On Friday we were out keeping tabs on the Eggesford Hunt again on the edge of Morchard Road, not far from where they had half a dozen hounds killed on the railway line two years ago. This time they were accompanied by just a handful riders, three quad bikes and a few car support. This is what the Eggesford have been reduced to.
They headed south-east of Southcott, across the Two Moors Way and into the Knathorne Brook valley. Hounds soon picked up a scent and they spent much of the morning in cry in the areas between Woodparks and Venn. Sabs kept tabs and intervened where possible. Having eventually gathered the pack, huntsman Jason Marles then fled three kilometres to the north, via Middlecott and towards the valley north of Upcott, where foot sabs caught up with them again. Hounds were entered into several adjoining fields of elephant grass south of Rudge Rew and promptly went into cry. Deer fled from the tall grass and sabs were on hand to rate hounds and ensure no wildlife was killed. They drew blank in the woods around Pepper Lake and went back into the valley south of Southcott one last time before packing up at 2.30.
Quite unlike some of the other hunts we sab, who at least try to pretend they don’t kill foxes, Jason likes to pretend his hounds have killed even when they haven’t. Mostly we think he does it to try and save face when he’s being sabbed. On Friday his riders and supporters were nowhere near the action 90% of the time, and the terriermen were too busy getting their quads stuck in the mud and shouting at sabs to witness several foxes running from hounds. We made certain those foxes got away safely. This includes a beautiful pair who escaped across a field just seconds apart. Although we’d love to share this footage with you, it wouldn’t be in their interest to give away their location.
We’re expecting hunts to be out in force over the Christmas period. We’ll be there as much as possible to stop them.