Date: Saturday 30th January 1999
Time: 11am
Location: Surrey Union. Coverwood Farm, Peaslake, Surrey.

Major cock up on my part to start this day as I was told the meet was to be in the village, so I had to do some running when I got another call actually telling me the hunt had moved off already and were a mile up the road!

The day started with thick fog, and with the hunt moving up into the hills at hurtwood, you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. Coverwood Farm is owned by fervent hunt supporters and the hunt obviously expected to get onto a fox near the meet. Luckily they only feathered on a scent, and made nothing of it so they moved down from the hill towards Ewhurst.

They tried the badger setts in Gulls Isle which as usual showed signs of being interfered with, but somehow missed the fox that slipped past them in the brambles. This might have had something to do with the lone sab in the hedge near Bramblehurst Farm who kept getting the hounds with the 'gizmo'. For those of you that don't know, the gizmo is simply a personal tape player rigged up to a mini-amplifier and small loud speaker. A tape of the hounds in full cry on the scent of a fox is played with the effect that the real hounds (who are trained from day one to go to where other experienced hounds are giving voice) come piling over towards the sab with the gizmo! It is so effective that over the years, I have had hounds, police, hunt supporters, riders and, on one hunt on Ranmore common, the huntsman trailing around the woods trying to locate the non-existent pack of hounds! It is startlingly effective and much easier to use than a hunting horn if you are out of breath, but also makes the user a target for violence from the hunt, and arrest by the police, so is best used covertly and sparingly.

While this sab was being 'sought' by the police, the real hounds got onto a strong scent around the earths at Gulls Isle and did several circuits of the small wood. We were waiting, and managed to get loads of citronella spray down where the fox had run, so the hounds were well and truly put off as they over-ran the line and were hunted back up towards the hill they had started from.

After realising they would not get this fox, the hunt did a runner, and led us through Lukyns estate, up the long slog to Holmbury farm and on towards Birketts. We had lost them for about 20 minutes, but they couldn't have hunted properly as they covered so much ground. When we found them, they were blocking the B2126 Horsham Road completely. The hounds were drawing the woods alongside the road when a fox shot out through the riders and over the road. It went through someone's garden and then made for the horizon. Sabs were straight in over the footbridge and started to take the hounds the reverse way.

The hunt were livid and all manner of argy-bargy ensued with redcoats dismounting to have a go at the sabs and the sabs standing their ground realising that the hounds were still in the same field (i.e. not hunting!). As the hunters tried to remove sabs from the land, it was pointed out to them that we were on a footpath, and that any attempt to touch us would be treated as an assault and we would defend ourselves accordingly. The police who were watching with interest and rising panic at first moved to have a go at the sabs, but after being abused by the hunt, turned on them and warned them for their behaviour. Nicest moment was seeing 'Tim nasty and Dim' (Andrew Hazeltine) being threatened with arrest (yet again) by the copper in charge.

After this debacle, the hunt fled with their tails between their legs over Holmbury Hill and about 3 miles North to Tenningshook wood on the outskirts of Peaslake village. Many locals feed and enjoy watching the foxes in this area, so it is no surprise that the hounds often end up hunting through private gardens here. Luckily a few old gits have sabbed them so many times here to know that if you lose them in this area, you should try to get up behind Holmbury Youth Hostel. Sure enough, there the hunt were - looking pretty sick to see us!

The terrain is pretty undulating here with plenty of cover so when the hunt started to lose their entire pack to mysterious horn-blowing holly bushes, they finally gave in and called it a day. No foxes killed although a few were put through their paces, but at least 2 escaped directly due to the action of the sabs on the day.

Another day when they could run but they couldn't hide!