The Flint and Denbigh Hunt

Let’s cut to the chase The Flint and Denbigh Hunt are an illegal fox hunt based in Cefn Meiriadog near St.Asaph in Denbighshire North Wales. The truth is the only “hunt” in North Wales that is not acting illegally is the Anglesey drag hunt, who do not hunt wild animals.

In 2007 the Flint and Denbigh hunt became the first hunt in Wales to be prosecuted under the 2004 hunting act when an off duty police officer caught them chasing a fox to ground and the terrierman sent a terrier underground to flush the fox out they used a pistol to shoot the fox. The terrierman William Armstrong was convicted of this, very bizarrely other members of the hunt were not charged.

When the Hunting act came into effect in 2005 the them joint huntmasters of the F and D were interviewed. Rikkie Proffitt defiantly said that the ban had a positive effect on numbers and that the hunt was now drawing larger numbers. http://ed. “When I became Master of the Hunt a big turn-out on a Saturday would be 40-50 people,” he said. “Now we get 60-80 people on a hunt, and sometimes more than 100, which is probably too many. “Some have joined because of the way we have been treated, others have become interested simply because of the amount of exposure hunting has received.”

But 14 years later and the hunting act has effected the membership of the Flint and Denbigh with this hunt usually only getting around 25 riders out on a busy Saturday. the only time they draw a bigger crowd is when they invite other illegal hunts over such as the Cheshire Forest, The Cheshire hounds or the Wynnstay hunt. This article is from when the hunting act came into force https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/just-another-day-hunting-2916763

When interviewed huntsman and huntmaster Jeremy Reed who quit in 2019 after admitting he could no longer hunt effectively due to protesters went one further and admitted to the press he’s break the law and hunt illegally, when asked if he’d flee the country to Ireland so he could continue to hunt this is what he said,  “By the time they have arrested me a few times for illegal hunting I will lose my passport.” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1474341/Revealed-Labour-plan-to-give-hunt-workers-50000-to-quit-their-jobs.html

There is plenty of proof this hunt is acting illegally, members have dropped out and blown the whistle on what’s going on within the Flint and Denbigh. One former member told us they’ve left because of the cruelty, that the hunt capture foxes and keep them starved then release them on hunt day in a confused state to hunt. This practise is common and known as a bagged fox, usually released by the terriermen. As we spoke about further up there is no plausible excuse for having terriermen along on a legal hunt. Example legitimate drag hunts do not have terriermen. The Flint and Denbigh also participate in cub hunting also known as cubbing which now the hunts like to call Autumn hunting or hound excercise. This mostly takes place from late August until late October at dawn. as this is a good time to go undetected and also the scent of the fox cubs will still be strong at that early hour of the morning. Why on earth would you need to be out at 5.30am with hounds plus horses and terriermen equipped with terriers and digging tool? There’s no legal reason the fact is hounds to not naturally hunt chase and kill foxes this needs to be taught. In a court case in 2019 the F and D couldn’t even give a plausible answer as to why they have terriermen or what trail they lay or where it comes from, instead they give many different accounts. Nobody seemed to know who laid the trail or how to lay a trail or what what the substance they use or where it comes from. There are numerous videos out there of this hunt illegally hunting here’s one of them https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I5gFqgHX_E

14 years on and they are still hunting as if there is no ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs, but the writing is on the wall. Membership is falling and the hunts are feeling this financial. This is largely due to the pressure of the general public to take to social media to highlight this illegal and barbaric pastime. And credit is due to all the protesters out there putting themselves out there and putting themselves in danger to stop this violent hunt. North Wales Hunt Saboteurs were formed at the end of 2014 and became a Hunt Saboteurs Association affiliated group at the start of January 2015. North Wales Hunt Sabs have had great success over the years saving many foxes from a brutal death.

North Wales Police can take absolutely no credit for the demise of the Flint and Denbigh hunt, in fact quite the opposite. NWP have shows a complete bias towards this illegal hunt and its members. The police rather than tackle the real problems of illegal hunting in North Wales have instead targeted the people highlighting the issue. It’s no great secret that members of this hunt are rather friendly with some officers. Hunt members have even boasted about having friends in the hunt and high up places.