Hunting, for or against?

[Wagtail]

Couldn't find an option to fit my opinion in the poll... I don't own livestock so foxes don't affect my livelihood, therefore I see no reason to hunt foxes.

I am also aware that foxes aren't the only predators in the countryside, and can't see the point in chasing foxes when stray dogs, feral cats, badgers, weasels, stoats, mink, ferrets and big ass rats cause problems with livestock. Let's face it if they were there, we'd have to protect livestock from cougars, bears, wolves, pumas etc etc etc. Do they have horseback hunts with packs of hounds for those predators in countries that do have problems with them attacking livestock...?

Friend of mine had to have a mass rat cull on her farm when the rats started gnawing on new born calves. Don't have a problem with that sort of thing.

And I agree that humans cause as many problems by interfering with the environment as anything else out there!

A friend of mine kept losing her chickens. They were in a pen that had been dug into the ground. We kept blaming the fox, though couldn't for the life of us see where it was geting in. Then one night I was leaving her yard and saw a mink emerge with a chicken from a bunch of nettles next to the pen. On investigating, I found a burrow hole which came out inside of the pen under one of the roost boxes. By then there was only one chicken left!

 

[Wagtail]

I do believe that. I don't use poison even on rats. It's an awful way to die. The poison causes massive inturnal bleeding and a slow and painful death.
A trap only has to be checked once every 24hrs. So the poor animal could be stck for that long (possably injured) till it is descovered and dispatched.
Shooting isn't always 100%. I have seen many injured animals that have been shot, ran off and then had a slow and agonising death. Also with shooting there is no descrimination between heathy, old or sick foxes. If it is seen it is shot. Where as with hunting a heathy, young, fit fox will usualy escape. As it is much quicker, more ajile and much cleaverer than the hounds. I have seen hounds that where onto a fox. Suddenly the fox hid under some very thick under growth, the hounds ran streight over the top of it. By the time the hounds realised what was going on and had gone back to find the fox it had made it's escape and was long gone .
Also shooting doesn't stop for the foxes breeding season. How does the shooter or person laying the poison/ setting the trap know it isn't a vixen with hungry pups who will all starve if she is killed.
As I said i'm not looking for an argument and everyone is intitaled to there opinon. This is just mine. There are things I don't agree with but I don't judge others for using the methods they choose.

I am wondering though, if foxes really need to be culled at all? As a horse owner, I am constantly battling with the rabbit population digging up the hardcore in my expensive arena, digging lethal burrows for my horses to break their legs in, and eating a lot of the grass. The land owner and game keeper are regularly out lamping and the result is an explosion in the local rabbit population. The tenant farmer has been hit hard by this as they devastate his crops. Most farm land in our area is arable an so there really is no need to cull foxes at all. The only reason they are culled is due to sport. In this case, pheasant shooting. I find it rather sad that animals are dying just for people's pleasure.

On the other hand, I would love to have some free range chickens but know I can't due to the small chance of a fox getting them. But this does not annoy me in the slightest. I choose to live in the country and that is just something I have to live with. If I want chickens, I have to build a fox proof pen, not go out and hunt down foxes.

 

[lexiedhb]

I clicked the first one, but none really apply to me.

I would not say I was a "strong" supporter, as I do not go currently.... have been , but I do not believe it should be banned, and would go again given the opportunity!!

 

[peanut]

I don't believe anything should ever be killed or harmed in the name of entertainment. I personally would not hunt because my presence at a hunt would not be of benefit to the hunt, the farmers, the countryside or the wildlife. And I would not wish for the focus of a day's fun for me to the be death of another animal. I don't understand the mentality of this - same way I don't understand how entertainment can be had from bull-fighting, hare coursing etc.

That said:
I recognise the incredibly valuable contribution a hunt makes to the countryside and the people who make their living from it.
I also recognise that hunting one animal with another means that the animals have a fighting chance, and the fit, healthy and strong ones usually live to fight another day. This can only improve the bloodlines and species.
There are far worse ways of killing a fox and to think of an animal snared in a trap, gassed, poisoned or possibly shot and wounded is more horrible than to think of a (hopefully quick) death at the jaws of a pack of hounds.

Very well put by Flicker. I understand hunting (I live in the country) but I do not support it.

 

[polopony]

100% supporter, I am yet to hunt mounted due to the lack of a suitable horse - but as soon as B is fit try and stop me! As for the lamping mentioned early on in the thread I am dead set against it as it is highly dangerous (for other animals and humans!), so I would much rather the hunt deal with the fox population.

