Stevenstone Hunt, 16.12.23

Today we reminded the Stevenstone fox hunt that they are not welcome in Devon. We ruined their opening meet for the new huntswoman Jessica Harrison. It seems “Half-pack Harrison” is only allowed out the house with a much smaller pack than we’re used to, due to her obvious inexperience and lack of hound control.

The meet was at Cloister Hall Farm in Frithelstock, just outside of Great Torrington, where this hunt is kenneled. Last season the hunt trespassed and hunted foxes on the popular Tarka Trail just east of this meet, having being told by the local council numerous times that they weren’t allowed.

The hunt spent a lot of time hacking along the roads and public bridleways, in what must have been a boring and uneventful day for the paying onlookers. Half-pack Harrison did try to cast hounds out and hunt in front of us though on a few occasions. However we were always there to keep an eye on them and keep the hounds heads up.

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Stevenstone Hunt and South Tetcott Hunt, 09.12.23

On Saturday we shut down two fox hunts with our friends Plymouth & West Devon Hunt Sabs. Our convoy first headed to Woolfardisworthy (or Woolsery) to pay a visit to the Stevenstone Hunt. This lot have been without a huntsman and on the verge of collapse for the last few months. In desperation the’ve installed a new and completely inexperienced huntswoman, Jessica Harrison, whose mother Judith Webster is a “holistic, natural, homeopathic vet”. It’s always pretty concerning to hear of vets who support bloodsports! Jessica is someone we’ve previously encountered riding with the Lamerton and other hunts in the west Devon area.

The meet was at 10am at Hurley Meadow Farm and was clearly intended as a training exercise for the new huntswoman. However, as sabs were there, there was no hunting of any kind. We spent the morning following the hounds, huntswoman and riders around the roads, public footpaths and bridleways that surrounded the meet. Hunt supporters made some half-baked attempts at blocking our vehicles from following and gleefully filmed themselves whenever they succeeded in doing so, but ultimately there was no getting away from our vehicles and foot teams. As the morning went on, some hunt followers couldn’t contain their frustration and the predictable pushing and shoving ensued, not just from the old boys but also some kids with balaclavas. Support vehicle also tried to force their way past whilst dangerously close to riders and quad bikes tried to force foot sabs off the road

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Stevenstone Hunt, Hoarestone Cross, 19.08.23

The Stevenstone Hunt had a barbeque in a barn off Hoarestone Cross this evening so we went along to see if they’d prepared any vegan options. Alas, no. Either way, our presence stopped them from cubbing today. Result 👍

That’s our fourth day of sabbing in a row this week.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Great Torrington, 15.03.23

On Wednesday we visited the end-of-season meet of the Stevenstone Foxhounds at their kennels in Great Torrington.

With their own hunts finished for the season, some other local scum like South Tetcott huntsman Tim Ingram and Torrington Farmers’ kennel huntsman Jack Rowley had their formal wellies on to watch Stevenstone huntsman Archibald Clifton-Brown hunt on and around the Tarka Trail.

The hunt left the meet and immediately covered a lot of ground, heading through Smytham Manor and eventually onto Stowford Moor. The hunt spent most of the day determined to kill in this area, completing several loops between Lambert Moor and Vinny Copse. There were some close calls, with hounds in cry multiple times only a few yards behind a fox but sabs were able to intervene and scatter hounds and allow the fox to escape.

Desperate to kill in front of other huntsmen, Archibald was on and off his horse all day, crawling red-faced through hedges and scattering his hounds widely so he spent most of the day with half a pack.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Woolsery, 11.02.23

Stevenstone Hunt kill fox

On Saturday the Stevenstone Foxhounds under the direction of huntsman Archie Clifton-Brown killed a young vixen near Woolsery. Sabs had been with the hunt all day since they left their meet at Sessacott and several foxes were helped to safety in that time.

In the afternoon the hunt chased a fox to ground in a large pile of sheet metal rubbish on the edge of a small copse. Sabs arrived in time to move hounds on and prevent a digout. However, the hunt returned to this spot about thirty minutes later and bolted the fox.

She was chased again for about twenty minutes, during which time our various foot teams did everything they could to get in between fox and hounds and stop the chase. However, hounds caught up with her and overwhelmed her in a ditch in the valley. She was mauled to death by the pack. As sabs were waiting on the road with the fox’s body, a terrierman rode past on a quadbike and shouted “one less for us to kill”.

