6th December 2017
On Campaigning In The Back Of Beyond
Hounds Off 'No Hunting' notices lined the routes to the Holderness Hunt meet at Churchlands Farm, Winestead, East Yorkshire, on Tuesday December 5 2017.
Lynn Massey-Davis contacted Hounds Off when she heard that the Holderness Hunt was meeting in the next village on 5 December 2017. We helped Lynn to spread #foxylove around her neighbourhood before, during (and after) the suspected illegal hunt. She wrote this blog for us to share and, hopefully, inspire;
I live near Hull and there are many things I am grateful for in my life and one of those things is my love of wildlife and respect for living things which brings me more joy than I can express. The two people I hold responsible for inspiring me on this course are my dad, Bill Massey, a lorry driver and Sir David Attenborough, one of the greatest naturalists of all time. It is these two men, plus one other who inspired me to lead a single-handed campaign against the Holderness Hunt who met in Winestead yesterday, close to where I live.
When I found out the hunt were meeting here I went online to find out if there were any local groups who could help me make it unscomfortable for them and deter them from coming to my patch ever again and there were none. It was hardly surprising, Patrington where I live is 16 miles the wrong side of Hull and no one wants to travel that far, ever! That is why our landscape and wildlife heritage is so wonderful. We have foxes, badgers, owls and even albino hares. As birdwatchers know too, we have the best views available of migrating birds every spring and autumn.
The people too are pretty spectacular – characterful, quirky, old fashioned but independent and free spirited, who love the fact that few fashionable people venture this far.
Being almost alone what could I do? It was unsafe to monitor the hunt directly, but I could still fulfil the main aims of my campaign, to make my opposition to hunting and concern for wildlife known. You too can achieve something even if you are just one. So here, are some ideas for a lone campaigner against a hunt:
Use the internet
We hear so much about the evils of social media, but this is a chance to use it for good. I connected with every anti hunt group I could. Now there are some of them who express their feelings there in a way I wouldn’t choose to myself to be sure, but they are a mine of information and support. It was on Facebook that I found Hounds Off and received masses of helpful guidance.
I also sent emails to the RSPCA, our local wildlife trust and our local newspaper.
From the comfort of my study I researched useful information such as details about the farm where the meet took place and found out that it actually belongs to the Church of England. This made me think, can the church as landlords and one of the biggest land owners in the country be persuaded to do what the National Trust failed to do? My thinking on this is still a work in progress so watch this space…
Use the traditional media
I created a police log where I recorded my concerns that in an area full of wildlife the Hunt were almost certain to break the law. I then wrote a letter to our weekly newspaper explaining how people could report the Hunt using this log number. It was printed and loads of people found me and expressed support.
Write letters
As the advice on this page suggests, emails and letters record your intent. I put the hunt on notice and my letter has been passed around as a template to other groups so that they can use the form of words which are factual, cool and yet firm. I must have rattled them since it came back to me that they had distributed my picture to the followers. Naturally I was concerned so I told the police.
Raise Awareness
At the weekend I printed off and laminated about 50 signs to put around the area. I took someone with me as a witness and to make me feel secure. We asked people if we could put them up on their land. We put up dozens and people were so grateful to me and my staple gun. Of all the people we asked we only had 3 refusals and the aggression which two of them showed was all on their side. I was resolutely polite – you do get an amazing view from the moral high ground.
Schools, colleges public bodies, allotment societies and businesses are often supportive and may give you permission to put up signs in their property. But learn from my mistake, put the signs well inside fences or the hunt followers may tear them down.
I don’t know whether my actions and those of my two helpers saved any foxes yesterday but as they say, Rome wasn’t build in a day. I’m in this for the long haul.
I began this blog by saying I have been inspired by my dad, Sir David and one other. The one other is William Wilberforce born in and later MP for Hull. He didn’t give up easily and spent his whole life campaigning against slavery to win victory as an old man. As I am a descendant of Preacher John Newton, one of Wilberforce’s collaborators I can think of no better guide on this journey. One-day justice will prevail.
© Lynn Massey-Davis
Lynn is a teacher and freelance writer who has lived in Holderness for the last 25 years. She has a family and too many animals and her favourite species of animals are wombats.