 

[cptrayes]

I have seen 2 horses collapse and die - one at a show in the middle of a jump off (2ft6") and the other at a sponsored ride after a gallop up a steep hill. Could we have a vote on whether to ban these events too?

I was on top of mine (5 years old) on a hack! BAN HACKING!!!!!

 

[Shysmum]

Erm it isn't legal, so why is everyone fessing up ??

 

[A1fie]

Shy's mum - hunting continues. We just hunt within the law now.

 

[Tinkerbee]

For.

Foxes are an utter pest IMO and I really despair of people who can't acknowledge that.

 

[gonebananas]

I do believe that. I don't use poison even on rats. It's an awful way to die. The poison causes massive inturnal bleeding and a slow and painful death.
A trap only has to be checked once every 24hrs. So the poor animal could be stck for that long (possably injured) till it is descovered and dispatched.
Shooting isn't always 100%. I have seen many injured animals that have been shot, ran off and then had a slow and agonising death. Also with shooting there is no descrimination between heathy, old or sick foxes. If it is seen it is shot. Where as with hunting a heathy, young, fit fox will usualy escape. As it is much quicker, more ajile and much cleaverer than the hounds. I have seen hounds that where onto a fox. Suddenly the fox hid under some very thick under growth, the hounds ran streight over the top of it. By the time the hounds realised what was going on and had gone back to find the fox it had made it's escape and was long gone .
Also shooting doesn't stop for the foxes breeding season. How does the shooter or person laying the poison/ setting the trap know it isn't a vixen with hungry pups who will all starve if she is killed.
As I said i'm not looking for an argument and everyone is intitaled to there opinon. This is just mine. There are things I don't agree with but I don't judge others for using the methods they choose.

I think we should have like buttons for posts
And I'm Pro Hunting. I also think some of these animal rights activists are hypercritical when they say their animal lovers when they sabotage hunts by injuring the hounds and horses. IMO it makes them worse people.
I also think the mink that they released is near where I live, think its near a dual carriage way between Halifax/Huddersfield? Am I right?

 

[LauraWheeler]

I am wondering though, if foxes really need to be culled at all? As a horse owner, I am constantly battling with the rabbit population digging up the hardcore in my expensive arena, digging lethal burrows for my horses to break their legs in, and eating a lot of the grass. The land owner and game keeper are regularly out lamping and the result is an explosion in the local rabbit population. The tenant farmer has been hit hard by this as they devastate his crops. Most farm land in our area is arable an so there really is no need to cull foxes at all. The only reason they are culled is due to sport. In this case, pheasant shooting. I find it rather sad that animals are dying just for people's pleasure.

On the other hand, I would love to have some free range chickens but know I can't due to the small chance of a fox getting them. But this does not annoy me in the slightest. I choose to live in the country and that is just something I have to live with. If I want chickens, I have to build a fox proof pen, not go out and hunt down foxes.

Pre ban we had one of the healthyest poulation of foxes in the world. Both health wise and number wise. Since the ban alot of the healthy ones are getting killed by other means and the old and sick are moving into towns and causing all sorts of problems I often see maingy foxes around now whereas I used to see lovely big healthy foxes.
Rabbits are a big problem in lots of places and where there is no control of the population they cause devistation and Mixi runs riot Where I used to work the rabbits lived in the hay barn. This caused alot of problems for us both in the barn and in the field. There was also alot of Mixi. We took control of the population. Kept the numbers down (we didn't kill them all) and they wern't so much of a problem and were much healther as a result.
I'm not talking about culling animals, i'm talking about managing the population so everyone benifits. Noone who hunts wants to kill all foxes as if they did there would be no more hunting

 

[Fiagai]

Originally Posted by LauraWheeler
I'm pro hunting. It is by far the kindest, most humaine and natural way of controlling the fox population.

Do you really believe that? I'm not anti-hunting but I firmly believe that there are far humaner ways of killing an animal than chasing it across the countryside for a few hours until it gets so tired that it can't run away anymore and is killed.

As I said, I'm not anti-hunting, I just hate it when hunters pretend it's such a humane way of killing an animal when it really isn't.

A number of reports including by Prof. David Macdonald and others (Managing British Mammals 2000) and The Burns Inquiry under Lord Burns suggest that the average duration of a single fox hunt to be between 15 and 30 minutes.

A hunt may come across several foxes on any one hunting day and the majority foxes hunted by hounds will escape.

I have found foxes that were inexpertly shot - dying in ditches - slowly. I personally prefer an animal to have a quick death and by my experience this is not by shooting.

