15/12/2024
Luckington’s wildlife was traumatised once again yesterday, as the Duke of Beaufort Hunt imposed their entitled and barbaric criminal behaviour upon it, once again.
With the predictability of night turning to day, we found them first from the skies, hounds flushing wildlife from the small wood at Luckington Court first it was deers turn to to be hunted - with the hounds on the scent of the deer giving chase through a cover crop. Eventually, they lose the scent and move to Widleys Gorse, the scene of a a kill two weeks ago filmed on our drone - which was then brought down in a pre-planned attack by the hunt.
With our friends Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch who joined us and mates Bristol Hunt Saboteurs we filled our vehicles with sabs, and set off. We were joined today by another new sab, it’s always brilliant to have new sabs - so get in touch if you’d like to help us in the fields, we will welcome you, take care of you in the field, and teach you all you need to stop these barbaric barstards. We are going to need a fleet of landies at this rate! Please DM us to find out more.
Footsabs were already inland at the western side of Widleys at the point they were spotted, and soon saw the first fox of the day flee south, two hunt whistles were blown, as was the huntsman’s horn, along with his voicecalls of “hunt for it”.
Sabs rated the hounds using whips and voice calls, and sprayed the fox’s scent, almost immediately they were ambushed by several vehicles and thugs, one of which claiming to be the landowner, and definitely looked like a Hibbard - though there isn’t really a lot to tell this lot apart. (Nice of them to confirm who they are for the Setcion 3 offence, permitting land to be used for illegal hunting).
He was accompanied by an elderly woman who relished her opportunity to “swat” sabs whilst enjoying the protection of the thugs, cowardly lot they are. The other usual suspects Tasker et al, also throwing their considerable weight around.
The violence was accompanied by the usual cries off “get orf my land”, and it served to allow the huntsman and hounds to slip away to pursue the next fox, unlucky for the huntsman the fox chose to break right in front of our landy sabs, who were positioned on the eastern end, landy sabs liberally sprayed the foxes line and waited.
With the drone now overhead too, the huntsman instead took the hounds across to Commonwood farm and then onto Ladyswood. Eventually they exited on the main road, with the usual carnage - the Kershaw landrover (a hunt follower who almost got a hound killed a couple of weeks ago) reversing up the road on wrong side, and into the hounds - and then blocking the traffic for eternity, a spooked horse in front of the queuing hunt support broke out from a field and into the traffic, a Beaufort supporter driving around with their kid sat on the windowsill of the rear car, all captured on our camera and we are continuing to push for these feral vandals to be given the CPN they so richly deserve.
Soon after they headed to Hundred Acre Farm, and so did we. Sabs went inland again, a foot team was perfectly positioned to cover the fleeing fox - hounds only moments behind - sabs used whips, spray and voice here to turn the hounds around buying the fox precious moments. All on film.
Wiltshire Police also attended around this time, with several units, unusually focusing on the hunt these days - rather than us - which is a marked difference from their past history, which normally involved them either protecting the hunt and targetting our sabs - or even on horseback riding with the hunt as members - for some of them at least!
We certainly won’t ever forget 53 of them turning up to protect the Avon Vale and the targetting of sabs 2 years ago. Wilts Police and the pro hunt PCC are still washing the egg off their faces following the AV’s convictions last year. We don’t forget - but the Rural Crime Team who at least seem to be making an effort finally to do something about the organised wildlife crimes that occurs on private land with landowners consent.
Could it possibly be, the hunts are finding it increasingly harder to pull the wool, or even pull the police’s strings? Who knows, but we do know that the hunt chose this time to do what they always do when the cops are around - flee into the deer park, particularly Allen Grove - their go-to favorite hide out when the going gets tough.
That said - it didn’t stop them hunting, with several police cars positioned on the roads around the wood, huntsman’s calls of “hunt for it” and the hounds intermittently speaking could still be heard, they have zero shame.
The morning was bad enough but it was fox central in the afternoon with foxes spotted fleeing as sabs were in the deer park, one fox fled across the front of Badminton House towards the kennels, and another was seen by a second foot team fleeing across to the Tynings.
Bristol Landy also covered a fox fleeing from vicarage plantation towards Centre Walk Brake, but by now with light fading the hunt took a last hurrah to try and pick up the scent for that one, with drone battery power struggling by this point, we managed to follow on for some of it, but can’t be sure what happened there.
Shortly after we encountered the hunt again on the road at Giants Cave, hounds and horses in the dark flying out onto the winding lanes with zero regard for anyone or anything. Earlier the drone had also captured the moment the hounds out of control took both lanes of the carriage way and racing down the curved road and into the path of oncoming motorcyclists, who thankfully were travelling below the NSL and mangaged to slow down in time.
In amongst all this Terrierthug Tasker attempting to intimidate our landy team threw himself in front of the landy, (probably drunk) where he lay in front on the ground for a little while crying that he’d been hit, we checked to see if he was still the same foul mouthed cretin, and sadly report that he survived the drama of throwing himself to the ground. The video is amusing to say the least.
With Christmas approaching there is no peace for the wildlife at Christmas time as hunts up the intensity of the spectacles for the depraved followers desperate for a glimpse of a small animal being hunted to death. We therefore will also be upping our efforts to stop them, any help to keep us in the fields and the skies would be greatly appreciated.
Reel with more images to follow.
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