5th August 2017
Outfoxed Again by Mike Huskisson; a book review
Quorn Foxhounds, 4 Oct 1991. A fox cub is evicted from its underground refuge and forced to run for its life. Seconds later the hounds, standing back but waiting for this moment with the Huntsman, are unleashed.
Still from video taken by Mike Huskisson, featured in Outfoxed Again (AWIS, 2017. ISBN 978-0-9933822-1-5)
Mike Huskisson’s latest book, Outfoxed Again, is an important read for anyone interested in the animal rights movement between 1984 and 2005 - a radical period in terms of campaigning and investigative strategies. It was Huskisson’s work (with others) on numerous front lines which, via printed media, photographs and film, brought the nightmare realities of hunting with hounds and other bloodsports especially to the attention of an animal loving nation. The resulting shock, horror and public roars of disapproval pushed forward, then achieved, real social, political and animal welfare changes during these years.
Huskisson has dedicated his life to fighting and exposing animal abuse. Outfoxed Again details his efforts, achievements, seminal scoops and exposés along the way. As in life so in animal cruelty investigations; here are 528 pages containing stomach-turning accounts of mans calculated, deranged and thoughtless inhumanity to other creatures; of roller-coaster moments, passages, chapters and also (much less glamorous) the slog - countless early starts, miles travelled, vehicle breakdowns, days in the field ‘on the job’ which turned up nothing and, yes, time in prison spent reflecting and preparing.
Huskisson is studious in crediting his backers, partners, colleagues (and opponents). Part Two of an intended trilogy, Outfoxed Again is a chronicle of Mike’s work and how he used the resources made available to him thanks to the vision and generosity of his supporters. It’s a weighty tome but vital in keeping the memory of animal suffering alive and teaching us all valuable lessons as we strive for a more compassionate future.
Buy a copy of Outfoxed Again from the Hounds Off shop. Scroll to the bottom.
Please follow this link to Mike Huskisson’s YouTube channel.
Please follow this link to Mike Huskisson’s ACIGAWIS website.
© Joe Hashman
7th March 2017
Bucks-based Kimblewick Hunt Hounds Infected With Bovine Tuberculosis - OFFICIAL
Staff College & RMS Sandhurst Draghounds helping the Kimblewick Hunt out on 210217. This was the day when Hounds Off volunteers learnt that the Buckinghamshire-based Kimblewick Hunt hounds had been infected with bovine tuberculosis.
It has just been confirmed that the Kimblewick Hunt hounds have contracted bovine tuberculosis. Hounds Off now calls for the immediate blanket suspension of all hunting by all packs of hounds pending further information and enquiries.
That hunting with hounds poses a biosecurity risk, especially in relation to spreading bovine tuberculosis, comes as no surprise. We have been raising this issue for some time now. Confirmation that a pack of registered foxhounds in Buckinghamshire has contracted the disease should set alarm bells ringing. The question marks surrounding hunting and biosecurity, the risks which hunting with hounds pose to farm animal health, just got real and serious.
It is surely inconceivable that the self-styled “Guardians of the Countryside” can carry on like normal - or is it? As this scandal unfolds we will all be able to judge for ourselves who has the best interests of animal welfare and wildlife conservation at heart.
Hounds Off learned of the Kimblewick Hunt hounds contracting bovine tuberculosis on February 21st 2017. Here is how it happened:
Acting on information received, a small Hounds Off team recently monitored two meets of the Kimblewick Hunt in Berkshire near to where, last season, their hounds ran through a private garden. Our job was to protect this land forbidden to hunting.
On Valentines Day the meet was near Compton, a village not far from Junction 13 of the M4. It was a poorly attended hunt. We counted less than twenty riders, half a dozen car followers and three quad bikes. Twice hounds found a scent and went on cry, both times the chase ended inconclusively after five minutes with us in close attendance, cameras ready, at the sharp end. The second time hounds were running all over the road at Applepie Hill in a dodgy combination with narrow, undulating bends and fast traffic. They packed up mid afternoon and, from a monitoring perspective, we were pleased. The property we set out to protect was never in danger. One thing confused us though. The Kimblewick Hunt jacket is mustard coloured but the Huntsman on this day was wearing green. We asked around our contacts but nobody could explain.
