their ‘trail hunting’ cover-up. Please read IFAW’s report for the truth about ‘trail hunting’. http://www.ifaw.org/united-kingdom/resource-centre/2015-ifaw-trail-lies-report

Cub hunting usually takes place between August and November depending on when that particular hunt start their full hunting season. For example we find that the local hunts in North Wales start cubbing from mid to late August and carry through till the start of the fox hunting season here in mid to late October. Cub hunting mostly occurs at dawn or dusk, but we have found the hunts going out at completely random times to try and avoid us. Tell-tale signs that illegal cub hunting is taking place include: What appears to be a hunt taking place between August and November. Hunts, hunt vehicles and/or horse riders out at dawn or dust. People and people on horseback appearing to be surrounding a woodland or a crop field (usual corn or maize field). Hunting hounds, the huntmaster will probably tell you that they are exercising hounds or Autumn hunting or trail hunting, these are all lies. If you think you have come across a cub hunt immediately call the police and make sure to make it clear that the police need to attend as soon as possible. Inform the RSPCA, ask them to send out an officer. Report to your local sab or monitor group. Here’s a link to find your local sab group. http://www.huntsabs.org.uk/index.php/get-involved/contacts

Image: Flint and Denbigh hunt arriving at dawn.                     Image: Flint and Denbigh hunt cub hunting.

The purpose of cub hunting is to train this years new hounds to chase and kill foxes. Fox cubs being the easier target to train the new hounds. The training of the younger hounds takes place every years, as the younger hounds need to replace the older hounds, that at the age of around seven years old are shot by the hunt as they are seen to no longer be fit to hunt. The younger hounds who don’t make the grade will suffer the same merciless fate. It is estimated anywhere between 3,000 and 10,000 hounds will come to this premature end each and every year.

See link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thousands-healthy-foxhounds—including-6061265

The hunt usually on horseback and some even on foot will surround a wood or even a maize field, anywhere they know there will be fox cubs. The huntsman will enter the wood with his pack of hounds in search of the young foxes. Should the fox cub break and attempt to run out of the wood, then the riders who have surrounded the wood, stood on point, with clap, beat on their saddles, shout, use their whips… anything to send the fox back into the wood and to the waiting hounds and a gruesome death. This is not a nip to the back of the neck as hunters will have you believe, but a painful torture as the fox is ripper to pieces and disemboweled. The League against Cruel Sport report that 10,000 fox cubs will be killed every cub hunting season, that figure come from what the hunting fraternity confessed prior to hunting with hounds becoming illegal in 2004.

On top of this, H.I.T the Hunt Investigation team recently uncovered a hunt feeding live fox cubs to hounds, a practice we fear is very common in training hounds. Please see link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/live-fox-cubs-filmed-being-8263287

Cub hunting is a vital part of fox hunting, if the hunt cannot train the young hounds to catch foxes then their whole season is ruined for them. If you suspect cub hunting then please report it, together we can stop this repulsive crime.