A hunted fox will die much quicker than by snaring, non expert shooting or other methods


btw it might have been a good idea to post this in the Hunting sub forum?

 

[tallyho!]

If you've ever had a fox infestation... you too would say bring the hunt back please!

Rabbits and wood pigeons should be shot and eaten like pheasants are.

 

[Wagtail]

For.

Foxes are an utter pest IMO and I really despair of people who can't acknowledge that.

Why? If you only have horses and crops grown in the area, and they help keep down the pesky rabbits, why are they a pest?

Love your dog BTW!

 

[miss_bird]

We were seriously over run with rabbits, and had huge bare patches in the fields where they would eat.
I now send my bother with gun and ferrets and get a near rabbit free field and a good stock of rabbit in the freezer for stews and pies.
Oh i also hire him and his friends out for free

 

[Enfys]

Let's face it if they were there, we'd have to protect livestock from cougars, bears, wolves, pumas etc etc etc.They get shot here if they are a nuisance. Fortunately where I live we only have coyotes and the very occasional black bear that has gotten lost. there used to be a member on here who had wolves living on her property and I am sure I read an account of a bear visiting her farm Do they have horseback hunts with packs of hounds for those predators in countries that do have problems with them attacking livestock...?

Yes, we do have mounted packs, foxes and coyotes are hunted. Sadly, my closest pack is 40 miles away,
http://www.hamiltonhunt.ca/
oddly enough one of the Huntsmen (now moved to Virginia I believe - lucky devil) used to hunt hounds with my local pack in Wales! Small world!

Mostly hunting is done on foot, and strictly controlled, a deer permit only allows a certain number of deer to be shot and those only in the right season, like a week here for does, a week there for bucks. Then turkeys, then ducks, elk, moose etc, etc. It is open season all year round on rogue coyotes, wolves etc mostly by professional hunters.

Oh, am I for or against?

For.

 

[Hoof Hearted]

.......... I view foxes the equivalent of dogs and cats, and I would never treat THEM that way, so don't see why I would want to treat a fox that way.........

Ditto......

 

[Hoof Hearted]

......... Foxes are an utter pest IMO and I really despair of people who can't acknowledge that.

You despair of people who don't AGREE with your opinion?? Can you not just acknowledge that some of us are animal lovers ?

 

[Enfys]

Can you not just acknowledge that some of us are animal lovers ?

Meaning precisely what? That those who follow hounds/hunt in some way are animal haters and therefore lesser beings?

 

[Wagtail]

Meaning precisely what? That those who follow hounds/hunt in some way are animal haters and therefore lesser beings?

I am an animal lover but went hunting for a season many years ago as it was part of my job. It was brilliant fun and the horses loved it, but I always felt guilty even though I would have lost my job had I refused to go. Once I stopped working on that yard, I gave up hunting for good. So yes, it is possible to be an animal lover and still go hunting, though I do think that many are brainwashed by those they mix with into thinking that foxes are vermin. Or they just try not to think about what is really going on whilst they have fun on their horse.

However, as I have said before, foxes are pests to some (such as sheep farmers and those with free range poultry), but useful to others such as myself who have horses and arable farmers, as they help keep down the rabbit numbers. They are also very beautiful and highly intelligent animals that are just a wild version of our domestic dogs. It seems strange that most hunting takes place on arable land where foxes are actually useful!

 

[AmyMay]

I think it is cruel. I view foxes the equivalent of dogs and cats......

Clearly there is a huge difference between a fox and our domesticated friends........

However, as for hunting - well as you know hunting the fox with hounds is now outlawed. So your poll is flawed.

If you are asking if people are pro drag hunting (which is what hunting now is) then you will need to revise your question.

If you are asking if people were pro or anti - then again your questions will need to be revised to give you an accurate reflection on peoples views.

 

[Wagtail]

Okay so just over 50% of people on here are strongly FOR hunting. Another 5% go hunting but sometimes feel bad about it. A good 25% ar either on the fence or don't go because it's not for them, but don't judge, with around 17% who are strongly against it. Thanks to everyone for contributing. It is actually a far more balanced poll than I expected.

 

[Wagtail]

Clearly there is a huge difference between a fox and our domesticated friends.........

Is there? Have you ever seen the behaviour of domestic dogs gone feral? And do you think your fluffy cats won't steal a chicken if they were starving hungry? I have known cats take chickens.

However, as for hunting - well as you know hunting the fox with hounds is now outlawed. So your poll is flawed.

No, traditional hunting still takes place even though it is outlawed, and the debate is still alive and kicking