Saturday April 29th saw the end of the brutal stag hunting season, which has seen numerous stags hunted to exhaustions and killed.
At its peak there were 126 registered stag hunts, by 2004 however, only three remained, all in Southwest England – the Devon & Somerset, the Quantock, and the Tiverton.
The first weekend of the season on 2/3/23 saw North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs hit the opening meet of the Quantock Staghounds at Sixty Acres. Despite the hunt’s best efforts there were no kills. The hunt quickly headed to the Little Quantock area and had chosen their stag to hunt, however the stag had given them the slip and jumped onto land belonging to Forestry England. Losing that stag meant another would be singled out to be chased to exhaustion, the chosen stag was located in the Crowcombe Park Gate area and the Quantock proceeded to hunt the stag.
With the stag headed towards the hills, sabs got themselves in position, whilst the hunt had moved above Bicknolled and made a frantic attempt to stop the stag running to safety on National Trust land. Two groups of deer grazing nearby had become alert to the hunt and come together, the hunted stag then also joined the large herd as they ran into Hodders Combe. The huntsman put the two hounds on the line of the deer as riders headed into Hodders Combe in an attempts to turn the stag back. The hunt spent a considerable time searching Hodders Combe and Nearby Willoughby Cleaves which happens to be National Trust land, before realising they’d been outsmarted this time, and headed back to pack up.
Monday March 13th and the relentless North Dorset Hunt Sabs (NDHS) were back out with the Quantock Staghounds, this time at Cothelstone Hill. NDHS caught the Quantocks red handed using three hounds to chase a young stag. Sabs had followed the huntsman’s tracks and after over an hour of futile attempts from the huntsman the hounds went into cry. The young stag was witnessed fleeing for his life, followed by the three hounds, two hounds is the maximum permitted under the 2004 Hunting Act to flush wild mammals. Sabs briefly distracted the hounds but they then continued on the scent. The huntsman on seeing the sabs did a runner, without the huntsman to hunt on the hounds they soon lost the scent of the young stag. No doubt the sabs’ presence saved this stag.
A short while later and the huntsman was heard in the long grass shouting “leave it”, possibly because he’d be caught out, or maybe he’d picked up on the wrong quarry. By how the sabs presence had the hunt support rattled, and threats and insults soon followed, even pretending to call the police to report the sabs for trespassing. The hunt had spent three hours in the grass before loading up the hounds and heading up Cothelstone Hill, where presumably hunt support had spotted a stag and alerted the huntsman. A monitor had also witnessed the stag running with a hind (female red deer), the hunt support in their vehicles were whizzing around the area in search of the stag, but were out of luck as the stag, who was clearly exhausted and lagging behind managed to join a herd deer and escape without being spotted, before the hunt with all of seven field riders head back to the meet to pack up, in what was another unsuccessful day for the Quantock thanks to the sabs.
March 20th and a similar story as NDHS caught the Quantock Staghounds hunting a young stag on the Quantock hills. Despite the poor weather conditions the Quantock had located a stag near Lower Hare Knapp, however once again they lost him and spent most the day searching for the stag but with no luck, before packing up at 5.20pm. A week later the 27th and NDHS were back at the Quantock Staghounds. The hunt drew Crowcombe Park causing stags to cross the busy A358, the stags were then seen being chased by a hound across open fields. The hunt picked off one stag to hunt, but despite being clearly exhausted the stag found some energy from somewhere to escape the hunt.
The start of April saw some brutal scenes as the Quantock killed a stag. With North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs, Mendip Hunt Sabs and Wildlife Guardians present the Quantock who met at Rydon Farm, chased the stag to exhaustion near to Forestry England land. The Quantock relentlessly pursued the stag back and forth over Hare Knap. Sabs had kept close to the huntsman who was searching for the stag in “the Hollies” and his yells to scare the stag could be heard. The stag had managed to raise himself and ran back over Hare Knap into Holford Combe and Slaughter House Combe, possibly joining a herd of stags that were seen attempting to run over Longstone Hill but were turned back by riders.
A short while later a gun shot was heard…. a sab waded through waist high gorse and heather and found the riders, some of them off their horses. The sab arrived on the scene to see the stag with his throat already slit and mouth gaping open being loaded up and taken away.
Just two days later 8/4/23 and NDHS were out again, this time at the Devon & Somerset Staghounds, who met at Kings Farm in Withypool. With over a hundred riders and many vehicles this could well have turned out to be a very difficult day, however there were no definite kills to report. One stag was hunted earlier in the day which they lost, and later on a stag was witnessed being chased by hounds towards Draydon, the fate of this stag is unknown. The hunt then packed up around 5.30pm.
Tuesday April the 11th and Mendip Hunt Sabs were at the Quantock Staghounds in West Bagborough, with no kills to report in what they described as a ‘washout’ and in ‘gruelling conditions’. Despite the weather, the Quantock did manage to flush a herd of deer including a stag and hounds gave chase in cry towards Triscombe Quarry. Here they upset residents as they trespassed, however the huntsman had now lost his hounds and spent some time trying to find them. As the hunt gave chase to another herd, sabs were able to slow down the hounds long enough, and it’s believed the targeted stag took refuge on National Trust land. With everyone soaking wet the hunt packed up by 5pm.
Sabs were back out on the Thursday, this time Mendip Hunt Sabs and North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs were at the Devon & Somerset Staghounds who met at Woolcotts, near Wimbleball Lake. Quick reactions and intervention by sabs saved a stag that was being hunted. The stag had attempted to run to sanctuary land where the hunt are not allowed, but the stag was turned back by a large deer fence, purposely installed by the hunt for this purpose. The stag had doubled back along the valley heading South, then jumped into the road right in front of one of the sab vehicles! Sabs quickly covered his scent with citronella, and despite the hunts best attempts they couldn’t find the fleeing stag.
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