On February 21 we returned to the Kimblewick who were hunting between Compton and Streatley. From the meet hounds took off after some deer, ran over the hills and far away. There was much hanging around and waiting. We were parked on a by-way near the village of Aldworth, watching through binoculars. A hunter wearing the Kimblewick mustard jacket disappeared after the hounds but the man in charge, the chap trying to gather hounds by calling with his voice and horn, was wearing green. Through the binos we recognised him from the week before.
Presently a blue Suzuki pulled up behind our vehicle and a lady hunt follower came over to say hello. Her name was Mary and we chatted. Mary was clearly unaware of who we were or why we were there. First thing we asked was who is the Huntsman wearing green? Mary informed us that he was Luke Chatfield from the Staff College & RMA Sandhurst Draghounds. Then she told us the reason why he was hunting and it was hard to believe!
According to Mary, the Kimblewick hounds had contracted bovine tuberculosis and the whole season “has been a write-off.” Their scheduled meets, she said, have been taken by visiting packs. On Feb 21 she said it should have been one of the Devon hunts but they pulled out at the last minute so the Draghounds, who are quite local anyway, filled in. Mary let slip that twenty-six of the Kimblewick hounds had been put down just last week.
Draghounds do genuinely hunt an artificial scent so we asked Mary what exactly was being hunted on this day; an artificial drag, fox-based trail or live quarry? She said that “accidents happen” and that she intended to stay out well into the afternoon. We know a bit about hunting and observed that things often hot up around 3pm. “Ah yes, the Three O’Clock Fox,” purred Mary with a knowing smile.
Mary said that the Duke of Beaufort Hunt was guesting on Saturday 25 Feb at Kingston Blount to finish this disastrous season, which normally runs into April. We chatted a bit more then, with the lull ongoing, she returned to sit in her car.
Efforts were still being made in the distance to gather scattered hounds and resume hunting. Presently an elderly chap walked into view and stopped to compare observations too. He was called John and, independently, confirmed that the Kimblewick hounds had contracted bovine tuberculosis. He said how they contracted bTB was “a mystery” but reckoned the “Ministry” were looking in to it.
“It’s all new,” conceded John, “the first time ever.”
Realising the profound implications for hunting if what we had just been told was officially confirmed but playing it cool, we talked about the poor show so far and wondered why the hounds were allowed to get away on the deer. Then John walked to Mary’s car and they wagged chins for a bit.
After that we were pleased to confirm that it was genuine draghunting, not fox hunting, which ensued. Apart from a dodgy five minutes when we were surrounded by estate workers, lads on quad bikes and one who sat on our bonnet to obstruct legitimate passage along a by-way (which diffused when an actual by-way sign right next to us was pointed out), it was all very half-hearted.
Immediately after the hunt had finished we put in a Freedom Of Information request to DEFRA regarding the Kimblewick revelations, then got stuck in to investigating. We soon discovered that in 2011 Irish hunting hounds were found to have been found infected with bTB.
Three days later, on Friday February 24, Hounds Off received information of an anonymous email sent to an anti hunting campaign group which, we were told, contained three salient points:
1. The Kimblewick Hunt hounds contracted bTB from eating infected cattle flesh.
2. 40 hounds have been destroyed in the last 10 days.
3. The Masters Of Foxhounds Association (MFHA) is covering the whole thing up.
Since then we have worked with the League Against Cruel Sports and Daily Mirror journalist Ben Glaze to verify as much of the above as possible. This is not our ‘story’ nor theirs. It belongs to all of us who care about wildlife conservation and animal welfare. If you are reading this and have a question, ask it. One thing is for certain - there is much more which remains unclear and needs to be found out!
© Joe Hashman
Staff College & RMS Sandhurst Draghounds helping the Kimblewick Hunt out on 210217. This was the day when Hounds Off volunteers learnt that the Buckinghamshire-based Kimblewick Hunt hounds had been infected with bovine tuberculosis.
28th February 2017
Calling Residents Of Penningtons Lane, Macclesfield & Surrounding Area
Huntsman gathers hounds from private gardens on Penningtons Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire 25.02.17
You may have read seen the news from last Saturday of hunters and a pack of hounds chasing a fox from open countryside into the edge of town, trashing property and gardens, then cornering the exhausted creature and biting it to death in a private back garden with the shocked residents terrified, upset and powerless to do anything? If not, read it here or watch it here.
