Did anybody happen to watch this last night? It was on BBC4, I've forgotten the name of the village as I only managed to catch about 10 minutes of it.

What I saw was absolutely disgusting, it was the foxhunt - The hunters ( men, women & children ) went out looking for foxes and set their hounds after them. When they found the fox hole - one of the men blocked the hole with a big piece of wood then they got shovels out and began to dig!

Finally they reached the fox as it had nowhere to go and as it tried to scramble out from the ground the hounds were set upon it.

If this is what these people do for entertainment - then thank f**k I don't live in such a backwards, inbred sh*thole.

I'm glad I didnt watch it mate.. I would have come on here and frankly lost it big time.

There is NO need in the world for fox hunting as far as I'm concerned.

Its slaughter- pure and simple.

Were they upperclass snobs as well?
If so - says it all really-- and they say upperclass people are better than the lower class people, I very much disagree!

It's on again on the 13th October. The village was called Ditchling in East Sussex:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/storyville/very-english-village.shtml

Does anyone fancy going down, blocking all the exit roads with wood and then setting a few hungry dogs on the villagers?

Probably fighting a lost cause here so PLEASE don't shout or have a go at me...

But that program did NOT show a typical fox hunt - it was in no way anything like anything I have ever seen and I have been out with several hunts over Yorkshire and Derbyshire. None of the huntsmen I know would ever go out of their way like that to try and catch a fox. I was disgusted at the their actions, as were many other hunters I know.

Maybe it's just because our dogs were too fat, but we only ever caught one fox and that was because he had two very broken back legs, and was dying a very slow and painful death. The dogs didn't go anywhere near it, and instead it was shot by the leader of the hunt - putting it out of its misery quickly and painlessly. In fact, hunting for us was more like being on a drag hunt as our dogs were so useless!!

There is a need to contol foxes, but I'm not going to go into that right now, I just wanted to say that it wasn't a "typical" village at all in that respect - and to stop people having a go at fox hunters in general as we are NOT like that program showed at all.

Now set your dogs on me...

Originally posted by sheff_minx
Probably fighting a lost cause here so PLEASE don't shout or have a go at me...

But that program did NOT show a typical fox hunt - it was in no way anything like anything I have ever seen and I have been out with several hunts over Yorkshire and Derbyshire. None of the huntsmen I know would ever go out of their way like that to try and catch a fox. I was disgusted at the their actions, as were many other hunters I know.

Maybe it's just because our dogs were too fat, but we only ever caught one fox and that was because he had two very broken back legs, and was dying a very slow and painful death. The dogs didn't go anywhere near it, and instead it was shot by the leader of the hunt - putting it out of its misery quickly and painlessly. In fact, hunting for us was more like being on a drag hunt as our dogs were so useless!!

There is a need to contol foxes, but I'm not going to go into that right now, I just wanted to say that it wasn't a "typical" village at all in that respect - and to stop people having a go at fox hunters in general as we are NOT like that program showed at all.

Now set your dogs on me...




I would not waste my time setting dogs on you & I certainly would not let my dogs anywhere near people like you - when I say you please understand I mean people who condone this dispicable 'sport' you, i am sure are a good person, but what you do disgusts me & makes me sick & I think you should all be shot. A need to control foxes ? a need to control the sick individuals who partake in this 'sport' I think.

Originally posted by sheff_minx
Maybe it's just because our dogs were too fat, but we only ever caught one fox and that was because he had two very broken back legs

How did the legs get broken?

I'm very tired of the 'foxes need to be controlled / they're vermin etc.' rhetoric that people use to justify their sport.

Things change, traditions die out (such as living in caves and hunting with clubs). Get over it.

What I really really hate about the pro-hunt lobby is the way they claim to speak for everyone who lives in rural areas when they most certainly do not. As many, if not more people in rural areas are in fact opposed to hunting; and I'm not talking about town people who move out there either.

It's not a 'class' thing, the scumbags who go badger baiting are working class and they're just as bad. None of this is necessary. My family kept livestock and the only 'vermin' that caused any bother were rats. Not that long ago Otters were seen as 'vermin' too, and since hunting them was outlawed no harm has come to any livestock as a result. Foxes primarily take smaller creatures (rat sized) not lambs. That's a myth. They will indeed take fowl, but the simple way to remedy this is to have sheds. Unfortunately the hunt dogs did take cats and small dogs and savage them on many an occasion. And during the Waterloo Cup locals had to keep their pets under lock and key, not to mention homes and cars as for several days the crime rate would soar.

