What a day…

The North Devon Beagles invited the Severn Vale Beagles for a day of hare hunting on Exmoor, after a breakfast at the Sportsman’s Inn. The North Devon Beagles haven’t been sabbed in a long, long time, so when we showed up at the meet at Horsen Farm the landowner lost her marbles. She didn’t seem to know whether to be angry at us, her guests, or even her own children, all of whom were on the receiving end of her sharp tongue. She insisted they would be “trail-hunting and rabbiting”, but some of the followers must have been confused because they started talking about “exercising the hounds” and one of them told us there was nothing wrong with hunting hare because “they always get away anyway”. You’d think they’d at least get their stories straight! No pretence of a trail and no backup plan, so after an hour’s hanging around at the meet and talking to each other while the landowner lost her shit, the beagles were boxed up, having done no hunting at all. Beagle packs (unlike foxhunts) hunt on foot, meaning they cannot simply ride away from sabs. Success!
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