Re: Civil Disobedience?

"PM" <hayebail@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Jenn C wrote:

>> Nope, my entire family is British and it is about the fact that the
>> dogs rip the fox to shreds. That is cruel and there is no sugar
>> coating it.

> That ending would certainly spoil an otherwise nice ride in the
> country. And at that point what differentiates this sport from chicken
> fighting or dog fighting? Or putting monster-shoes on Tennessee
> Walkers? Cruelty masked as sport or entertainment is nothing new,
> that's fer sure. Just as kill-the-fox hunt fans (as opposed to drag)
> whine that the attacks on their sport are all about class envy, so do
> the chicken fighters claim that class predjudice is behind legislation
> directed at their affordable sport.

There is no comparison. Chicken or dog fighting is a brutal 'sporting
event'. Period. Fox hunting, like many of the rodeo events (such as calf
roping, or bronc riding), evolved from a *job* (which in this case was the
necessity to rid farmland of vermin). Historically, it was the upper
classes that were behind the traditional, formal hunt, but it did have a
purpose. Farmers would invite you onto their property to hunt, and they
wanted to see the quarry killed, or you might not be asked back. By the
way, don't think that the farmers not involved in the traditional style fox
hunt didn't have their method of killing critters that harangued their
livestock.

During a foxhunt, chasing a live quarry is generally much more exciting than
a drag hunt and basically a whole different ballgame. In areas of the US,
this has evolved into a sport, with no intent to kill the fox, coyote, wild
boar or whatever line of scent the hounds have found, although in some
places here and in Europe, I believe there is still a job being done.

It is not 'kill-the-fox hunt fans' at all, as the joy is in the chase, not
in the kill. That is a misconception that PETA and HSUS are fond of
magnifying and bandying about. Farming is farming, and things are killed.
It is what it is. This isn't a bunch of blue-bloodied snobs coldly
galloping about the countryside slashing, maiming and killing everything in
it's path. There is a huge amount of planning, sensitivity, landowner
relations, fundraising and volunteer participation that go into keeping the
sport alive in the face of all the activist groups that would make it
impossible to farm anything other than brussel sprouts, given time. It is
certainly not only the uppercrust that is involved in this tradition any
more.

My closest contact is with a drag hunt. It is done thoughtfully and well,
and is a huge endeavor. It is an historical tradition that is being fought
to be kept alive in many areas. Those that feel that killing of any sort is
an abominance willl call fox hunting an abomination. They will take extreme
situations and plaster them all over the internet crying foul.

>> There are many animals that overpopulate and are considered a nuisance
>> but there are more humane ways of addressing that problem.

> Of course there are. But who determines when a population is out of
> balance?

I find this line of reasoning so foolish. Dead is dead. I grew up on a
farm, and there are things that die, and are killed to keep your business
safe. I guess I think it should be OK for a landowner to decide when the
animal nuisance population is out of balance and wishes to allow hunting on
their property. Sometimes it may be impossible to pull the hounds off of
the quarry, but I think that is the exception rather than the rule.

>> And yes there are some groups that just don't like hunting period but
>> the majority of people don't like fox hunting because of the way the
>> fox is killed.

I will guess that most who talk about how the fox is killed haven't much
firsthand experience with the sport and have mostly read what the anti
organizations have had to offer.

> Drag surely seems like the way to go. Ackkk! I'm picturing Kambic
> hilltopping in a pink dress and champagne wig. Not THAT kin of drag.

That was not nice :)
--
Ruth B



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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Yesterday we received the great news that the Hunting Bill will be reintroduced to the Commons n
    ... Personally I don't particularly believe in fox hunting, ... but never really thought about the foxes as round here there ... > 2) I don't allow the hunt on my land. ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Civil Disobedience?
    ... shreds by dogs. ... takes place on a hunt and good info is hard to come by. ... Fox hunting, like many of the rodeo events (such as calf ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: Hello Again
    ... If anyone has an open mind on the subject, track down the internet videos of what happens when a pack of hounds catch up with a fox. ... Could it be that people are finding hunting more attractive now that it doesn't involve the torture or wild animals. ... You've never witnessed the end of a hunt, ... New Labour has made it illegal to hunt foxes with more than one hound. ...
    (uk.people.support.depression)
  • Re: Health issues from foxes
    ... If other people choose to ride with the hunt ... >when the fox population is shot, ... Tell everyone the Trolls don't bother you. ... Publicly post killfile rules so the Trolls know ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Civil Disobedience?
    ... What actually happens on a hunt varies from country to country, ... Hunts in the US generally call hounds off when a fox goes to ground. ... Many times the fox loses the dogs, or the dogs lose the scent. ... >> a drag hunt and basically a whole different ballgame. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
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