Well, what an interesting and intense day out with the Ledbury Hunt today! With 2 sabs out, another re-joining us later in the day, and the hunt having met in a huge area of land with no road access, we decided to stay out on foot. Knowing the hunt and the area well, particularly as it is part of the Gloucestershire badger cull zone, we had a decent idea of where they might hunt throughout the day. Scenting conditions were good as the temperature was low, but it was pretty windy! Once they moved off from the meet at Pauntley Court, we stayed with them as they headed towards Collinpark Wood. They didnt go into the wood and we think they were trying to lose us at this point as they rode off at speed towards the Sladbrook area having tried to circle around us. Our cameras remained on them much of this time, although we werent always able to stay within sight of them. At one point we were aware that they were in an area owned by a woman who has repeatedly told the hunt they are not welcome on the land. And then we found a blocked sett. One of those which was targeted in the badger culls and which was very active until recently. As we were gathering footage of the damage and calling the police, the hunt ended up riding back towards us, going on the run again when they realised. With the third sab arriving soon, we asked her to meet the police down the road and bring them into where the sett is, freeing up one of the sabs in the field to run back to Collinpark Wood where the hounds were speaking once again. Knowing our shortcuts well because of the cull, she was able to find her way quickly through part of the wood and over a stream, Mark (huntsman) immediately attempting to call the hounds back from the fox they were chasing as she ran into sight. With the majority of hounds ignoring him, the sab sprinted across the fields and was able to rate the hounds as they checked, getting them to leave the scent. A landowner who had been in the area drove towards her to ask what she was doing and turned out to be more angry at the hunt being on his land and terrifying his flock of sheep, merely asking her to try and stay to the footpaths. Definitely following a trail then... Making their way through the large wood, the hunt ended up back near to Pauntley Court, the police now at the blocked sett and one of the other sabs able to drive around to Pauntley as well. Finally trudging through a field of sand-pretending-to-be-soil, field sab was pleased to get into a vehicle for a sit-down after hours of being on foot. This lasted all of 5 seconds as a fox ran across the road in front of the vehicle with hounds only half a minute behind. Mark ignored our warnings that they were on a fox as we rated the hounds and sprayed the line with citronella and they picked up on the scent further down the field and ran back into Collinpark Wood again. There was a bit of back-and-forth between the wood and Pauntley Court for the next half an hour before the hunt moved off in the Poolhill area and ended up in Cobhill Rough. We lost them for a while, but stayed nearby until they packed up around dusk. Very happy to have seen a fox (albeit and exhausted one) running away from the hounds at one point, now lost by the hunt. Without your help, we would not be able to gather the footage we do or fuel our vehicles (which we still need at some points, even on days when were out on foot). Well be out over the Christmas period, naturally, so help us out if you can by donating or sharing our reports! Any extra money from this equipment fundraiser will go towards fuel: gogetfunding/project/sabbing-equipment-fund 3C
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:00:57 +0000
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