I am by no means an expert at foxhunting as I have only been a couple of times and that was just driving around and more a case of socialising and never actually saw anything. However, I have seen one fox killed by my house and I have to say it was totally instant and then the rest of the hounds pulled it apart (no other nice way of saying it). That fox was dead by that time though.

In my limited experience, there are cases where foxes do need the hounds. I encountered it a few times where I previously lived which was very much a hunting area, as well as being a keepered area. It was an uplands area which was difficult to to get to in vehicles for lamping. I imagine the packs in the Lakes on the top of the fells need hounds as well, asit would be very hard to lamp them.

There is propoganda on both sides but I do feel the very much pro hunters, used it a lot when trying to prevent the ban, which I don't think did them any favours. They basically "dissed" all other control methods and turned a lot of shooters, that I knew at the time, against them. They really didn't do themselves any favours.

Still agree with the repeal though!

Helen

I imagine they mean they couldn't get a clean shot (didn't even fire a shot) and it got away.

Heln

Possibly - but having seen Landrovers and quads zipping around the hills, with the lamp obviously following something and various shots being fired, I would assume that the keeper is desperately trying to shoot the moving target.

Because a gun is indiscriminate.

I will shoot any fox regardless of age or condition because im asked to while hounds usually only take the elderly or sick as they dont have the stamina to get away.Its these foxes which cause the most problems for gameshoots and poultry owners etc because they take the easier method for feeding.

Dawn is correct with lamping them,but i have better success with a squeeker-literally whats inside a dog toy and a good smelly bait like a split open rabbit.

What about the ones that do get away and are then dug out and thrown to the hounds? That's not really indiscriminate is it?

Too many bad practices in hunting and shooting imo

That is at the land owners discretion. Many want the Fox left if it goes to ground, some will want them killed, if they are causing them problems. You are providing a service for the land owner.

Indeed and many myths pushed to try and hide what is essentially a blood sport and nothing to do with population control or conservation imo.

Regardless, it blows the whole "only the sick or elderly are killed" right out of the water, and as such shows that hunting with hounds would be equally as indiscriminate as lamping and shooting are.

Like Dawn explained-if a farmer wants the fox destroyed at any cost then thats what will happen.If however the farmer liken hunts for the sheer spectacle then the fox lives for another day.

It really is that simple Rips.

Yep very simple: it's nothing to do with population control! Destroying a healthy fox who manages to escape will not help the fox population as people claim hunting with hounds does!

And I wouldn't call chasing down an animal across the countryside for no reason a spectacle, abhorrent maybe, but certainly not a spectacle.