The Cheldon caused outrage on 22nd May 1993 when Jeremy Gibbs, a member of the hunt, leapt on an exhausted deer, slashed its throat and then sat on it for fifteen minutes while it slowly bled to death. The incident occurred in the Haddon area, south Exmoor, next to the League Against Cruel Sports sanctuary at Baronsdown and was filmed by League employee Kevin Hill. The deer was one of a number that had been chased during the day and the hunt claim the hounds had been called off it when it began to head toward St Johns Wood, Upton, which is kept as a deer sanctuary by Paul and Linda McCartney. The deer attempted to jump the fence that the Devon & Somerset Staghunt had erected around the wood to prevent deer from escaping from hounds into the sanctuary and was left dangling from the fence by its antlers. Gibbs then pulled it off the fence, cut its throat and sat on it. The hunt denied the poor creature had had its throat cut, but it was clearly seen bleeding heavily and there was a pool of blood around the deer where Gibbs had sat on it. He sat on it for 15 minutes before a hunt landrover pulled up and the unfortunate animal was put in the back of the landrover still alive and bleeding before a member of the hunt turned up and shot it.
Following this outrage, the Cheldon were immediately suspended by the Master of Deer Hounds Association, then reinstated again in early June 1993. The (British Field Sports Society) BFSS then said roe deer hunting was not a legitimate fieldsport and two of the three packs hunting roe deer that were members of the MDHA were expelled. They have now formed own association, the Master of Buck Hounds Association, as they are too dirty even for the BFSS and MDHA. However, the North Dartmoor Beagles are kennelled with the Cheldon Buckhounds and it is believed that the Buckhounds' own pack are drafts from neighbouring beagle packs. The BFSS recognises and is committed to defending these beagle packs.