I’m glad there were no Saboteurs or Monitors out with the Cheshire Forest Hunt on Saturday 25th February because you can be certain that, had there been, they would have been blamed for the pandemonium caused by the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable. As it is, the hunters cannot shift responsibility for hunting a terrified fox which sought sanctuary in the gardens and patios of a residential street on the edge of Macclesfield. Even before that fox was caught and killed the shocking reality of foxhunting was laid bare. Well done to everyone who has spoken up and not swept this outrageous animal abuse under the carpet.
Incidents like this have happened before and experience suggests will happen again. We will have to wait and see if Cheshire Police have the appetite to meaningfully investigate Saturdays events but whatever happens there is positive, practical action which every resident of Penningtons Lane can take to stop hunting in the future and it is this: make your farm, field or garden a hunt-free zone by following the simple Hounds Off formulas here.
DO ‘HOUNDS OFF’ IN CHESHIRE
Hounds Off exists precisely to support and advise anyone who wants to protect their property from hunt trespass. This website is a resource so please use it. Employ the Cost & Hassle Free Option for Warning Off your local hunt, or the Belt & Braces Approach if you want to be doubly sure. If anything at any stage is unclear then contact the Hounds Off team direct and we will help - that’s what we do.
If you live on or around Penningtons Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire (or know someone who does) please forward this blog to them and encourage them to warn the Cheshire Forest Hunt off their property.
DO ‘HOUNDS OFF’ ANYWHERE
In fact, wherever you are you can do this. There are at least 200 hunts in the UK and we suspect most of them to be engaged in illegal activity. We know that if you want to keep hounds off our wildlife, Hounds Off really works.
© Joe Hashman
1st December 2016
The Devil’s In The Detail (But Who’s Looking?)
Evidence of illegal hare hunting by the Easton Harriers. Photo courtesy Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs
HUNT TRESPASS IN WILTSHIRE
A message came to Hounds Off that hare hunting beagles breached a fence and ran into a Wiltshire garden last Saturday. Apparently the Hunt Master muttered an excuse about hunting “wounded hares”. Our Wiltshire contact said she thought hunting with dogs was banned. Something about the wounded hare excuse just didn’t ring true to us either. We asked a friend for his thoughts. He pinged them back to us in quick time.
Under the Hunting Act, there is an Exemption that allows hunting an injured hare lawfully, “for the purpose of relieving the wild mammal’s suffering” (1). However, and these are salient points in this instance, no more than two dogs may be used (2), it’s done on permitted land only (3) and the dogs must be kept under control (4).
We already know a pack was used, the hunters did not have permission to hunt in the garden and clearly they were running out of control when they did. Illegal, doncha think?
Our friend reckoned that the trespass aspect was interesting too. If the beaglers were claiming the wounded hare Exemption then they must admit to having control of their hounds - which makes the trespass deliberate. Getting to the truth would help our Wiltshire contacts should they take civil action to protect their property in future.
And here’s the frustrating bit. Why do we have to resort to civil actions? Whichever way you look at it, in 2016 hunt trespass isn’t something the anti hunting rural dweller should have to endure.
EVIDENCE OF ILLEGAL HUNTING IN SUFFOLK
As to what’s occurring with recent and ongoing allegations of illegal hare hunting in Suffolk, you might well despair. Compelling evidence gathered by Norfolk/Suffolk Hunt Saboteurs raises serious questions about the Easton Harriers and their hunting activities. Their false alibi is tenuous too. Are they claiming “rabbit hunting” or, like the Wiltshire beaglers, going after wounded hares (BBC Suffolk News online, 29 November 2016, see below)?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38146564
When Brian May tweeted that Law and Order had broken down in Suffolk, he joined a chorus calling out the blatantly obvious. We all hope the police and prosecuting authorities find a hitherto vacant will (and the expertise) to fully and forensically investigate these allegations of illegal hunting.
Two facts we suggest that detectives unpick early on:
1/ The dogs used are purpose-bred, specialist hare hunting hounds (ie harriers).
