Eggesford & Spooners Joint Meet, Smeardon Down, 24.01.26

On Saturday we joined forces with Plymouth & West Devon Hunt Sabs to sab the joint meet of Eggesford and Spooners & West Dartmoor Hunts. A natural pairing, as terriermen from both hunts have racked up criminal convictions based on evidence gathered by us. Sabs comfortably outnumbered riders, a sure sign of dwindling support for both of these hunts. Several of the field riders were young children on ponies.

Hounds were unboxed at Smeardon Down and taken to the meet at Lower Churchtown in Peter Tavy. Here we were greeted by an elderly male hunt follower with the words “piss off you old slag”, which is rich coming from a man whose idea of youth is remembering when that insult was still fashionable.

From the meet, the hunt headed north and via Cudliptown onto the moor. Our Land Rover followed and was blocked by masked terrierman Tom Bounsall, who nearly lost his quad in a ditch as he swerved wildly to overtake, a bold manoeuvre given he had a young child perched on the back of his one-seater quadbike. The vehicle, unsurprisingly, had no numberplate and is almost certainly uninsured to be driving on the road. Tom then crawled along at about 2mph in front of our Land Rover in a misguided attempt to delay us, achieving only the remarkable feat of annoying everyone else on the road. This included a woman in genuine distress who was prevented from reaching her sick horse. His performance achieved absolutely nothing of value, as two foot teams were already positioned on the moor well ahead of the hunt’s arrival.

Tom, who clearly peaked in pre-school, repeatedly seems determined to demonstrate that confidence and competence are not the same thing. This terrierman now divides his time between these two hunts. He’s currently under police investigation for a catalogue of incidents, including digging out foxes, blocking badger setts, assault and using his quad as a weapon against sabs and members of the public. How he fits all this in alongside caring for a toddler and (allegedly) holding down a job is anyone’s guess. Our best theory is that he doesn’t spend much time and effort on those other things, which is probably for the best considering his volatile temperament.

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Eggesford Hunt, Inwardleigh, 19.01.26

Another day spent chasing Eggesford Hunt from one piece of land they’re not allowed on to another, with multiple foxes helped to safety by sabs.

They set off from the meet at Inwardleigh to the south-west, initially following a scent that ended in a large pile of tyres at Glebe Farm, before looping via fields east of The Old Rectory back into the original valley south-west of Inwardleigh. Hounds ended up scattered all over the place between Inwardleigh and Curworthy Farm.

Despite knowing that hounds were not allowed on a lot of this land, Jason allowed them to carry on terrorising wildlife while him and his fanboy Lloyd sat idle in the field, refusing to intervene. Our drone filmed hounds running riot all over Curworthy farm and several went off on the line of various deer in the surrounding valleys. The old “I’m having trouble controlling the hounds” excuse was rolled out when Jason was confronted by a frustrated landowner. However, his choir-boy voicecalls did eventually bring the hounds back to him and the hunt headed off to the north, along the road through Inwardleigh and then into the fields around Norleigh Mill Farm and Waterhouse, where they spent a few minutes hunting before sabs caught up with them.

The second half of the day was in the long wooded valley between Lower Westacott and Forestry England-owned Ashbury Plantations. Hounds marked a fox to ground at a badger sett within minutes. Terrierboys Jake Crabb and Tom Bounsall, who are never more than a stone’s throw from one another, jumped off their quad, masked up and then stood on the sett watching the hounds as they marked several sett entrances. The presence of foot sabs on the ground and the drone overhead averted a digout and the two remained idle for the rest of the day.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Hoarestone Cross, 17.01.26

Increasingly unpopular huntsman Stephen James brought his hounds to a meet by a shed at Hoarestone Cross near Buckland Brewer. We followed them on foot and by drone as they started drawing the long valley through Cleave Wood, Thorne Wood and Holwell Wood, first going south and then eventually back north except for a quick detour to Vielstone Wood.

Blocked in by hunt support, one of our drivers was given a lecture about how we’d be better off going after “all those people who send their cats and dogs abroad to be skinned and killed”. Sadly no details were provided about this international pet-skinning ring and its logistics.

The hunt headed north and into the area around Hembury Castle, where hounds chased a fox back south across the road towards Knaworthy. Hounds continued in cry towards Smythacott (a local game dealer), causing utter chaos in the fields where several sheep appeared to be quite unwell. While everyone from the hunt stood watching, foot sabs ran in to try and help a sheep who was stuck on their back. Another sheep was chased around and baited by hounds. The landowner meanwhile was more interested in two sabs being on the land trying to stop the hounds. Apparently these weren’t her sheep anyway, just her tenant’s!

