The Ledbury and Quorn Hunt join forces to illegally hunt foxes and block badger setts.

Friday 7th January 2022, the Quorn hunt came to visit the Ledbury Hunt. There were 5 blocked badger setts. Numerous foxes were hunted one of whom escaped down a hole in Carter's Grove with a Herefordshire sab protecting him.
Another fox was hunted by the Quorn pack from Corsend Farm and both Quorn and Ledbury huntsman were well behind the pack meaning that the hounds were at great risk and themselves a risk to other animals including people who live, work, drive through and are otherwise going about their business. We think that this fox escaped down a hole as well, with the entire pack making a huge noise as they tried to get to the fox. Those living where this happened made the hunt call the hounds out. Referring to them as "f**king squatters kicking off" shows a massive disrespect to those who are opposed to having their lives disrupted by illegal fox hunts.

Terrier men from three hunts – the Ledbury, the Quorn and the North Cotswold - were present, they were seen hobnobbing over a cup of tea, but they also found time to block at least five badger setts and position themselves near others ready to head a fox attempting to run to ground, to ensure a longer chase for the hunt. Remember, Mark Hankinson described these n'er do wells as “hunting's soft underbelly.” If terrier men are present, blatant illegal hunting is taking place and that was definitely the order of the day on Friday.
Much activity took place in Carter's Grove adjacent to Ledbury joint master David Redvers' Tweenhill stud – sabs moved Quorn huntsman Ollie Finnegan on from drawing there early in the day. Thanks are due to the local who let us access his garden which adjoined the wood. He was not happy at all about the hounds trespassing on his land; a regular occurrence apparently.
Hounds hunted a fox below Catsbury Hill and across the road at Corse End Farm. Sabs started to encounter resistance from the hunt here, with one rider aggressively riding his horse at one sab to block her from keeping up with the hounds. Tragically his horse was bleeding from the mouth where he had yanked so hard on the reins. The cruelty of these people knows no bounds. Once again if the hunt had no criminality to hide, they wouldn't have to assault sabs.
The hunt returned to Tweenhills to draw Carters Grove a second time. The Three Counties sab was well placed to film a brace of foxes leaving the wood and crossing the A417, while one of our sabs filmed a fox break from the other end of the wood, which jinked straight back into the wood on seeing the hunt nearby. Ollie Finnegan attempted to put hounds on this fox, casting hounds through the wood. One of our sabs eventually decided to follow hounds into the wood and found them marking to ground. If sabs had not been present terrier men would have been called in to dig that fox out.
Hounds were called out of the wood and riders then second horsed. Hounds were then taken up Blackwells End behind Limbury Hill. A fox was put up in some scrub, but cannily it escaped into a disused farm yard currently home to a group of new age travellers. They were furious that the hounds were hunting through their yard, and the hunt were sent packing and that fox was saved. It was a definite high point of the day for us.
The hunt then crossed over the A417 towards Ashleworth. Our footsabs had a 'stalker' keeping them company since second horsing. We think he might have been terrier man Tom Stokes' brother Brad – similar eyes and rather high pitched voice. He was pretty ineffective, with no body cam and having to use a phone (no radio) to communicate with the vehicle tasked to keep tabs on our vehicle. In the afternoon he showed how out of his depth he was, pushing one of our sabs to the ground, causing her to hit his head. She was unhurt fortunately, and told him in no uncertain terms that he was overstepping the mark. He lost his nerve after that and at the next available opportunuty rejoined his mates in their pick up. Why go to so much effort to keep track of sabs unless you are trying to illegally hunt?
Hounds repeatedly drew blank for the rest of the day, but determined to get his money's worth Ollie hunted on across flooded water meadows to the River Severn before ending the day at Haw Bridge and before hacking back in darkness to pack up at Stonebow Farm a little before 5pm. It was a tough, exhausting day for sabs but foxes lives were saved and we kept tabs on the hunt throughout the day. The Quorn are regularly sabbed by Nottingham Hunt Saboteurs, maybe Ollie thought he could come to Gloucestershire and have an easier time of it. If so, we proved him wrong.
***Ollie Finnegan of the Quorn hunt admits illegally hunting with dogs after police unearth fox hunting texts in joint meet with the Ledbury.
https://www.itv.com/news/2022-12-06/m...