2/ The habitat and habits of hares and rabbits differ in basic ways which make it easy to establish what is the true quarry just by simple observation.
If, under proper scrutiny, the Easton Harriers claim the wounded hare Exemption then immediately they are guilty of illegal hunting for running more than two hounds. We could go on…
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Kearton of Suffolk Police has appealed for information and background intelligence. We ask her to treat this blog as both, take it seriously and positively investigate. Honestly, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work this all out!
REFERENCES
(1) Hunting Act (2004), Schedule 1 Exempt Hunting, 8 (3).
(2) Hunting Act (2004), Schedule 1 Exempt Hunting, 8 (4).
(3) Hunting Act (2004), Schedule 1 Exempt Hunting, 8 (6) (b).
(4) Hunting Act (2004), Schedule 1 Exempt Hunting, 8 (7) (b).
ACTION TO TAKE
Request Suffolk Police investigate allegations of illegal hunting by the Easton Harriers, here
Contact Suffolk Police & Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore with your concerns, here
Make your property into a nature reserve from which hunting is forbidden, here
Write to your MP and ask them to support the Hunting Act (2004), here
© Joe Hashman
22nd October 2016
It’s Good To Talk
Debating fox hunting and the Hunting Act at The Game Fair 2016. Photo credit: Oli Melzack
From the moment we had a social media presence we’ve had trolls. Online abuse is inevitable when you’re standing up to be counted. We don’t support it or partake. Hounds Off fundamentally disapproves of antisocial behaviour from anyone on any side.
We accept our own advice regarding trolls which is to, with a very rare exception, ignore them. That’s why their type always quieten down and, mostly, go away.
SPREADING FOXY LOVE
The news is often appalling. Human beings can inflict the most heinous crimes against their kind and fellow creatures. God knows, often the horror is very hard to understand or absorb. However incensed or outraged, we encourage folks in our Hounds Off community to spread foxy love instead.
To achieve the dream, foxy love must reach beyond its comfort zone and into what might be described as enemy territory. Foxy love seeks also to find common ground with people who, by whatever inclination, are practitioners of or apologists for foxy hate - folks who are not our natural bedfellows. That’s why it was great to represent Hounds Off in a debate about fox hunting and the Hunting Act at The Game Fair in July. There’s no doubt that we challenged negative stereotypes and made a few die-hard hunt supporters think, however briefly, about the cruelty which is central to the pleasure they feel from participating in ‘country sports’.
We advertised our attendance in advance so that all our trolls were informed and aware of their chance to discuss the rights and wrongs of killing for sport face to face and in the comfort of their home turf. For reasons known only to themselves, our trolls didn’t grasp their opportunity, or if they did decided to keep quiet.
NO-PLATFORM ATTEMPT
A year ago Hounds Off was represented at the Winchester Hunting Symposium. There were all sorts of smear campaigns from hunt supporters beforehand. One of our then-regular trolls even published a rubbishing blog full of lies and misinformation designed to scupper the event (it has since been removed). Additionally, as the Hounds Off representative, I was personally besmirched and accused of supporting violent protest. A pro hunt MP threatened to pull out of participating if I was given a voice. I had to answer to the organiser and he then justified my attendance to Winchester University elders who decided the outcome of this no-platform attempt. We took it as complimentary when the Countryside Alliance joined in.
It’s good to have a voice and be listened to. Hounds Off attended the Winchester Hunting Symposium and, on behalf of hunted animals, our voice was heard.
DORSET DING-DONG
Recently we had a little ding-dong in the Dorset press about the seldom-mentioned issue of Hunts killing healthy but unwanted surplus hounds. For whatever reason, the Blackmore Vale Magazine Editor closed correspondence having given a hound-killing apologist the last, and inaccurate, word.
We used our social media platforms to keep this issue alive and it was latched on to by a troll who, evidently spoiling for an online argument, was particularly prolific about a month ago.
Our troll had been sprinkling mischief here and there. We monitored his presence discreetly but, as stated earlier, are not in the habit of censoring comments. After all, it’s good to talk.
Eventually our troll settled down into a dialogue with a Hounds Off supporter and the nitty-gritty realities of trailhunting aka foxhunting.
