Illegal fox hunting segment in Channel 4 news just now.

I can't stomach this stuff these days.

But you have the correct reaction.

I trust the police will be investigating and prosecuting? ....or will the chief constable be unhappy prosecuting their mates.?

Ffs, you townies just don't understand country life!

Just about to post the same.                    Same passion for Gaza then? Sorry to be arsey, but lambing's coming up.

If the point of fox hunting was pest control, there are far more effective ways, if the point is brutally killing animals, including pets, it works fine. 

Shoot them fair enough if it's a matter of "pest control" but hunting is a social activity and is banned.

Arrest and prosecute.

Just about to post the same. Same passion for Gaza then? Sorry to be arsey, but lambing’s coming up.

Difference was I was taking the piss.

Me too 🤣

Ffs, you townies just don’t understand country life

On a serious note I've always found genuine country folk - are not really fox hunting types.

More likely a hedge fund manager.

^ this 

we have lost poultry to foxes and it's an occupational hazard in the country.  That said Reynard round here is mostly mange and not a cute urban version 

Its about time this got into the mainstream press more.  fox hunting and driven grouse shooting are two huge criminal conspiracies.

There have been more prosecutions recently and also a load of hunts have folded mainly because landowners have got fed up with them and banned them from the land

the lie of "trail hunting" ( not to be confused with drag hunting) has been well and truly exposed

the fox hunting ban was intended to be full of loopholes so that hunts could carry on but Blairs government wanted to make it seem like they had done something.  there has been a recent tightening up of the law in Scotland so trail hunting is also now banned effectivly

On their high horses were they??

Shoot the posh ****ers

In life I like to take a positive approach and try constantly to never judge or stereotype. However, anyone that enjoys or is knowingly involved in Fox hunting is an absolute ****.
I've had the 'you don't understand, it's a countryside necessity' etc etc. **** off. I grew up in a small village amongst farming folk, and I live in one now. Without exception, every farmer I know despises fox hunting and the absolute ****s that are involved in it. **** off with your post control nonsense, That's not how livestock owners control pests. it's purely an excuse for you to dress up like a pompous prick and parade around with your privileged mates and inflict barbaric pain for your enjoyment.

I'm genuinely astounded that in 2024 there is still tacit consent from so many sections for this to carry on so openly. Actually, with the background of many of those in power, I'm not at all

Scum. Inexcusable scum

@jonnyboi same here. It's nature, unfortunately. I was mega upset when our hand reared girls were slaughtered by a fox, but animals gonna animal.

fox hunts actually feed and support fox populations to make sure they have plenty to kill.

Sorry all, but I've actually ridden on three "hunts". 50+ years ago mind, but I still vividly remember the occasions; and that's what they were. An excuse to dress up, ride a borrowed hunter through open farmland and woodland in the company of similarly over awed and excited folk. Never a fox in sight; bugger me most of them would've shart themselves if they'd been compelled to break into a proper fox chase gallop. Memories eh?

Proud to say I got fox hunting banned on the local nature reserves for the council i worked for in the mid 90s before the national ban came in place.

We could only do it on the grounds of the damage and disturbance they did to flora and fauna, as well as the public enjoying the reserves. We couldn't use any ethical or moral reasons.

Drives me mad that these people still trot out the same old justifications for it.

fossyFull Member<br />Shoot the posh ****ers<br /><br />

Hunt the posh ****ers 

I've known a few folk who have ridden with hunts. They weren't posh folks. One lived in a caravan at the stables to afford to have a horse.

Don't let the caricature fool you. Being cruel to animals in the countryside is not just a posh person's crime. Hare coursing being the obvious example.

First they came for our foxes... Sorry  I must stop this trolling. It's not, but it will appear to be. Cos "cheeky" mtb rides never disturb flora  or fauna do they? There's honestly plentiful causes to "die on the hill" for. This one isn't up there for me.

Stop ****ing posting then Brian!

It’s barbaric and utterly pathetic behaviour perpetrated by cowards. I don’t think riding a bike is a great comparison to seeing watching a defenceless creature being torn to pieces.

Okey dokey. But you missed the "poor" from your trope. I'll stop now.

I don’t think foxes are poor in any way. They don’t proscribe to any form of monetary system from my, admittedly limited, knowledge of fox society. Therefore they can be neither rich or poor in the financial sense. Seem to be built pretty well, so not made poorly. Also pretty good from a performance perspective.

Nope, all good with my description that isn’t a trope. Just a plain basic fact for anyone who’s not hard of thinking.

Well that was a pretty sickening watch. To a normal human with their head screwed on that is. I struggle to understand the mentality of someone who would want to be involved in that. Or even to dress up and pretend to do it.

Fair play to the sabs for continuing to bring this to the general attention but also the ability to remain peaceful and instead disrupt or gather evidence - not sure I'd be capable of that.

Tradition = rules made by dead people.

Some things are better resigned to history.

It is mostly an upper-class activity. Because you need masses of land.

