Horsemen gather for first weekend of hunting season (From The Northern Echo)
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Zetland Hunt horsemen gather for first weekend of hunting season
8:00am Monday 31st October 2011 in News
FIRST OF THE SEASON: The Zetland Hunt gathers in Headlam, County Durham, on Saturday, for the seventh meeting since the fox hunting ban came into force in 2005.
HUNDREDS of horsemen, women and children embraced the autumnal chill and gathered in the great outdoors for the first weekend of the hunting season.
Members of the Zetland Hunt, which straddles the border of County Durham and North Yorkshire, were among those to hold their first meet of the season on Saturday.
Hunt master Chris Gibbon said about 90 mounted followers joined the hunt.
Zetland Hunt will now hold meets twice a week, on average, between now and the end of March, with Boxing Day and New Year’s Day among the key dates in the hunting calendar.
Mr Gibbon, who is now in his sixth season as hunt master, said: “We moved off at about 11am on Saturday and there was a good turnout.
“The first meet of the season is always quite a big day and this weekend was no different.
“The hounds hunted reasonably well, although they are not quite picking the scent up yet.
“It was good to see plenty of children joining in the hunt, they are the next generation of huntsmen and women.”
The five-hour meet saw the hunters travel around Headlam towards Summerhouse and along the former railway line from Gainford to Piercebridge, near Darlington.
Zetland Hunt covers an area of about 20 square miles of the County Durham and North Yorkshire boundary.
On Saturday, the hunt also held its annual ball, at Forcett Hall, near Richmond, which was attended by more than 450 people and raised money for the organisation’s funds.
Bilsdale Hunt was among the other groups to hold its first meet of the season this weekend, while Bedale Hunt meets for the first time this season later this week.
Comments(31)
Jess x
says...
12:20pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Have they no empathy at all for the creatures they torment? Do they even think about the pain and terror they cause?
Yes, foxes may kill other creatures but they are just animals and know no different. What does that say about these "humans"?
bambara
says...
12:41pm Mon 31 Oct 11
It is no more acceptable than badger baiting, **** fighting, or bull fighting.
Move into the 21st century and stop getting your kicks by torturing animals.
Do what you have to, to control the population, but do it because you have to not because you get some perverse enjoyment out of it.
antihypocrisy
says...
2:50pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Vem
says...
3:18pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Do you keep a bird in cage or have you ever?
Do you buy any eggs other than barn and free range?
When eating in a cafe/restaurant do you ask for the source of their eggs?
There's a lot of hypocrisy in the fox hunting debate when it was nothing more than us v them. It was an anti-toff movement that for the majority had absolutely zero to do with the welfare of animals.
I remember someone being interviewed on TV that was pro-ban with a bird sat in a cage behind her!
Bring back hunting.
David Lacey
says...
4:35pm Mon 31 Oct 11
.
Compassionate farming - yes. Capture/killing of wild creatures - no.
Sick As A Pig
says...
5:12pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Copley23
says...
5:59pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Vem wrote:Nicely put.
antihypocrisy...
Do you keep a bird in cage or have you ever?
Do you buy any eggs other than barn and free range?
When eating in a cafe/restaurant do you ask for the source of their eggs?
There's a lot of hypocrisy in the fox hunting debate when it was nothing more than us v them. It was an anti-toff movement that for the majority had absolutely zero to do with the welfare of animals.
I remember someone being interviewed on TV that was pro-ban with a bird sat in a cage behind her!
Bring back hunting.
Ann O'Mie
says...
6:12pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Do you keep a bird in cage or have you ever?
No.
Do you buy any eggs other than barn and free range?
No.
When eating in a cafe/restaurant do you ask for the source of their eggs?
Yes, I do. And their chicken. (Though generally I simply don't eat chicken in restaurants, because the waiters don't know where it comes from.)
Your conclusion is "Bring back hunting", but I don't see how you got there.
kristal27
says...
8:53pm Mon 31 Oct 11
sablepoot1967
says...
11:13pm Mon 31 Oct 11
Vem wrote:Agree with everything you say Vem!
antihypocrisy...
Do you keep a bird in cage or have you ever?
Do you buy any eggs other than barn and free range?
When eating in a cafe/restaurant do you ask for the source of their eggs?
There's a lot of hypocrisy in the fox hunting debate when it was nothing more than us v them. It was an anti-toff movement that for the majority had absolutely zero to do with the welfare of animals.
I remember someone being interviewed on TV that was pro-ban with a bird sat in a cage behind her!
Bring back hunting.
Jess x
says...
8:54am Tue 1 Nov 11
You are, I would think, intelligent sorts which makes what you do even more baffling to the rest of us. Your sport seems so primitive somehow, and, amongst my many other feelings connected with this topic, is a kind of surprising embarrassment for you.
If it transpires that an acquaintance of mine hunts, the respect and positive feeling I have for that person sadly dissipates as I see them in a totally new light.
I would ask you, especially the young ones like those we see in the photo, to see your sport as others see it. And then imagine, REALLY imagine, the panic, fear and desperation of that terrified fox that is being chased to its death.
