By absorbing the information below, calling our office (0845 4500727) to find your nearest group, and getting out to stop this slaughter yourself, you will do more than any politician has ever done to actually stop hunting. It is in your hands, not theirs.
'Autumn Hunting' is the term that the bloodsports fraternity have started calling the early part of their season. This started a few years ago with Michael Clayton (Editor of Horse and Hound who
writes under the name of Foxford) putting articles in the weekly mag about changing the term cubhunting. I wonder why?! They realised that the term cubhunting puts over a bad image to the
public whenever the press run a story in the earlier months of the season.
Cubhunting is the aspect of hunting the fox which the hunters have been trying to keep quiet since the press have been getting to a larger audience and the anti-bloodsport organisations have been trying to expose it. Indeed, most people do not know that the hunting season starts from July/August-- and finishes March/April. We however shall carry on calling it by it's proper name, since most of the foxes are 4-5 month's old when they start cubhunting which is July (in the South), and August (in the Midlands/North). The idea behind cubhunting is to train the new hounds and to finding the training of the previous season's entry, also to kill foxcubs that will not move far. Those that do move learn to move in future so when the hunt comes back later in the season they will give the hunt a good run. They also claim that they disperse the litters, but foxes will do this naturally anyway.
THE SEASON OF KILLING
This starts in the early morning mist with a few invited riders dressed in rat-catcher gear which is basically brown coats and scruffy trousers. They un-box in the country lanes from 5am and
move off to the side of the first covert/root-crop or anywhere foxes will be lying up. There is no traditional drink and get-together, they go straight to the area and are told by the masters
where to position themselves around the hunted area. The idea behind this is if they can surround a wood (called holding up), then any foxes which try to escape will be scared back by the
rider's hitting their saddles with whips and shouting at the fox. The huntsman puts the hounds which are mainly new hounds into the area they are drawing, the idea behind this is to teach the
young hounds how to find foxes and kill them. The hounds will soon find foxes because the huntsman will know which coverts hold litters, and so their 'fun' begins. The fox will try and escape
but will be scared back by the rider or the foot followers who want to join in. A few foxes may escape through a gap, but these are the brave ones or older foxes which know what to do.
SABBING THE SLAUGHTER
It is important that saboteurs go out whenever the hunts go out. This is the one time with hunts that often all you can do is try and keep the kill rate down to one or two. I've seen one hunt kill seven
foxes in three hours. Three of those foxes the hounds literally walked over the fox before
killing it. This is very rare and usually sabs stop the killing by getting the hounds out of the covert or
field with the usual tactics of horn blowing and voice calls. The young hounds are the easiest to call out. This breaks down the bond between the huntsman and the hounds. Sabs very often find this a difficult time, because blowing the horn to get the hounds can easily put them onto a fox which cannot escape. So, all they can do is try their best and not get too disheartened. In root crops, it is worse
because the fox which is resting in the crop cannot move as fast as the hounds. because it is smaller and cannot run over the crops. so it has to crawl on the ground. It does not help when the
huntsman or whipper-in can usually see it and rides over to where the fox is, calling the hounds. If it does manage to get out, then again the riders may push it back into the jaws of the hounds.
Sabs have to keep trying to get the hounds by calling with voice and horn even if nothing seems to be happening. They will probably be having an effect by keeping the hounds heads up or
putting them off. Willy Poole. in his book: Hunting, An Introductory Book. says about a hunt's failure to catch a fox:
"....noise, bad noise has probably saved more foxes than almost
anything else for it distracts hounds, especially young hounds. and breaks their concentration. The only sound they should he hearing is the cry of their elders and betters. Shouting gets hounds
heads up when they should be on the ground smelling .. "
So, with sabs making some noise, they should be having an effect, even if the hounds are not rushing out to their side.