My poll ...

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spotty_pony

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Have been thinking lately about the issues of hunting and I still can't decide whether I am pro or anti .... what do you all think? I've made a poll with the questions I have been asking myself to see what you lot think.
 
I go hunting for the social side of it, being able to gallop accross country jumping jumps not normally alloud 2 hump, and basiclly have LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN!!!!!!!1
 
To me..it's exhilerating and the sound of hounds speaking on a good line is spine tingling. I enjoy the social side of it but I'm there to watch the hounds work mostly
 
Im like druid, I have always been, and though I love the social side I really enjoy hounds working- when our ex huntsman used to hunt our hounds I used to go down to kennels on a night and watch them work on foot also, its such a beautiful thing.
 
exciting- looks it to me
i don't go- have never had the chance
no- don't think its cruel, don't have a reason, just don't think it is
 
I said cruel, dont go and Yes but I can see why it's exciting and people go along for the social aspect. I ride and would defo go out with bloodhounds or drag. :)
 
Id love to go hunting though, for the social side, to see the hounds working and for the ride, i would be in my element, i will try it one day, any one got a spare hunt horse for me to borrow?? :D :p
 
I find it very exiting and great fun. I love seeing hounds work and think it is really interesting. I go for the ride but also for the social side. No I don't find it cruel.
 
I go for the whole package...the hounds the and the excitement etc!! I used to go hunting wuite a lot when I was younger and have only recently started going again. I don't think it is cruel...I think that there are crueler ways to kill a fox e.g. snares and poisoning both of these are a very slow death for a fox.
 
I been a few times but years ago, i dont know why i ever bothered, everytime i wwas freezing, because i would be 9/10 and wasn't into jumping gates or wire fences i got left behind alot, both my old pony and Gunner took off everytime, i use 2 come back hurt or the pony would be hurt, so i just hated it! I've had so many accidents doing it, i dotn want to do it ever again lol, i prefer show jumping
 
On the 'Why do you go' question, there wasn't enough choices for me. Social side, to see hounds work, have a good exhilarating chase, see the country at its best, the other aspects, point to points, hunt shows, puppy shows, hog roasts, hunt balls, mouse racing e.t.c. Oh and staring at terriermens(or one in particular!) bottoms...my forte :-)
 
Watching hounds hunt is AMAZING how they follow the scent & work it out when they lose it or conditions change.
I go to watch hounds work & knowing each hound makes it even more amazing as you can see each individual hound & which are its strengths & weaknesses.
I have always hunted & always will!
 
....and you can't watch hounds work when dragging or with bloodhounds? Or does there have to a live animal at the end of it to make it fun?
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No but there has to be a point. Controlling the fox population.

I agree K9, watching a pup you've walked is also special...especially when they are promising!
 
I love watching my dogs work. I'm really not sure that I could train them to follow a sock. I also haven't got the time. I'd have to go out first, drag a sock round and then take the dogs out afterwards. I don't lock the dogs up so they follow me whenever I go out on foot or on the horse. I'd have to get a smelly sock, lock the dogs up, drag it round the woods and then go back and go round the woods again afterwards. Anyway my dogs don't hunt by scent so the whole thing would be completely pointless.
 
.......and there-in lies the rub. It doesn't control fox populations. I don't believe they need controlling and I've based this on research. However, for those of you who dont believe me it is also ineffective as a means of pest control as it is reponsible for only 5% of fox deaths annually. Thats compared the roads which account for over 60%. People also say hunting with hounds only takes sick/old foxes. If this were true then this further proves that it does not control fox numbers as these animals would soon die of natural causes anyway. To control a population hunting would need to kill MORE than would die by natural causes and there-by prevent increase in numbers.
 
"these animals would soon die of natural causes anyway."

No they won't they will die through starvation and disease. These are not natural causes, old and sick animals including foxes would naturally be killed by the predators which we have removed. Starvation and disease are uncommon deaths in a naturally balanced ecosystem.

Furthermore these 'natural causes' have a far worse welfare effect than being caught and killed by dogs.
 
Really?

I ride in countryside, I grew up at a yard in Aberdeenshire surrounded by sheep farms, check out the area if you dont believe me. There was no hunting with hounds and little snaring, I know because a knew a lot of the farmers there and I often came across rabbit snares but never fox snares while out riding. In scotland you can ride most places, we have different land laws but most of our surrounding farmers gave us access willingly.

Are you really thinking about what you see or just perpetuating a long held rural myth?
 
How many foxes have you seen dieing of 'natural causes' in holes. Have you studied how long this process takes, have you made any assesment of how much stress and suffering it causes to the fox, have you attempted a comparision to that caused to a fox when it is caufht and killed by hounds?
 
For the 1000000000th time. Foxes were never killed by extinct predators. Wolves, lynx, bears all kill BIG GAME - like deer. Why on earth would they eat tiny little foxes. Any ecologist will tell you this.

Starvation and disease are natural cause.

If cared so much about animals dying of natural causes why aren't you out killing everything that is sick or old? What an illogical, crazy excuse!!
 
Rubbish, wolves lynx and bears are all opportunistic hunters and scavengers. Bears would never kill a deer unless it was incapable of running away. Once an animal becomes weak enough not to evade a bear then the bear will kill and eat that animal. The same goes for wolves and lynx. These animals would kill virtually any animal and eat it if it was easy enough to do so or if they were hungry enough.

If bears only kill big game, why do they rifle in dustbins.

Show me any scientific research that finds that a wolf, bear or liynx would not kill a sufficiently weakened fox or deer that could not avoid it. You crow about science but you have nothing to back up your claim that I am talking rubbish.

You can talk crap for 1000000000 times but it is still crap.

If I had an effective way of killing wild mammals before they died of starvation and disease then doing so would be a good thing because it would reduce their suffering.
 
Really?

I ride in countryside, I grew up at a yard in Aberdeenshire surrounded by sheep farms, check out the area if you dont believe me. There was no hunting with hounds and little snaring, I know because a knew a lot of the farmers there and I often came across rabbit snares but never fox snares while out riding. In scotland you can ride most places, we have different land laws but most of our surrounding farmers gave us access willingly.

Are you really thinking about what you see or just perpetuating a long held rural myth?
Click to expand...

When I get around to it I'll post you copy of The Hunt! :-)
 
P.s Can you give me the figures for the fox population of Aberdeenshire (farmed areas not woodland!) and then give me the same figure for Ceredigion or Carmarthenshire...take your pick!
 
"Wolves, lynx, bears all kill BIG GAME - like deer. Why on earth would they eat tiny little foxes. Any ecologist will tell you this"

What do wolves eat?

Wolves are carnivores (meat eaters) but they will eat other foods as well. Their diet ranges from big game, such as elk and moose, to earthworms, berries and grasshoppers.

To avoid using too much energy catching their food, wolves prey on weaker members of a herd, such as old, young or sick animals. In summer, when the herds migrate, wolves eat mice, birds and even fish. They may also eat carrion.

http://www.wolfweb.com/diet.html

Show me research that shows that wolves will only ever kill and eat BIG GAME. Show me one ecologist who will tell me that let alone any.

You're talking rubbish.
 
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