Dumb and Dummer: West Mids Hunt Sabs film illegal hare hunting

When West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs arrived at a Dummer Beagles meet in Great Wolford, Warwickshire, they launched their drone to assist the foot team in locating the hunt.

However, not realising the drone was above them, the Dummer Beagles carried on hunting with huntsman Stephen Duckmanton casting the beagles out across a field in the hope of finding the scent of a hare. It wasn’t long before a hare was put up. In the footage A hare waits until the last second before quickly putting a field between itself and the chasing pack of beagles.

Footage of illegal hare hunting is extremely rare. In the infamous Hunting Office ‘smokescreen’ webinars beagle packs were advised to pack up as soon as hunt saboteurs turn up. This is because the “trail hunting” smokescreen is a lot harder for foot packs to pull off than it is for mounted fox hunts. This footage shows what hare hunts get up to when they don’t think there are hunt sabs about

Duckmanton and other members of the hunt can be seen standing by and watching as the pack of beagles followed the exact line the hare had taken across the field, past the terrierman also watching on his quad bike and into the next field. No one from the hunt did anything to stop the pack of beagles who carried on following the scent of the hare for several more fields.

The ground-breaking footage captured by West Mids Hunt Sabs’ drone shows blatant hunting and also shows the reason hare hunts are so keen to pack up and leave once hunt sabs turn up. They know if they carry on hunting it won’t be long before the smokescreen falls away and illegal hare hunting is revealed.

This is yet more evidence of why the Government needs to act on its promise to strengthen the Hunting Act.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs said:

“Why is it that hare coursers are dealt with swiftly by police yet hare hunts – who do exactly the same – are left alone by the police. The only difference is one is carried out by rich landowners with power and connections whilst the other is carried out by trespassers. The secret deal scandal between the Warwickshire Hunt and Warwickshire Police has left hunters in Warwickshire thinking that they are untouchable and free to do as they please . We wonder how many organised hare hunts Warwickshire Police have taken action against compared to hare coursers.”

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