Cubbing – the sick form of hunting used to train their new hounds – is already underway in parts of the country. Cubbing takes place in the early morning or late afternoon when the summer day is cooler, and the scenting conditions are better for inexperienced hounds.
Last Saturday, Devon County Hunt Sabs were tipped off about an evening cubbing meet of the Eggesford Hunt at Ingleigh Green. Two sabs followed huntsman Jason Marles and his whipper-in Jade on foot, while a sab drone unit followed proceedings from above. Marles put hounds into hedgerows, maize fields, waist-high cover crop and dense woodland in his search for cubs to hunt.
Sabs intervened when hounds started ‘marking’ – scrabbling at an earth – where a terrified fox had taken refuge. Another fox was briefly hunted but, again, sabs were well positioned to stop the hounds.
Unbelievably, a gullible police patrol said, “The hunt told us they’ve laid a trail” as hounds were audibly in cry in the valley and landowners were trying to chase the trespassing hunt off their land.
Despite the late hour, it was far too hot for hounds to be out. They took every opportunity to lie in and drink from the stream in the valley, an option not available to the poor terriers who were stuffed into a sweltering box mounted on the hunt’s quad bike.
Like all sab groups, Devon County will be out every Saturday to save as many fox cubs as they can. Please tip them off about the Eggesford or any other Devon hunt on 07717473305 and support their work here:
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We are the only organisation that works directly in the field to save wildlife through direct action.
