hunting with dog's....

[squirelpoo]

is there really no other way, i know this topic will no doubt be abit hot headed, but it seems so barbaric

[RATTER15]

The trouble with this subject is it has been discussed so many times by people who have no idea what they are talking about, they just want to jump up and down and scream "blood sport" it all just gets a bit boring. (in my humble opinion) OK, so now I will get shot!!

[squirelpoo]

i understand that, im sorry for going over old ground, but to try and understand why, its difficult,

[RATTER15]

Squirellpoo, what is it you dont understand?

[saxy_jag]

I've seen a fox killed by hounds. The lead hound chased it over a wall and took it by its throat. The second hound went in to help, and by the time the rest of the pack reached it a couple of seconds later, believe me, it would have been dead. It had run for no more than about a mile.

There are alternatives:

1) Gassing/poisoning. Long, slow, agonising.

2) Shooting. OK if the marksman scores a direct hit and kills outright. If not, the animal crawls away and dies slowly and in pain.

3) It gets hit by a car. Actually, more foxes died like this than were ever killed by hunts.

4) Trapping. Yeah.

5) Flush it out of its den and club it to death, or grab it by the scruff of its neck and shoot it through the head.

6) Just leave it. Foxes DO raid poultry houses and occasionally take new born lambs. This hasn't been too great a problem in the past, but if numbers were to increase, then it would be. Then we'd revert to pre-foxhunting days where an assorted mob would be despatched to kill the animal in whatever way they fancied (see above).

But the debate is somewhat academic now, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[jake-the-peg]

In a quick straw poll 100% of my chickens were in favour of hunting foxes!

Having said this I find it strange that if hunting with hounds is the best way of doing it that
a) A number of hunts used to manipulate the environment to make it favorable for foxes to breed and produce young.
b) Rento-Kill do not turn up in riding pinks

And whatever about what my chickens think about foxes being a menace none of them had a problem about hares - I've certainly seen more hares about in the last couple of years than ever before.

I agree it certainly seems to get a lot of people really worked up on both sides, personally I always thought there were more important things for parliamentry time to be spent on which seemed to draw abuse from both sides.

Oh well c'st la vie

[ganesh]

I know foxes can be a menace to chickens ect, but not all farmers think they are, some of them are anti-hunt as well.
The hunters admit that they rarely catch them so it cannot keep the population down. They let them breed (and have been caught releasing them) in order for their barbaric sport. I know some hunters and they do it because they enjoy it, not for the good of the countryside, which I live in and have always lived in,
They are now breaking the law and I hope that one day they will be stopped and imprisoned. They think because they do not agree with the law that they can break it.

[horsestache1]

Is this another fox hunting question, or about any hunting with dogs?

[RATTER15]

I think its just a question about hunting with dogs but any such question will always be hijacked by the anti fox hunting brigade. I think most of us are sick with this debate by now, no matter what you views are.

I can see the argument from both side and neither side will give an inch so it seems a pointless debate.

[ganesh]

I'm sorry, I did not want to hijack the question, I thought the lady was referring to fox-hunting, but anyway I hate all hunting and I do not accept that it is necessary.
Only a very small minority in the countryside hunt(including a relative of mine) and I just wish that they would admit theyre doing it for fun and not make out that it is necessary for the welfare of the countryside.No-one needs to hunt with or without dogs.
That,therefore is my answer to the original question.
By the way, they still fox-hunt, so the debate isn't exactly 'academic' is it?

[squirelpoo]

maybe a towns person like me doesnt really understand the need to cull foxes and badgers and staggs and deer and rabbits etc, the needs are there obviousley, but its just the manor in which its done that makes me sick, why are staggs hunted with dogs, are they eating all the chickens aswell, its just not needed,

[ganesh]

I agree with you entirely, but as a country person, I still say that there is no real need for culling or hunting. So let nature take its course, and dont be fooled by them just because you live in a town and they think you dont understand.

[RATTER15]

See what I mean, some people are so completely blinkered, they cannot see anything past the bloodsport thing, this is why I gave up answering these questions long ago.

[ganesh]

Actually if you look at the previous answer , (squirrelpoo),this is the lady that asked the original question! This IS what the discussion is supposed to be about.

[lankeela]

Me too Ratter. Fed up with being told what I think and feel by people who would not accept my opinion anyway.

[dummkopf]

Quote:
Me too . Fed up with being told what I think and feel by people who would not accept my opinion anyway.
Exactly !
I'm fed up with being told that as a 'townie' I don't understand "country issues"

[horsestache1]

So..... Its not OK to "rat" with terriers, or to hunt "one for the pot" (rabit, hare)?

NB Badgers are NOT hunted at all, and most fox hunts are now drag hunts.

[dummkopf]

Personally, I do not agree with any 'sporting' activity which involves cruelty to animals.

[horsestache1]

Ratting is NOT a sporting activity, it's vermin control

[dummkopf]

sporting in inverted commas !