On Saturday some of our group headed to the Torrington Farmers Opening Meet at Webbery Barton in Alverdiscott, while others shut down two beagle packs (hare-hunters), one after the other. We were joined by friends from North Devon Wildlife & Hunt Monitors.
The first of these was the Taw Vale Beagles, who had arranged to meet at Broadmoor Farm in Warkleigh. A group of a dozen or so mostly elderly hunt followers had gathered in the farmyard, mingling as a big group for a little while before evidently deciding that they’d better not go illegally chasing hares while we’re around. Broadmoor’s hares were spared for the day.
The second of the two beagle meets was the Stoke Hill & North Dartmoor Beagles at Bondleigh. They had managed to get a couple of hours hunting in before we arrived and found the beagles in full cry at Penson Farm. The hunt were promptly marched back to their vehicles, where another large group of hunt followers were stood around waiting. As we walked past, one of their supporters spat at a sab out of an open car window. Despicable behaviour at the best of times, but especially at the moment. ‘Trail-hunting’ was the smokescreen of the day, according to huntsman Josh Smith, although there wasn’t a trail-layer in sight, nor did the beagles (or Josh) seem to want to distinguish between the invisible ‘trail’ and the live hare they had been witnessed chasing by a passer-by before we got there. We reminded them the Hunting Act has been in place for 15 years now, to which they just smirked and shrugged.
While the beagles were sent packing, the Torrington Farmers spent the day hunting in the vicinity of Stony Cross and Haddacott Moor, under the watchful eyes of our other sabs. Huntsman Steve Craddock kept losing hounds and some went rioting after deer. Hounds marked a fox to ground in a narrow wooded valley and terriermen were seen lurking. When asked what they were doing, one of them responded “Why would we be killing foxes in here? Are we anywhere near the hunt?”… It took him a second to realise what he’d just said. Meanwhile, Craddock went on to draw blank in coverts surrounding the large electricity substation. The hunt packed up at around 2.30pm and sabs hung around for a while to ensure the terriermen also went home.
On our way home, news reached us that hunts up and down the country had been on their worst behaviour. Clearly none of them care for the strain our emergency services are already under, as their thugs attacked sabs in several parts of the country. Sabs were injured and ambulances had to attend. In the evening, terriermen from the North Staffordshire Hunt smashed up the house and car windows of an elderly couple, wrongly believing them to be sabs. Just when you thought their public image couldn’t get much worse…!
Gallery