PSEUDO-SCIENCE
Eventually, playing his believed trump card, our troll posted a link to the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management (VAWM). The VAWM works towards repeal of the Hunting Act by employing lengthy, convoluted and twisted interpretations of pseudo-science to, incredibly, justify bloodsports. When you hear the likes of Conservative Party Environment Secretary Angela Leadsom say that hunting with hounds is good for animal welfare, this is where she gets her stuff.
Although superficially persuasive, we encourage all who are tempted to look a little deeper and read between the lines. VAWM arguments in support of bloodsports are fatally flawed.
COMMUNICATING & BEING HEARD
It’s good to have a voice, to talk, to be listened to. Via our website and social media platforms, Hounds Off continues spreading news, views and foxy love, giving all-comers a safe place to express themselves and censoring rarely.
In solidarity with people who wish to protect their property, livestock and pets from hunt trespass, we offer ongoing support, help, advice and back-up.
In defence of the Hunting Act 2004, Hounds Off will carry on deconstructing the propaganda and exposing the lies of bloodsports apologists who have yet to accept that the cruel pastimes of hunting wild animals with dogs for sport have been ruled as socially unacceptable.
© Joe Hashman
29th August 2016
Make Friends, Save Lives & Influence People
The Hounds Off way of thinking is based on decades of experience. It's realistic and doable. This diagram shows how it can work (there are other ways). Use in conjunction with the resources on www.houndsoff.co.uk
In Spring 2010 a Tory landslide seemed imminent and, naturally, fears about the future of the Hunting Act occupied much of my mind. The challenge was (and remains) to find a way to stop hunting which can be effective regardless of what the law says. What became Hounds Off was an idea. Or rather, a collection of ideas.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘COUNTRY’
The hunting community knows full well that having land to tally-ho over is essential. “Country” (as they call it) is central to everything they do and having access to it is jealously guarded. Despite hunting with hounds truly being a minority pastime, the unspeakable minority operates a well oiled machine which facilitates their animal abuses of choice even though technically they’re outlawed.
AN IDEA…
Back to the idea.
“Hounds Off Our Wildlife“. The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) used to have a black and white poster with those words on complete with images of deer, fox, hare and otter. It was straight-forward and simple poster but struck a chord the first time I saw it.
“Hounds Off Our Wildlife“. That’s HOWL, the radical, informative, inspirational, ground-breaking, often entertaining voice of the HSA.
Hounds Off Our Wildlife. Hounds Off. This is what we want. Short, sharp, to the point. Does what it says on the tin, kind of thing. Did the HSA object? I asked the Committee. “No,” they said. “Carry on.”
CREATING HUNT-FREE ZONES
After quite a lot of meetings with colleagues and close friends it was decided that a website would be the best vehicle for delivering the Hounds Off message. Our plan was (and remains) to create as many No Hunting nature reserves as possible, including all sorts of land; from whole estates and farms to smallholdings and back yards. We wanted easy, universal access to the information needed to do this effectively, autonomously and with no-strings. The Internet provides an ideal platform and so www.houndsoff.co.uk was born.
The concept of creating hunt-free zones is not new. The League Against Cruel Sports started buying sanctuary land in the West Country in the 1950’s, principally to disrupt staghunting. The counter-concept of preserving hunting rights had earlier seen the formation of companies who sole purpose was to support bloodsports. In reality, Royalty has been dictating over hunting preserves for centuries. Today a whole structure exists to exert the power and control of that influential, criminal minority who like to hunt. Not everybody knows about this ‘system’ but it’s real. Anyone who has crossed their line knows about it, that’s for sure; the bullying, the ostracising, the undermining, the dismissing, the evicting. Rural peer pressure can be intense.
TOOL IN YOUR KITBAG
So where does Hounds Off come in? Well, Hounds Off empowers people. We will stand with anyone affected by hunt trespass (or the threat of it). Our motto is, “You Are Not Alone”. www.houndsoff.co.uk provides the information and tools needed to protect property, livestock and pets. Alongside bringing together a community of related minds to stand united on this issue in real life and via social media, the aims and objectives of Hounds Off today genuinely are as simple as this. Looking to the future, if you believe as we do that “available country” is a major factor in deciding whether or not a Hunt can exist, then squeezing them in that area makes perfect sense.