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Stevenstone Hunt & Torrington Farmers Hunt, 10.01.26

After a week of no hunting, Stevenstone were back out on Saturday, meeting at Five Lanes Cross near Abbots Bickington. So desperate are this hunt for followers that they even invited local violent thug Anthony Hemmings back out to join them.

They did a counter-clockwise loop around Abbots Bickington, starting in the valley south of Court Barton, then via Broomball Wood towards Gardenclose Wood and finishing in the large patch of public access scrubland at Barton Cottage.

A fox was seen early on, running from hounds. Sabs were well-positioned to cover the fox’s line before hounds arrived. Deer were seen bolting in all directions as well, and shortly before the hunt finished, hounds bolted and chased a roe deer for an extended period near the meet. The terrified deer managed to escape, but not before crashing repeatedly into a barbed wire fence in panic. The whole ordeal was captured on film by our drone, while foot sabs ran in to stop the hounds. Huntsman Stephen James meanwhile was stuck on foot in the boggy scrubland and didn’t intervene. As you’ll see from our footage (to follow), this is clearly the kind of place where foxes, deer and other wildlife would lie up and not somewhere anyone could ever lay a trail, so what were the hunt doing in there in the first place? Rhetorical question.

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Eggesford Hunt, Zeal Monachorum, New Year’s Day, 01.01.26

For another year, the Eggesford Hunt criminals were invited to meet at The Waie Inn, a restaurant with children’s indoor play facilities, before spending the day hunting foxes around Zeal Monachorum. It’s lucky they didn’t lose huntsman Jason Marles in the ball pit.

Several foxes were seen fleeing throughout the day. Last year a deer was mauled to death at this meet, and a few years ago the hunt killed a fox at this meet, right in front of sabs.

This year as usual the hunt started in the quarry at Tuckingmill and hunted along the Devonshire Heartland Way, before continuing east towards Lammacott Farm. Sabs saw a fox running a field away from hounds. Jason brought hounds into that field and they followed the scent to a sett where we believe the fox went to ground. Hunt and terriermen headed back west and we witnessed a fox being coursed by hounds north of Serstone. The fox ran out onto the road, the tarmac helping to foil their scent. Sabs covered the line when the fox ran back into the field and we are confident this fox got away, despite how close hounds were when the chase started.

Towards the end of the day, foot sabs were well-positioned to witness two foxes making an escape. Their scent lines were covered and hounds were rated back. At this time of year, foxes are pairing up, so unfortunately it’s common for hounds to put up multiple foxes in one covert. The final draw of the day was along the valley towards Oak Tree Farm, before boxing up at Serstone Farm.

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Eggesford Hunt, Morchard Bishop, 29.12.25

Eggesford Hunt were hosted by the London Inn, Morchard Bishop. In his speech at the start of the day, huntsman Jason Marles boasted about the pub’s unwavering support for bloodsports. Unlucky for the pub, plenty of people in this area hate the hunt and we’re grateful as ever for their words of support in person and via message over the course of the day.

Part-time local terrierman Seward Folland (the one who was convicted a few years ago for trying to dig a fox out of a badger sett during an Eggesford Hunt meet) was out, but lost the hunt after a few hours and made the mistake of asking one of our sabs for directions. We didn’t see him again for the rest of the day.

The hunt set off on the same route they took at this meet last season, north towards Bishopsleigh, east towards Cann’s Mill Bridge, into the valley between there and Brownstone Moor Cross, via Hele Lane Bridge towards Penford, Wonham, Washford Moor and Washford Wood and then back west to finish between Cann’s Mill Bridge and Billhole Farm, before packing up at Lowertown on the edge of Morchard Bishop.

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Eggesford Hunt, Okehampton, Boxing Day, 26.12.25

We caught Eggesford Hunt red-handed bolting a fox to be chased by hounds at the end of their Boxing Day meet. We won’t be saying too much about this incident in this report, for obvious reasons.

The above incident happened at the end of what was already an eventful day, a lot more eventful than we were expecting considering the turnout. This was the most poorly-attended Eggesford Hunt Boxing Day meet we can recall, despite the decent weather. Just four adult riders and two children on ponies showed up, and the number of car followers barely matched what we would expect for an ordinary meet. A pathetic show of “support” for a hunt with one of the biggest countries in Devon.

