fork me
I have changed this
The only thing I can see you backing up there is how many veterinary surgeons there are registered. Nothing to do with hunting.
I'm not debating with you the best way to deal with a high number of foxes. I am telling you that a fox 'ripped apart by dogs' is dead within seconds, almost instantly in most cases. A fox shot with a gun is MUCH MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER. In an individual case by a profficiant marksman this may not be the case, however earlier in this thread I provided you with the statistics as to the percentage of foxes that suffer at the hands of people who shoot multiple foxes with the gun.
Don't get me wrong, i'm all for shooting them. The less of the little blighters the better. I'm simply stating that there is also nothing wrong with hunting them with hounds, in fact they are likely to suffer less.
I've read through this thread in one go, and earlier on you were most DEFINITELY claiming that hunting is done to curb foxes. Since then you've said they often get away and are not dug up, and NOW you claim NOT to be debating the best way to kill, them just trying to defend something you do for fun.
The only real FACT is that hunting with horses is a hopelessly inefficient way of controlling any genuine pest, as has already said, a man with a gun will get 60 a day, a hunt will get one or none. The ONLY reason for hunting with horses is for enjoyment.