For Hunt Sabs, Monitors and other front-line campaigners, Hounds Off is another tool in your kitbag which can be used to scupper bloodsports and save lives. You’re meeting the outraged public, disgruntled locals, beleaguered landowners and farmers who have had enough. Please use www.houndsoff.co.uk as a resource where you can suggest folk go to find support and solutions to the problem of hunt trespass. The Action & Advice pages (Warn Off Your Local Hunt) are especially crucial!
IT’S SERIOUS!
Last autumn I was working in a wood which belongs to a Hounds Off landowner. One of my fellow volunteers told me he was living off-grid in a bender under a hedge on land owned by friends who were new to the area. The local Hunt had run their hounds through his encampment and the new owners could do nothing to prevent it. Turns out that, deep within the conditions of sale, rights to hunt over that land were protected. You can be sure similar arrangements are being made elsewhere. Aside from ongoing efforts to repeal the law, I’ve no doubt that anything and everything which could obstruct hunting in the future is being ‘dealt with’ or neutralised, often quietly and behind the scenes. This includes ensuring access to as much land as possible via sporting rights, deeds and covenants. Remember, without available country any Hunt is knackered.
HOUNDS OFF IN ACTION
The best thing we can tell you is that, since launching in September 2010, Hounds Off has helped folk across the UK and thousands of new acres of hunt-free land has been established. Where hunt-related problems persist so our support remains ongoing. The Hounds Off philosophy is simple and based on people power. Hounds Off is about being strong at our roots, resolute, standing with our friends united and, yes, these tactics are effective!
Have a look at the accompanying diagram called “How To Make Friends & Influence People”. It’s not theory - it comes from real-life experiences of how Hounds Off is working on the ground and shows how cultivating relationships between Sabs, Monitors and the public can benefit us all, including (most importantly) abused wildlife. See what you think and how you could make it relevant for your situation. Most importantly, personalise it. Make Hounds Off your own and www.houndsoff.co.uk an asset which you use.
© Joe Hashman
Feel free to reproduce appropriately and, please, always with a link to www.houndsoff.co.uk
This blog first appeared in April 2016 on the Accidental Activist website, More Than Just Badgers, and was entitled, Squeeze Them In The Country.
24th April 2016
New NO COURSING/HUNTING ‘Hare’ Notices Available Now
Download and display this No Coursing notice to help protect wildlife, your property and livestock from illegal hare coursing. No Hunting version also available.
Our downloadable No Hunting notice has proved popular with people who want to keep hounds off their properties. Until recently Hounds Off provided a fox version. Now we’ve produced one with a hare because a minority of folk still enjoy illegally hunting these magical creatures with packs of beagles, bassets and harriers. For those of you who live in areas plagued by illegal hare coursing, there’s a No Coursing notice too. You can find them all here. We advise downloading, laminating and placing strategically to reinforce your Warning Off email or letter (see Hounds Off Hassle & Cost Free Option or Belt & Braces Approach).
We would like to thank the Hare Preservation Trust for supporting Hounds Off by covering the design and production costs for this development. T-shirts, hoodies and a vehicle window sticker will soon be available too with a credit to that effect.
We’d also like to give a big up to Stu Jones and Anna Celeste Watson aka Boo & Stu Digital Design Studios. They’re part of the Hounds Off team and working closely with them is always productive. We’re pleased with our hare design and hope you approve too.
Hounds Off is about informing and empowering people who are affected by hunt trespass. Please use our No Hunting and No Coursing notices to help protect your property from illegal bloodsports.
Copyright, Joe Hashman - but please share anything here with a credit or link
20th February 2016
Working Together To Keep Hounds Off
This landowner was helped by Hunt Monitors to keep the Cheshire Forest hounds off her property on 20 February 2016.
If you’re affected by hunt trespass and contact Hounds Off for support we can often put you in touch with people who will help you on the ground. For example, one landowner in Cheshire has established a great relationship with local Hunt Monitors. When the Hunt is around they get together to keep the hounds off her land. It’s a great example of how we all work as a team.
This is the message we received from the landowner after a hunt on Saturday 20 February 2016:
Hi it’s been a wet and soggy day following the Cheshire forest hunt round, the Cheshire monitors were absolutely great and I’m pretty sure it was a no kill day, they will confirm that though, they did stop them getting 2 foxes.