The Hunting Act is 18 years old this week but hunts are still chasing and brutally killing our wildlife. Sabs are the only people actively intervening. We can’t prevent every kill but we try our absolute hardest.

Stevenstone Hunt, Little Derworthy, 07.01.23

This Saturday we sabbed the Stevenstone Hunt in former Tetcott Hunt country again.

They unboxed at Five Lanes Cross and then went to Little Derworthy to eat sausage rolls. The quadbike with the registration TRAIL was spotted a few times throughout the day, usually on the road miles from the hunt who were seen pursuing multiple foxes (and some deer) during the day.

They started off in the moor near Barton Cottage which terrierman Alex Wass attempted to evict sabs from. They looped around Broomball Wood and out into Gardenclose Wood. Hounds got onto a fox here, which was seen just a few feet in front of the lead hound. The fox was running strong and with help from sabs rating and calling hounds we are sure this one got away, as it was seen heading north while the hunt went back west towards Sanders Cross.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Winterlands Farm, Holsworthy, 24.12.22

Today we sabbed the Christmas Eve meet of the Stevenstone Hunt in former Tetcott Hunt country, at the aptly named Winterlands Farm on the edge of Holsworthy.

The day was hosted by landowner and former Tetcott Master Diana Stevens. She had woven festive tinsel into her horse’s mane but for a major Christmas meet the turnout was poor, with just a handful of riders and the same number of car support.

The hunt took off into fields to the south and hounds immediately went into cry. They were in cry on and off for most of the day but our foot teams stuck with them throughout, stopping hounds whenever they found scent, and we kept an eye via the drone as well.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Marhamchurch, 03.11.22

Yesterday we paid a surprise visit to the Stevenstone, who were hunting outside their own ‘country’ in what was formerly Tetcott Hunt country. Tetcott are the hunt that disbanded earlier this year.

Despite Tetcott country having become vacant, wildlife in the area is not safe, as ex-Tetcott masters Diana Stevens and Andrew Youlden have been arranging for neighbouring packs to hunt some of their old meets. If Stevenstone had known in advance that any away day in Tetcott country is likely to attract sabs, perhaps they would have thought twice about coming.

Although as it was, it seems not many made the trip anyway. Despite perfect weather and scenting conditions, just six riders showed up for the occasion. The meet was at Marhamchurch and the hunt spent the day drawing various valleys: north of the village, east between Steart, Great Beer and Hobbacott (including land they’d been banned from entering), and then north in the long valley between the Old Canal and Brays Hill.

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Dulverton Farmers. Stevenstone Hunt. 26.10.22

Two in one – again!

On Wednesday we decided to pay the Dulverton Farmers a long overdue visit at their cubbing meet at Hilltown Cross near Mariansleigh. The huntsman didn’t even bother to unbox the hounds. Instead, the small group grumpily finished their sandwiches and alcohol (at 10 in the morning…) and left for home.

With one set of wildlife killers safely headed home we set off to catch up with the Stevenstone who had a cubbing meet at Broad Parkham near Parkham. Upon arriving, sabs immediately heard hounds in cry in the valley and sab teams headed in, with one team seeing a fleeing fox to safety. Sabs found the bulk of the pack marking a large clearly active badger sett where a fox had taken refuge. Sabs successfully moved the hounds on, away from the sett, and kept guard over the sett as terriermen were circling the area hoping for a chance to dig the fox out.

Other teams kept with the hunt and soon after our arrival the Stevenstone huntsman decided to call it a day and promptly left with his hounds, packed up, and headed home.

We are very grateful for all your tipoffs. Please keep them coming in!

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Torrington Farmers and Stevenstone, 03.09.22

Not a bad morning for us and for the foxes of north Devon.

We stopped both Stevenstone Hunt and Torrington Farmers Hunt from cubbing this morning. The Torrington Farmers took one look at sabs and decided to exercise hounds from their kennels instead of heading to their planned meet.

Meanwhile we had another team monitoring the Stevenstone Hunt. They left the kennels at 5.30am with hounds in a trailer but then also changed their minds about hunting in the presence of sabs and headed back to the kennels.

Keep those tipoffs coming!

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