Mid-Week Murder At Your Local Hunt

Saturday might be the most prestigious day for fox hunters, but for hardcore supporters, mid-week is where the real action is.

It’s easy to see why. The countryside is so much quieter mid-week, with fewer members of the public around to ask awkward questions. Almost all hunts therefore have a mid-week meet, with some gathering as many as three times in addition to the Saturday. Even hunts that deploy the ridiculous ‘smokescreen’ of trail hunting on a Saturday will have no such theatrics in place Monday to Friday.

Of course, hunt sabs mobilise against mid-week hunting whenever time and funds allow – here is just some of the direct-action sabs took last week.

On Monday 28th February, West Mids sabs were in action against the Warwickshire Hunt. Sabs were very familiar with the meet and therefore able to prevent any kills. Tuesday 1st March saw Hertfordshire and Northants sabs out against the notorious Cottesmore Hunt. The small mid-week sab team endured homophobic abuse from the so-called ‘stewards’ but again stopped any killing. The following day, Wiltshire & Severn Vale sabs descended on the hare killers of the Wiltshire & Infantry Beagles who retreated to their kennels with military precision!

Thurday 3rd March saw Peak District and Sheffield at the South Notts Foxhounds. Surprised by the mid-week sab presence, the grumbling hunters had no choice but to hack around the roads for a couple of hours – job done! The working week finished for sabs with Three Counties unblocking badger setts at the Ledbury Hunt, while Nottingham sabs endured quagmire conditions – but little real hunting – at the Belvoir.

A HSA spokesperson commented:

“We see some truly appalling cruelty and chaos at hunts on a typical Saturday. But the sad reality – especially since the Hunting Act – is that mid-week meets are where the really serious hunting happens. We know therefore that mid-week sabbing has a particularly damaging effect on hunts. The simple reality is that the more members and supporters the HSA has, the more we can do to support hunt saboteurs…every day of the week.”