On their Facebook page, Cheshire Monitors reported the day like this:
We were out with the Cheshire Forest Hunt today, supporting some lovely locals who have had problems with this hunt in the past.
We caught them up to no good not long after they set off from the meet (which they weren’t happy about) and had to work hard to keep on top of them all day.
As usual there were more hunt thugs out with them than riders, it looks like this hunt are going down in popularity.
We had 7 quads with masked heavies careering about causing havoc.
At one point one of our team was filming the hounds in full cry, then marking where a fox had gone to ground. Their car was blocked in by supporters and their wing mirror kicked in by riders ( the police are dealing with this) who were clearly very upset that we were spoiling their fun.
This didn’t deter our monitor and suffice to say that eventually the huntsman called the hounds off. He did however leave the scene screaming his head off. There were no signs of a kill all day. Job done!
Remember, you are not alone! You can protect your property, livestock and pets from hunt trespass. Get hold of Hounds Off via Facebook, Twitter @HoundsOff or via the Contact Us page on this website.
© Joe Hashman
25th May 2015
Hounds Off - This Is How It Could Work
Imagine this…
The secretary of a hunt suddenly has emails arriving to their inbox. These contain instructions from ordinary members of the public requesting that the So & So Hunt keeps off their land. At first these emails and letters come from people in towns and villages with small gardens and backyards. The So & So’s don’t go there anyway but wait! A Warning Off letter arrives through the post with a map attached for clarity, and there are more emails from folk who own paddocks and parcels of land in prime hunting country. Suddenly a farmer or two is included and at this stage the Hunt Secretary knows that the So & So’s could be in trouble. Access to the land is important to keep hounds running but the Secretary starts to realise that some of their favourite haunts could become no-go areas.
This scenario is exactly what Hounds Off wants to see and support. Our website provides all the information you need to do it yourself! With any luck you’re reading this on www.houndsoff.co.uk already.
The Hunting Act (2004) should have ended the hunting of wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales. Sadly it hasn’t, though the spirit of the law is clear and over 300 prosecutions prove that where there is a will there can be a way. But what’s also apparent is that a minority of individuals have been prepared to break the law and police forces have failed to enforce it. Now fox hunters and their ilk are banking on a sympathetic Tory Government fulfilling its promise to provide parliamentary time and resources to repeal the Hunting Act.
And this, compassionate friends, is why creating hunt-free zones (essentially homegrown wildlife sanctuaries owned and cared for by people like us) is such a positive and powerful approach. The idea is simply to create pockets of land where hunting is forbidden. Over time, by joining up these individual areas, we could make hunting with hounds impractical over large stretches of countryside.
If you live in a town or city where urbanisation has curtailed hunting then you can still be part of this peaceful opposition. Your Warning Off email or letter to the hunt which would have frequented your neighbourhood in times past will show solidarity with others who are nipping that hunt in more sensitive areas. If you don’t know who this is don’t worry. Contact Hounds Off with your postcode and one of the team will help.
The process is not complicated. You write a short email to your local Hunt. It politely informs them that your property is now out of bounds. You copy this to your local MP as well, which includes them as a part of your actions. It means that, in the event of any future incident, your MP will already be involved in a process which might involve them and / or the police.
Everything you need to know, including guidance on wording, can be found at on the Hounds Off website which you’re reading this on. Go to Action & Advice and follow the prompts there.
The wonderful thing is that you can do all this from the comfort of your own home. If you ever wanted to take non-violent direct action against bloodsports without having to get up out of your chair then here you go! Access to the Internet and a few clicks or taps is all it takes. A member of the Hounds Off team will help you if you need it - just use social media or the Contact Us form to ask.
And so…
You’ve warned your local Hunt away from your property. So have the neighbours. In fact, most of the families in your street have done the same and everyone looks out for each other. The So-And-So Hunt no longer rides down your way because they know they’re not welcome and now there is nowhere for them to go anyway. All over the country, while politicians politicise and pressure groups pressure, the compassionate majority (us) is making a practical, peaceful and positive anti-hunting stand.
© Joe Hashman
