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Hunting of the red fox started in England as early as the 15th century. In 1420, Duke Edward published The Master of Game, listing the red fox as worthy of chase. In the years that followed, hunting parties organized, complete with dogs and horses.
By the mid 1500's, fox hunting for wealthy landowners had become an established past time. Homesick colonists settling the Americas even imported their familiar European red foxes to hunt.
Today fox hunting is an elaborate business, despite substantial opposition.
A Huntsman holds a dead fox
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Who is Involved
The Hunt Committee who owns the horses, hounds and land.
The Master is in-charge of the hunt, and makes lead decisions.
The Huntsman and his assistants (called "Whippers-in"), monitor the pack of 20 to 30 Beagle hounds.
The Terrier-man is responsible for destroying a fox which is no longer chase-able.
Subscribers to the hunting club, and outsiders who pay, also participate.
A Sporting Chance?
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The Event
Members gather in the morning, and the hounds are taken to a "covert"; an area of land owned or accessible by the committee. Once a fox is found, the rest of the members are called in.
With horses, hounds and groups of "whippers-in", the fox is chased until she is caught by hounds and disemboweled alive,
or
She can no longer run, and seeks shelter. A terrier is sent in to scare the exhausted fox out so it can be shot, since she's no longer fun to chase.
The Aftermath
Some Good News
Great Britain made fox hunting with dogs a criminal offence in early 2005. It was outlawed in Scotland since 2002. However, a loop-hole in the UK law allows hunters to flush out foxes with dogs to shoot them. Organized hunts with packs are also still permitted using artificial scent trails, where some groups have been using foxes killed in other ways.
For more information or how to help, visit:
IFAW: The Ban, Information, and Enforcement
Derbyshire Fox Rescue on Hunting
League Against Cruel Sports
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