Making the news today....

[The avantgardener]

I was recently on a felling job where I was asked to turn up on site a bit later as they had the hounds on the next day ‘trailing’ foxes.

I turned up to find 60 hounds, countless horse boxes and range rovers, tweed wearing ladies blowing their little bugles.

The pheasant pen was damaged and the poults where all through the wood, the keeper had to stop what he was doing to sort it out.

 

Not one fox dealt with.

 

If I had to come up with the most uneconomical way of dealing with fox numbers this would be it.

 

[trigger_andy]

Just now, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

It seems to me, the only attempted justification for (actually its a stretch to call it a justification ‘for’, but perhaps better described as an irrational fear of it being (further) restricted since there could be implications for other aspects of field sports)

 

A bit like saying “better not increase the sentencing for rapists, just in case the cost of a FPN speeding ticket goes up. 
 

Anybody got ANYTHING constructive to offer in support of this illegal activity?

I find that a very unfair comparison. But sticking with your analogy its would be more akin to a rapist sentence increasing and that in turn bringing up the sentences for sexual assault. 

[trigger_andy]

Just now, The avantgardener said:

I was recently on a felling job where I was asked to turn up on site a bit later as they had the hounds on the next day ‘trailing’ foxes.

I turned up to find 60 hounds, countless horse boxes and range rovers, tweed wearing ladies blowing their little bugles.

The pheasant pen was damaged and the poults where all through the wood, the keeper had to stop what he was doing to sort it out.

 

Not one fox dealt with.

 

If I had to come up with the most uneconomical way of dealing with fox numbers this would be it.

 

Not many hobby's make you money.

 

Is it uneconomical though? Its privately funded, its generating local income, it does keep Fox numbers down and off of the tax payers back.

 

I dont like Fox Hunting though.  

[The avantgardener]

3 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

Not many hobby's make you money.

 

Is it uneconomical though? Its privately funded, its generating local income, it does keep Fox numbers down and off of the tax payers back.

 

I dont like Fox Hunting though.  

By uneconomical I mean the sheer outlay involved to not actually even kill a fox. Compared to letting the keeper, who knows his land, knows where the foxes are, and can dispatch them any time he likes at no cost to the tax payer, deal with them.

He told me he would rather not have them on site as he has to repair damage each time, but it isn’t his land.

[trigger_andy]

Just now, The avantgardener said:

By uneconomical I mean the sheer outlay involved to not actually even kill a fox.

As I mentioned, its a hobby and a tradition to them. That day they did not catch a fox, but surely over all they do.

 

Just now, The avantgardener said:

Compared to letting the keeper, who knows his land, knows where the foxes are, and can dispatch them any time he likes at no cost to the tax payer, deal with them.

As I mentioned, its a hobby and a tradition to them. And it keeps a lot of locals employed in traditional jobs. If they wish to spend substantially more money maintaining fox numbers this way and keep quite a few more folk in a job then great. All this uneconomical expenditure is being pumped back into the local economy. 

 

1 minute ago, The avantgardener said:

He told me he would rather not have them on site as he has to repair damage each time, but it isn’t his land.

And all this extra work potentially keeps him in a full time job. Its like the Shopping Trollie guys complaining folk dont put their shopping trollies away. If they did he's be out of a job.  

 

[eggsarascal]

36 minutes ago, MattyF said:

Didn’t Tony Blaire ban hunting with dogs ! What has got the antis backs up and done no other Feild sports favours is most hunts have carried on and openly killed foxes regardless .. the terrier boys have been illegal for years but still carried on.
I’m in no way anti hunting with dogs and would completely turn a blind eye to any hunts in my area as I feel it’s the most effective way of controlling foxes and keeping there population healthy... but most of the hate for fox hunting in general is a class war thing and has nothing to do with animal welfare.

The terrier lads have carried on but they are usually out of the way where they aren't seen, when the likes of me go once a year to the Boxing Day hunt and see terrier lads blocking bolt holes or digging it doesn't look good. Nothing to do with being anti, I wouldn't go else. But ffs if you (they) are going to do something illegal keep your head down, don't flaunt it.

[The avantgardener]

29 minutes ago, trigger_andy said:

And all this extra work potentially keeps him in a full time job

He already has a full time job managing the shoot, he probably doesn’t need to add to his list of things to do.
His knowledge and the ‘guns’ having a good result on the day are what will keep him in that job.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

25 minutes ago, eggsarascal said:

The terrier lads have carried on but they are usually out of the way where they aren't seen, when the likes of me go once a year to the Boxing Day hunt and see terrier lads blocking bolt holes or digging it doesn't look good. Nothing to do with being anti, I wouldn't go else. But ffs if you (they) are going to do something illegal keep your head down, don't flaunt it.

There you have it Egger. 
 

It is illegal to intentionally set out to find and kill a fox with horse & hounds. 
 

Those that seek to support / excuse / deny the illegality presumably have equal disregard for all other laws?

 

Its frankly ridiculous and every body knows it’s ridiculous to keep trotting out the lame pseudo justifications. 
 

The compromise was trail hunting and that has been wholly, undeniably and unequivocally blown out of the water by what has been observed over the years since the laws were changed and is validated, irrefutably, by the recent webinar. 

[trigger_andy]

Just now, The avantgardener said:

He already has a full time job managing the shoot, he probably doesn’t need to add to his list of things to do.
His knowledge and the ‘guns’ having a good result on the day are what will keep him in that job.

And does he manage to find the time to carry out this additional burden that clearly happens year in year out within his normal working hours? 

[The avantgardener]

1 minute ago, trigger_andy said:

And does he manage to find the time to carry out this additional burden that clearly happens year in year out within his normal working hours? 

He has no choice does he? Pheasant pen damaged, poults released for predators to take. Loss of birds, poor shoot, lose job.