Our biggest land-owner still allows it on their huge estate and tenant farmers have to suffer.

It's an absolute city toff fest in the middle of our amazing countryside. Once they got totally out of control and were all over the road and the cycle path causing chaos.

Absolute ****s.  Probably all Tory ****s too.

There are no good Tories, especially fox hunting Tory ****s.

I once got photographed and captioned in the local paper as "young hunt supporters".

I wasn't, they'd just blocked the whole square at Kirkby Lonsdale.

Should have been properly banned decades ago, there's no good argument for it.

It is mostly an upper-class activity. Because you need masses of land.

No, its not.

Diverting it into a class issue misses the point that a lot of the dirty work in fox hunting and other forms of hunting with hounds are not posh.

Should have been properly banned decades ago, there’s no good argument for it.

Blair deliberately made sure the ban was full of loopholes after intervention from Prince Charles

Tradition = rules made by dead people.

Some things are better resigned to history.

The village where I Iive in has a road called "Bullbaiters Lane". Nothing more traditional than torturing a bull before killing it, people used to see it as fun and believed it improved the flavour of the meat. Luckily that tradition has been banned and has died out.

I have always thought it very telling that the more working class types of animal abuse for "fun" have been properly banned  (cock fighting, bear baiting, badger baiting, hare coursing) whilst the ones that were mainly for the rich either remain legal ( driven grouse moor shooting) or the laws banning them were deliberately left full of loopholes ( hunting with pack of dogs)

No, its not.

Diverting it into a class issue misses the point that a lot of the dirty work in fox hunting and other forms of hunting with hounds are not posh

No way it would exist - like lots of stuff in life without the top of the pyramid taking control over land.

"A national upper-class pastime."

Just because there are load of serfs running around doing dirty work doesn't make it class driven.

Come to our local hunt and spot the Skoda?

(This is not to exclude other types of blood sports from your point - see our local hoodlums on quads chasing deer for fun. But we're talking about Fox Hunting.)

Silly logic

My experience living among them, including work colleagues and a cousin.

As someone who has been involved in the horse world pretty much all my life I think the whole drag hunting farce should be banned as it was clearly a cover to allow traditional hunting to carry on.

It's certainly not the big thing it used to be though, and many hunts have closed down. Pretty much all serious riders won't hunt now as it's too dangerous for their horses. And the horses are too expensive to risk injury to. Training and development has come one a long way from taking them for a blast around the fields.

It will die out naturally eventually as soon as the 'pony-patter'* client base dries up.

There are also many other ways riders can enjoy the countryside now too. Endurance riding is becoming bigger and bigger.

(*horse world slang for those who have their horses kept for them and turn up once a fortnight to ride them).

(I did remove 'silly logic' @morecashthandash - apologies - wasn't called for.)

We watched my mates tenant farm totally ruined by the local hunt once.

I don't see politicians making laws with loopholes with the working class in mind that often, so can't but help believe this is a class driven issue.

Some people love a bit of cruelty, makes them feel something I imagine.

Muffin man - point of order.  Drag hunting uses aniseed for the dogs to follow - dogs are trained to follow that scent.  No foxes get hurt.<br /><br />Trail hunting in theory uses fox urine to lay the scent and in fact is just a cover for killing foxes

Trail hunting in theory uses fox urine to lay the scent and in fact is just a cover for killing foxes

How so? Genuine question.

Do they then pick up live fix scent and off they go,? Or are they lead towards live foxes?

(I did remove ‘silly logic’ @morecashthandash – apologies – wasn’t called for.)

We watched my mates tenant farm totally ruined by the local hunt once.

No worries. There's scum on both sides. Hunting animals with hounds is cruel and pointless, but I've also seen sabs threaten and intimidate teenage girls following the hunt, and animal rights people threaten to kill a mates daughter because he was involved in drug testing at labs that still used animals.

Both sides attract a range of extremes

Round our way it isnt a class led thing. whilst we dont participate or support our local hunt, we do know a lot of people who do and, in our local community there is a wide mix of people involved.

It is also dying out slowly, fewer people each year, to the point that it is only really the boxing day meet that is regularly supported. No hounds either, the local kennels closed years ago.

As people have said above, the local farmers are not supportive and will control foxes via more 'humane' (or maybe 'less inhumane') means, especially with lambing just around the corner.

Do they then pick up live fix scent and off they go,? Or are they lead towards live foxes?

Mix of the two same as it always has been. They take the dogs to locations where foxes are likely to laying up for the day and let it go from there.

Round our way it isnt a class led thing

I think the main impact of the class thing, as others have mentioned, is that whilst there can be a mix of people participating the fact that the upper class traditionally do it is what allowed it to survive whereas those primarily working class ones got properly banned.

+1 sabs

That woman who kicked and punched her horse was on a hunt.

Horrible self entitled ****s the lot of them.

i think the impact is of the 'upper class' landowner supporting hunting, rather than participating that is allowing it to survive.

it only takes one landowner to allow the hunt on their land to keep a hunt going no matter who is participating.