After last week’s encounter with the arrogant South Tetcott hunt, they were practically begging for us to come back and see their closing meet at Bovacott. They started off drawing the valley to the west of the meet, with sabs seeing a fox almost immediately around Highstead Berton farm. After covering the scent with citronella the hounds didn’t get onto the line of this fox and the hunt turned and headed back east, past the meet, towards Stadson Farm.

This huntsman, Jack Harris, is as blatant as they come and clearly young enough to have learned his “craft” post hunting ban, which shows you how effective it has been at stopping these committed animal abusers. With sabs sticking close and drawing a blank again the huntsman went north into Lashbrook wood. Here, hounds quickly got onto the scent of a fox, zig-zagging across the river, with the huntsman frantically hunting on and teams of sabs on both sides rating and covering scent trails. After looping the woods several times, the hounds lost the scent and sabs watched their quarry run to safety, fouling the line of scent as huntsman finally left the wood via Higher Braundsworthy and towards Highweek Wood.

Continue reading “South Tetcott, Bovacott, 12.03.22” →

On Saturday we visited the South Tetcott who were meeting near their kennels at Vearndon, close to where we recently sabbed their joint meet with the North Cornwall. This was another gruelling day for sabs, with difficult, boggy terrain, hounds in and out of cry all day as well as aggression and violence from hunt thugs. See the below video.

The hunt started off drawing the valleys behind Vearndon before moving south where the huntsman drew a blank in the fields and valleys around Luffincott Wood. With the huntsman, redcoats and rest of the field gathered at the edge of the wood the pack picked up a scent and pursued it to Eastcott wood with the huntsman blatantly hunting on in front of sabs.

Hunt and hounds crossed the Tamar and spent the next half hour in a dense copse, with huntsman frantically hunting on from the top of the slope and sabs rating and scrambling to stop hounds from finding any wildlife sheltering in the dense undergrowth.

Continue reading “South Tetcott, Vearndon, 05.03.22” →

On Saturday we decided to surprise the South Tettcot hunt who were meeting at Wilkie Down Farm at Boyton. The hunt were pretty unhappy to see us and sabs faced a lot of aggression throughout the day.

The hunt started off east of the meet and then headed to the area around Downhayes and Colehill Wood. Hounds were heard speaking on and off but didn’t seem to get on any line.

Sabs in the field were then ridden at and grabbed at by hunt members. One particularly talkative redcoat declared himself first “a landowner”, asking sabs if they had permission to be there, and then decided that he himself owned all the land in a 10 mile radius… According to him “breaking and entering fields” allows him to use whatever force he likes against sabs.

Continue reading “South Tetcott Hunt, Wilkie Down Farm, Boyton, 04.01.2020” →

It’s not often we’re able to visit a hunt during the week, but we couldn’t miss the South Tetcott’s meet today. Joint master David Lawrence, who has a sick enthusiasm for terrier work and is reputed to have a colourful personal life, was the host at his home, Moorlands near Patchacott.
Continue reading “South Tetcott at Patchacott, 5.12.2017” →

Back to the South Tetcott for us today. They met in a field on the edge of Black Torrington, in an area that became part of the badger cull this year. True to form huntsman Jamie Parish spent the first hour running from everyone, including his riders and hunt support, many of whom could be overheard complaining. We’ve been hearing rumours that some of the regular followers of this hunt are not happy with the new huntsman and we’re not surprised. An hour and a half after leaving the meet a few stragglers were still seen driving aimlessly around the lanes, asking us if we’d seen the hunt and expressing their frustration.
Continue reading “South Tetcott at Black Torrington, 18.11.2017” →

Today we piled the landy full of sabs and started the new season with a visit to the South Tetcott’s opening meet at Tetcott Manor. With foot teams at the meet and to the south we watched as they spent the first part of the day drawing the slopes and coverts around Beardown Plantation, Lana Lake and Mill Wood. Here some of the hounds ran on a scent and crossed the Tamar into Cornwall! This threw the hunt into a confusion they never really recovered from. Hounds and riders were scattered all over the place between Luffincott Wood and Bradridge Copse, with redcoats trying for ages to call hounds across the river.
Continue reading “South Tetcott opening meet, 4.11.2017” →