Lamerton, 05.02.22

We had a busy day last Saturday, sabbing 3 hunts.

We started with the joint meet of the Torrington Farmers and the Stevenstone at Huntshaw neat Little Torrington. For a joint meet the turn-out was poor, with around 10 riders and a similar number of followers. They started out drawing the woods to the west of Huntshaw at Broadridge, with huntsman quickly losing hounds who were then gathered by sabs. After that, the hunt kept the hounds close as they rode through Kennick’s wood. There they lost about half the riders who were unable to cross a fallen tree blocking the path.

Ten minutes later, as the rest of them crossed a low fence, one of the horses got their foot stuck and threw a shoe. The horse seemed to be uninjured but that kind of accident could be fatal, and the hunt knew it, with two of the riders wailing and crying while sabs and other hunt members scrambled to free the horse. We hate to see any animal in distress, so to those crying members of the hunt here’s a tip – if you care about your horse, don’t go out fox hunting! And while you’re at it, try to have some of the same compassion for the wildlife you’re there to kill.

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Torrington/Lamerton/Eggesford Joint Meet, South Brentor Farm, Tavistock, 26.01.22

COMEDY GOLD AT THE TORRINGTON/LAMERTON/EGGESFORD JOINT MEET

On Wednesday we were (un)fortunate to witness the triple act that literally no one should ever have to see: a three-hunt joint meet between the Torrington, Lamerton and Eggesford.

The day started as bizarrely as it would go on, with an extremely normal looking woman who had DIY’d some eyeholes in an orange camo balaclava sitting with us in creepy silence at the meet. We can’t really blame her, we’d much rather hang out with sabs than a bunch of psychopaths too. This same woman (who we were later told is unstable and on drugs, and the wife of terrierman Steve Mitchell) continued to behave like the hunt-supporting weirdo that she is, by demanding sabs’ names at random intervals, attacking sabs and stealing their property, and then less than an hour later asking to go on a date with us. We couldn’t make this shit up if we tried.

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Torrington Farmers, Bartridge, High Bickington, 08.01.22

On Saturday we joined North Devon Wildlife and Hunt Monitors to sab the Torrington Farmers Hunt as they basically re-ran a meet we sabbed only a few weeks ago. They seem determined to terrorise the wildlife around High Bickington.

The meet was at Bartridge and huntsman Steve Craddock immediately headed south through Knapp and Wixland. We were warned by monitors, who were in the area before we arrived, that a bunch of rowdy quad bike riders were giving them grief. Sabs intercepted and were met by 5 thugs on quad bikes skidding through the mud to do the usual song and dance about trespassing while driving at and into sabs. One particular brat, related to terrierman Andrew Braunton, tried to push one of our sabs off a steep bank.

After this, the hunt moved south past High Bickington and spent some time hunting the fields and valleys between Vauterhill and Dadlands. With hounds frequently in cry, sabs were able to intervene multiple times and turn them back towards huntsman. One of the landowners, who was on horseback, kept insisting they were trail-hunting until she was asked to point out where the trail layer was, to which she didn’t have a response. Eventually she said “well we haven’t found a fox”.

Some atrocious weather and sabs’ constant presence put an end to the hunt at about 2.30 with Craddock and a smattering of damp quad followers gathering behind a shed at Deptford Farm.

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Torrington Farmers, Deptford, High Bickington, 11.12.21

On Saturday we spent the day sabbing the Torrington Farmers Hunt meet at Deptford, High Bickington. Over four hours they did several laps of the Deptford to Vauterhill valley with a brief stint around Glenmore and Shuteley Farms. Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of trails being laid at any point and when this was pointed out to huntsman Steve Craddock he gestured to the nearest person, who just so happened to be one of the most unfit-looking hunt followers, and said “there, that’s my trail-layer”.

It was tough-going for our foot sabs at times, as the fields were very water-logged. Hounds took off in cry on a couple of occasions. Our three foot teams did their best to keep tabs on the hunt throughout and covered the scent of a fox running from hounds.

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Torrington Farmers Hunt and Eggesford Hunt, 06.11.2021.

This Saturday our tip-off line was ringing off the hook with opening meets. We were on our way to the Eggesford Opening Meet at Crooke Burnell but at the entrance to the farm track we were waved down by a member of the hunt who told us where the Torrington were meeting. As Torrington killed several foxes in front of us last week, we changed plans and went to catch up with them.

Torrington met at Oak Farm a minute north of Uppacott nature reserve near Tawstock. Sabs’ first encounter with huntsman saw hounds in cry near Charlacott Cross by Collabear and a fox bursting from a hedge in front of hounds. Quick action by sabs covering the line with citronella and rating hounds away from the hedge ensured that fox could run to safety.

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Torrington Farmers Hunt, Hildrew, Barnstaple, 30.10.2021

On Saturday we visited the opening meet of the Torrington Farmers hunt at Hildrew near Barnstaple. Support were already drunk at 11am and as excited as ever to stick cameras in our faces and accuse us of carrying bottles of acid.

Huntsman Steve Craddock began the day by heading East from the meet, towards the A377, a railway line and the overflowing River Taw, quickly losing a hound on the busy A road.

He then went south past Swanmoor and Langham Lake with hounds in cry around Higher Birbrook. Sabs saw a fox break and ran in to cover the scent with citronella and were in position to send the hounds back. Fortunately the hounds lost the scent and hunted the heel line while Craddock tried and failed to gather them back (which was a running theme of the day).

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Torrington Farmers, Webbery Barton, Alverdiscott. Taw Vale Beagles, Broadmoor Farm, Warkleigh. Stoke Hill & North Dartmoor Beagles at Bondleigh. 05.10.2020.

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.

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Stevenstone Hunt, Yeory Farm, Merton. Torrington Farmers, Weare Giffard. 29.02.2020

On Saturday the bad weather kept many hunts away from our wildlife. We went to see what the Stevenstone were up to, but although they were at their meet at Yeory Farm in Merton, they weren’t hunting due to the weather and so, with no hounds in sight, we left them to their pasties.

We asked the few riders present what they were planning to do with no hunting on and they told us they were going for a countryside ride before going home. Wouldn’t it be nice if they could just do that every week and leave the foxes alone?

We decided to then catch up with the Torrington Farmers at their closing meet and keep them company for the day.

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Torrington Farmers, Rising Sun, Umberleigh, 18.01.2020

On Saturday we sabbed the Torrington Farmers who met at the Rising Sun in Umberleigh. We were joined by a couple of hunt monitors who were an awesome extra pair of eyes and ears throughout the day.

After drinks and sausage rolls the hunt headed to Fisherton Cross where they went into the land surrounding Bartridge farm. Sabs followed on foot but were evicted off the footpath by a group of masked men on quad bikes.

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