OK I said not to have a go - freedom of speech and all that, but I'm going to try and reply to all of the posts, before getting back to the topic.

Lindseyw - not a lot I can say to that, it's your view and you're entitled to it. I just happen not to agree with it.

alcheresearch - The legs were already broken when we found the fox, it was nothing to do with us or our dogs. I think you'll agree that we did the poor animal a favour. Nobody complains when a horse is shot for having broken legs and living will just prolong its suffering. This scenario was exactly the same as that, just involving a fox instead of a horse. I agree that things change and traditions do die out, but this was a tradition that was still in full flow and not about to die out by itself.

Mathom - I do not claim to speak for everybody in rural areas - i clearly stated that it was my opinion based on my experiences. In the rural area I come from, it is about 50/50 for and against hunting, with the majority of the pro-hunters being farmers, landowners and those whose livelihoods are deeply involved in the workings of the countryside. We lost many chickens to foxes, despite having sheds, and it cost us a lot of money. None of the dogs I have hunted with have ever shown any sign of attacking anybody's pet, and I have never heard of this before. Our dogs would find a scent and then follow it. When there was no scent around the just ran alongside us, they didn't ever go and savage an animal just for the hell of it. And if they did show any sign of going off the scent, they would be called back by the huntsman - the dogs were very well disciplined animals.

Now I only posted on this thread to say that the portrayal of hunters in the program was entirely wrong. These media images that turn many neutral people against hunters and I find this is incredibly unfair, as if, for example, a program showed a group of football hooligans and said "this is what all football fans do", everybody would be up in arms about it. It is exactly the same situation, and I apologise if my views upset or offend anybody (although I shouldn't have to). But there you go.

Firstly - you can help a fox with broken legs by putting a bandage around them, calling a vet, taking care of it, calling the RSPCA etc . . etc . . YOU THINK SHOOTING IT IS DOING IT A FAVOUR?:gag: :loopy: Next time you have a broken leg - we'll send you to the front line in Baghdad eh?

Also, If you think that foxes are such pests to your chickens etc. . . why not strengthen the sheds???????????

How much does an average hunt cost? - why not spend that money on a stronger barn door - you absolute f***in' muppet!

I posted on this thread to point out that the program did not portray hunting in its true light, not to get into an arguement about whether the sport is right or wrong.

You are entitled to your views and I am entitled to mine - I don't go round calling you a ****ing muppet because you don't agree with me do I? So why do you think you have the right to do that to me because of my views on a subject?

sheff minx, I'm not a great supporter of fox hunting, but neither do I believe that I somehow have a moral superiority.

Presumably Lestat and Angelus are vegan and wear plastic shoes, to hear them talk of animal welfare the way they do.

You can be sure, when someone reverts to the equivalent of shouting insults, that they have no argument ,no capability to discuss, and are just blustering - because it's what they think they do best (when in fact is what they do best, is giving in to the urge to post a reply even though they have nothing useful to add).

I've not seen the footage, but that sort of practice was always connected to fox hunting, not necessarily to all hunts though.

But the 'it's so cruel' argument is laughable coming out of the mouth of anyone other than a Jain monk, if you consider the amount of needless death and cruelty inflicted on animals, in industrial quantities, by the meat industry. Let alone industries were animals are not the primary focus, yet still suffer enormously.

Originally posted by Phanerothyme
sheff minx, I'm not a great supporter of fox hunting, but neither do I believe that I somehow have a moral superiority.

Presumably Lestat and Angelus are vegan and wear plastic shoes, to hear them talk of animal welfare the way they do.

You can be sure, when someone reverts to the equivalent of shouting insults, that they have no argument ,no capability to discuss,

Sorry mr intelligent. I should have realised that because you have an unpronouncable name that you are of course always right.

Fox-hunting is wrong, the killing of any animal in this way is wrong - chasing it till it has nowhere to run and then letting dogs rip it to pieces IS cruel. You seem to think that we should shut up and not argue because cruelty towards animals happens within companies too. . . Your right - it does, and if you've not noticed people are fighting against this too.

There is a very big arguement against hunting foxes in this way, the sooner it is stopped the better.

Mod: As people don't seem to be able to contain their temper this thread is being closed.