They set off from Oaklands on the edge of Okehampton at 11.30, with masked-up terrierman Tom Bounsall on his equipped quadbike in tow. Huntsman Jason Marles headed straight for the valley that runs west towards Upcott House, casting hounds into the hedges and scrub running along the valley. Tom Bounsall positioned himself at the other end of the valley and when hounds briefly picked up and then lost a scent, he and another hunt follower pointed out the direction the fox had gone, to which huntsman Jason Marles responded by putting hounds on the fox’s line.

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Tiverton Foxhounds, Staple Cross, 20.12.25

Our visit to the Tiverton Foxhounds on Saturday contained all the familiar hallmarks of an organised wildlife crime gang: masked terriermen, intentional drawing of fox coverts, foxes and other wildlife forced to run for their lives, and riders using their horses as weapons against sabs. The only missing element was the organisation. For a hunt that’s been in the press a lot lately, following Tiverton Town Council’s decision to declare them “unwelcome” in Tiverton, one might expect at least a token effort at a smokescreen when increased scrutiny was on the cards – particularly in the lead-up to Boxing Day! But there was no pretence of trail-laying or any other ruse.

Terriermen Will Wass and Phil Morish accompanied the hunt on a fully equipped quadbike, in direct breach of the BHSA’s newly issued “terrierman ban”, circulated to all registered packs last week. When they spotted sabs, and knowing full well we’d recognise them, Wass and Morish masked-up. And that was violation number two. According to the BHSA: “To maintain a clear distinction between lawful hunting and those who conceal their identity for confrontational purposes, it is not appropriate for anyone present at or associated with a hunting day to obscure their identity.” The Tiverton, like the Eggesford and so many other hunts, are proving that the hunting world is incapable of regulating itself.

The meet was at Foxlands Farm, not far from Staple Cross, but they didn’t hunt around there. Instead, huntsman Neil Starsmore, whose recent career move involved abandoning the East Cornwall with North Cornwall huntsman Gareth Frain’s wife in tow (proving once again that loyalty is not a strong suit in the hunting world!), led the field of approximately 15 riders along the road for a while before entering land north of Stallenge Thorne Farm, drawing a few hedges and then carrying on north and west towards the Huntsham Estate. They seemed a bit undecided about whether to hunt in front of us or go for a hack and attempt to lose us first.

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South Tetcott Hunt, Highampton, 06.12.25

Our arrival at Highampton Village Hall/Primary School was met with the usual zombie-like glares from the hunt and its supporters, who were hiding in the carpark behind the hall. Huntswoman Amy Parkin and Whip Richard Trewern were only joined by a handful of riders at the meet. Perhaps the weather forecast had changed the minds of several of the regular riders.

From the meet, Parkin dragged the hunt to Odham Moor, where the hounds picked up a line and headed west across Wagaford Water and onto Hollow Moor. For those who aren’t aware, Hollow Moor and Odham Moor is an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and part of the European designated Culm Grassland Special Area of Conservation, “one of the largest continuous areas of species-rich unimproved grassland in Devon”, home to several nationally scarce and vulnerable species. Using an area such as this as a private playground for bloodsports is deeply irresponsible.

The day involved hounds tearing across the boggy SSSI, backwards and forwards until hounds approached the edge of ‘Anglers Paradise’ and dangerously close to a nearby shoot somewhere to the north. Despite Parkin and Trewern’s attempts to bring the hounds away, several decided they didn’t want to come back. An hour passed before the remaining hounds returned. At this point the hunt decided they’d had enough. Having spent a few hours disturbing all manner of wildlife, with foxes and deer seen running in various directions, the hunt headed back to the meet and packed up at around 2:30pm.

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Stevenstone and Mendip Farmers Hunts, Joint Meet, Great Gorwood Farm, 29.11.25

Rees-Mogg’s favourite gang of miscreants, the Mendip Farmers Hunt were invited down to Devon this last Saturday, to hang out with the equally miserable Stevenstone Hunt, at their meet at Great Gorwood Farm, Buckland Brewer.

Unfortunately for them both, we’d also invited some of the Mendip Famers’ local sabs along as well. Mendip Sabs and Somerset Sabs.

They started off hacking around the lanes to the north of the meet, with a quick pause to do some tiny jumps at Howley before drawing nearby fields surrounding Greenhill, down towards the valley west of Cabbacott.

Huntsman Thomas then hunted the area on foot, with sabs catching up to him attempting to put hounds into dense brambles at Cabbacott. Realising sabs were on his tail, he scurried off back to the road via swamp of slurry that was draining into a nearby stream.

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