Thirty-two years on from the controversy of the Barle stag, the excuses may have changed, but for the hunted stag the suffering is horribly familiar.
More than three decades have passed since the death of the Barle stag became one of the most notorious episodes associated with stag hunting on Exmoor. Yet for those who witnessed what happened on Saturday 12th September 2026, the events along the River Barle carried disturbing echoes of the past – a past that, sadly, does not seem so very different from the present.
On Saturday, this magnificent stag was found quickly in the boggy woodland below Twitchen, and from there the pursuit began.
A sab from North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs struggled to keep pace as he was chased across Molland Common and West Anstey Common. He crossed a road only moments before sabs arrived.
From there, the stag continued towards the River Barle at Mountsey Castle. It was there that sabs saw him bursting across a track in front of point riders and a quad bike before heading down and into the river.
By this stage the pursuit had clearly taken a terrible toll on the animal. Relays of hounds are typically deployed in pairs during stag hunting, allowing a pursuit to continue for hours. On this occasion the chase lasted around two hours before the stag was brought to bay.
“At bay” is a hunting term to describe the point at which a hunted stag has stopped fleeing and turns to face his pursuers. It is often the culmination of an exhausting chase: an animal pushed to the point where escape is impossible, confronted by those pursuing him and facing what may come next.
The powerful wild animal who had crossed miles of difficult country was now struggling simply to continue. He was heaving for breath and, at one point appeared to be unable to even hold his head up properly. Instead of running, he was reduced to a slow walk.
And still the pursuit continued.
This is the image that cuts through the arguments used to defend stag hunting. Whatever terminology, smokescreen or justification is employed, it boils down to an exhausted, tormented animal desperately trying to keep moving.
A sab entered the river after him, the Barle was shallow after a summer of drought. The river offered a moment of respite for the animal, he even managed a slow trot upstream, with the cooling water seeming to relieve him slightly, despite everything he had already endured.
A hound was also in the river, but appeared not to have picked up the scent. The sab continued to follow, the stones underfoot were slippery, making progress difficult while they also tried to protect their camera equipment and preserve the footage already recorded. The footage in stag hunting is important.
Documenting is particularly important in stag hunting, because intervention at the final stages can be extraordinarily difficult.
During fox hunts, direct intervention by saboteurs can sometimes give a hunted animal the opportunity to escape. With an exhausted stag standing at bay, the situation is quite different.
On several occasions, sabs have managed to reach a stag standing at bay and position themselves close to the animal. Their presence may offer some protection for a limited period, but the stag is already frightened and exhausted.
Pressure continues and if the stag is frightened into moving again, even one final desperate burst can take him beyond the immediate protection of saboteurs.
If the stag cannot be saved, then at the very least what happens to him should not be hidden. People should be able to see what these animals endure and understand what the pursuit at the heart of this so-called “sport” actually looks like.
The hunts gunman, Shaun Kelloway, then dismounted from his horse, and carrying his gun, began following the stag on foot along the riverbank.
Sabs were hindered and obstructed by hunt supporters, while further ahead hounds could be heard being “hunted on”.
Yet despite everything – the woodland, the commons, the roads, the hills and finally the river, this extraordinary animal kept moving.
But no matter what he did, ultimately it was futile. A few minutes later the shot came.
For those familiar with the history of stag hunting on Exmoor, the location carries another equally dark association: the Barle Stag.
The video, images and account of what happened then prompted outrage.
More than three decades have now passed, laws have changed, hunting wild mammals with dogs has been banned. Yet here we still are writing about the pursuit of another stag across Exmoor and the same cruelty inflicted upon wild animals.
A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said:
“The ongoing cruelty of stag hunting is why the Government’s forthcoming legislative changes matter.
Any new law intended to address hunting must deal with what actually happens on the ground, rather than leave behind loopholes, smokescreens or excuses that allows the pursuit and suffering of wild animals to continue.
No animal should be chased across miles of countryside until he is heaving for breath with exhaustion. Enough is enough.”
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