Instead of whatever positive feeling you get when you see it running for its life, ask yourself - where is your sympathy, your shame and your disgust at what is happening? Where is that milk of human kindness?
Like others, I can understand the need to control numbers, but a swift clean shoot where the animal knows very little about it is the way. There is no argument for what you do - none at all.
Thank you for reading.
David Lacey
says...
5:27pm Tue 1 Nov 11
spragger
says...
6:42pm Tue 1 Nov 11
This is just like Mobile phone use by drivers, the Police do not exercise the law on perpetrators.
MP's messing around, forming more and more useless legislation
spragger
says...
6:42pm Tue 1 Nov 11
This is just like Mobile phone use by drivers, the Police do not exercise the law on perpetrators.
MP's messing around, forming more and more useless legislation
always right
says...
10:09pm Tue 1 Nov 11
youngdock89
says...
2:24pm Wed 2 Nov 11
Get rid of the Vermin that is the Fox, Which night after night causes havoc, ripping through chicken coups taking out every single bird and in the spring savages lambs which have only been sent out to graze.
But i guess its quite ironic the "Townies" dont really see that, but if they were on the recieving end of the havoc that one fox alone can cause would be the first to complain.
countryside
says...
4:21pm Wed 2 Nov 11
countryside
says...
4:21pm Wed 2 Nov 11
bong_eye
says...
4:23pm Wed 2 Nov 11
are you people really that simple to use the old bird in a cage v's the torture of an animal for no other reason than sport line ....i have myself hunted game , i have taken a gun and shot a rabbit and sometimes a nice fat wood Pigeon for the purpose of eating it ... but never have i allowed either to suffer
antihypocrisy.....i think not ...well at least not with your agument Vem ...try again maybe you'll convince us all on your next go
Spy Boy
says...
7:13pm Wed 2 Nov 11
If the rich ran dog fights, then that would be acceptable too and all the old arguments would come out. Let's bring back hare coursing then and **** fighting and bear baiting. After all, they are all traditional pursuits.
If foxes need to be controlled, then do it simply and cost effectively with a gun. As for townies not knowing much about it. It would appear that we have lots of urban foxes these days. Why not have the Darlington Hunt. They could chase foxes down Bondgate and around the Pedestrian Heart. Tally Ho !
Here's a thought ! Why not everyone at the hunt draw straws. The short straw gets to be the fox for the day. I'm sure that the hunt will have someone on hand to stop the hounds before too much pain is induced.
Maybe town planners should be included in the drawing of straws ?
always right
says...
9:54pm Wed 2 Nov 11
Spy Boy wrote:lol,,,i like that one.
If fox hunting were enjoyed by people from council estates, it would have been banned. As it's all run by people with money and status, it's not banned. Being at the hunt is to be seen. It's a social event and I must admit it is very colourful. As long as they just chase dragged targets and leave the wildlife alone, no problem. If the rich ran dog fights, then that would be acceptable too and all the old arguments would come out. Let's bring back hare coursing then and **** fighting and bear baiting. After all, they are all traditional pursuits. If foxes need to be controlled, then do it simply and cost effectively with a gun. As for townies not knowing much about it. It would appear that we have lots of urban foxes these days. Why not have the Darlington Hunt. They could chase foxes down Bondgate and around the Pedestrian Heart. Tally Ho ! Here's a thought ! Why not everyone at the hunt draw straws. The short straw gets to be the fox for the day. I'm sure that the hunt will have someone on hand to stop the hounds before too much pain is induced. Maybe town planners should be included in the drawing of straws ?
Sick As A Pig
says...
8:32pm Thu 3 Nov 11
youngdock89 wrote:If a Fox does that then shoot it, dont use dogs and gimps on horse back to chase it down and rip it apart But I guess its quite ironic the "Hunt" dont really see that But if they were on the recieving end of the havoc that these idiots can cause, they would be the first to complain. Easy "innit". Fool.
I Say Overturn the ban.
Get rid of the Vermin that is the Fox, Which night after night causes havoc, ripping through chicken coups taking out every single bird and in the spring savages lambs which have only been sent out to graze.
But i guess its quite ironic the "Townies" dont really see that, but if they were on the recieving end of the havoc that one fox alone can cause would be the first to complain.
The old giffer
says...
10:19pm Thu 3 Nov 11
/ set-up needed to hunt with the crowd. Stop giving us that old argument, the maths shows you up.
The old giffer
says...
10:30pm Thu 3 Nov 11
loopeyloo75
says...
8:54am Fri 4 Nov 11
Sick As A Pig
says...
10:08am Fri 4 Nov 11
rockfordIL
says...
5:20am Wed 23 Nov 11
flatbattery
says...
4:41pm Wed 23 Nov 11
G Harris
says...
9:04pm Wed 23 Nov 11
flatbattery
says...
5:52am Thu 24 Nov 11
hullgodfreyshire says...
11:59am Mon 31 Oct 11