Hunting & Hacking

Now that we are entering the Cub Hunting or Autumn Hunting as they now like to call it season, which is a very secretive and cruel activity, where all the local hunts will be training there new hounds how to kill young fox cubs as part of a pack of hunting dogs. This activity is usually conducted early in the morning or late afternoon and evening when scenting conditions are at there best.

As this activity commences a dictatorial effort is underway to undermined the Hunting Act. This is seen by the Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Alice (Two Horse – took both her horses to university) Barnard, The Horse and Hounds publication and the Vets For Hunting group now renamed Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (VAWM) . All attempting to undermined the Hunting Act by stating that hunting foxes with a large pack of dogs, a mounted field, with both foot and vehicle followers and of course the usual squadron of terrier men on Quad Bikes, all equipped with spades, metal rods and terriers is the best method to manage our wildlife and in additional seek to dress this grossly unequal contest as sport and part of our heritage.

Interestedly with the proposed badger cull by night time shooting of the free running badgers and the after effects of perturbation (scattering of surviving badgers) and fox hunting continuing which is very disruptive to all wildlife. This seems to have been forgotten from the equation as this government declares open warfare on our native wildlife. As on one hand we are told that with badgers, both TB affected and healthy badgers will be culled by marksmen at night, but for the fox the local hunt rabble will be released on it as complete and total chaos is unleashed in the countryside.


Rather like the Murdoch News International situation the Countryside Alliance is far to close to David Cameron; for example Simon Hart the former Countryside Alliance Chief Executive is now the Conservative MP for Carmarthen West & South Pembrokeshire. This is proof of the political polarisation in hunting. Why even David Cameron was until recently a member of the Heythrop Hunt in Oxfordshire, and has Lord Astor, a regular with the Old Berkshire Hunt and who is also David Cameron’s father-in-law, and the vice-chairman of the Hunting Act Repeal Committee, which is to lead the campaign to repeal the ban and allow this activity to continue under the feeble ‘self regulation’ banner, a huntsman and a former director of public affairs at the British Field Sports Society; now known as the Countryside Alliance which he helped to set up.

Nicholas Le Quesne Herbert (Nick Herbert) the current Police Minster and a former Public Affairs Officer of the British Field Sport Society (BFSS) which is now the Countryside Alliance.

This could explain the lack of police effort regarding illegal hunting activity, a very similar situation with News International and the Metropolitan police!

So much for David Cameron’s promise of openness and transparency before the last general election.