Fox hunting protects cows?

But - if the fox population tends to self-regulate bringing back hunting would make no difference.
I wonder how many cows aborted from fright as a result of huntsmen and horses thundering across their land blowing horns?

www.nadis.org.uk/bulletins/neosporosis.aspx
and
cattletoday.info/brucellosis.htm

I wonder how many cows aborted from fright as a result of huntsmen and horses thundering across their land blowing horns?

The farmer, who allows access to his land and the hunt work together. Stewards would never allow it and there is one huntsman who blows a horn otherwise the hounds would be confused.

So none probably

A sport is usually against two evenly matched opponents. How the hell hunting down an animal can go under that heading beats me.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I believe that when fox hunting was legal in this country the number of foxes killed by hunts was only 5% of all the foxes which were killed (culled) so there was no practical justification for fox hunting.

It was all to do with blood lust and belonging to a certain group, which might have social advantages.

How could it be called a sport? The euphemism used for blood sports was "field sports" or "country sports" and I can tell you, having lived most of my life in a very rural area that most country people, including farmers and others whose livestock might be attacked by the fox, have always been utterly opposed to fox hunting.

Town dwellers were probably less opposed because they knew less about it. The so-called "Countryside Alliance" which promotes blood sports will tell you that the opposite is true.

Thanks varian. I always imagined country dwellers to disparage 'townies' views on the.. err... sport.

Wasn't it an excuse for a mad ride as well?

100% against hunting. Surely drag hunting provides the participants with the experience they enjoy and does not lead to the ripping to pieces of a defenceless animal

I walk on Exmoor and a few times I have when out walking met the hunters in full force enjoying their so called sport. What a lot of arrogant ba.... they were with no regard or respect for others. I see no reason for any blood sport, if we need to keep a population down then a humane cull is the answer. I have since joined the Leaque Against Cruel Sport.

A few months ago we had fox hunters chasing a fox across local fields near to where I live. The farmer had not given his permission for them to do so. Nevertheless, they continued across his field, destroying some winter crops in the process. They then continued onto a small housing estate and continued to chase the fox which had fled into back gardens, seeking refuge.

The residents came out and told the hunt to leave. They were shouted and sworn at by the hunt. Photographs were taken, clearly showing the hunt and hounds on domestic land and those were subsequently handed to the police. It took months for the police to investigate and decide that they couldn't take any action, even though there were witnesses and photographic evidence. The hunting laws are a travesty.

100% against hunting. Surely drag hunting provides the participants with the experience they enjoy and does not lead to the ripping to pieces of a defenceless animal

I think that is the idea, somerset, and I would have thought that most 'hunts' are exactly that and therefore within the current law.