Ward Union get a licence (sort of)

Clip-Clop

This from H & H

Ireland's Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley, has issued the Ward Union Hunt with a restricted licence to hunt under the Wildlife Act, 1976.

The hunt will not be allowed to chase a stag with hounds under the terms of the licence, which is subject to 28 conditions.


The Minister said: "The licence with the conditions I have granted to the Ward Union Hunt will allow for the hunting of stags in a manner which will provide for the protection of the stag and the general public. In effect it permits the Ward Union to release a deer to lay a scent trail along the course of the hunt, but I am insisting that the deer must be recaptured before the hounds are released and the full hunt gets underway.


"I believe that the conditions attached to the licence address my concerns from a wider public policy perspective about the public safety issues surrounding the hunting of a large animal by a large group on horseback and a pack of hounds through an increasingly urbanised countryside."

Without having read the licence, its seems to me that it will casue just as much distress to the stag being chased by horses (in order to get him to lay the trail) as it would have if chased by dogs. Another example methinks of non-hunters blundering into terrain they dont understand, a la the Hunting Act. I have to say i have never been particularly fond of the Wards or what they do, but i'm worried that Gormley might have bigger fish to fry. If that is the case, bye bye stables/livery yards/farriers etc etc

otwb

Does seem a bit strange all right....

Unless the minister wants to run on front of the stag with a bunch of carrotts/bucket of feed to get it moving ?

doctor evil

Will it be allowed to be chased at all?, or will it hang round in a field eating grass:p

TheB

Clip-Clop wrote: »

This from H & H

Ireland's Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr John Gormley, has issued the Ward Union Hunt with a restricted licence to hunt under the Wildlife Act, 1976.

The hunt will not be allowed to chase a stag with hounds under the terms of the licence, which is subject to 28 conditions.


The Minister said: "The licence with the conditions I have granted to the Ward Union Hunt will allow for the hunting of stags in a manner which will provide for the protection of the stag and the general public. In effect it permits the Ward Union to release a deer to lay a scent trail along the course of the hunt, but I am insisting that the deer must be recaptured before the hounds are released and the full hunt gets underway.


"I believe that the conditions attached to the licence address my concerns from a wider public policy perspective about the public safety issues surrounding the hunting of a large animal by a large group on horseback and a pack of hounds through an increasingly urbanised countryside."

That seems a little ..um..bonkers.. :rolleyes: .. what are they thinking ? I'm not a fan of the Ward Union way of hunting but the licence above - I can't think of the point of it.. Having said that I am a bit light on any previous history on this subject - not being from here.. I am just commenting as I see..

Without having read the licence, its seems to me that it will casue just as much distress to the stag being chased by horses (in order to get him to lay the trail) as it would have if chased by dogs.

Thats what I was thinking.. and what do they do with it on re-capture after laying the trail?

Another example methinks of non-hunters blundering into terrain they dont understand, a la the Hunting Act.

Yup.

i'm worried that Gormley might have bigger fish to fry. If that is the case, bye bye stables/livery yards/farriers etc etc

Have seen this happen before.. not so long ago.. and the Hunting community has its worst enemy in apathy and the attitude that "it'll never happen" .. then it's to late even for grand gestures/demos/whatever.. Licensing etc is the start.. IMFHA & the community should be wary.

bb12

i think this is great news and a definite step in the right direction. it's a pity the minister didn't go so far as to just outlaw this outdated hunt. the stag will still suffer stress being chased by horses and hussled to the ground by the huntsmen, but at least this type of license will start pointing the hunt towards drag hunting, which is the inevitable end of where this hunt will be forced to go in the future. and the sooner the better in my opinion.

Moved to here..

More relevant.

Rovi

Right, I see this has landed in here now.

I'll assume than anyone posting from this point on has read and familiarised themselves with both the general Shooting Charter and the more specific Hunting Charter.

Anti-social behaviour will be dealt with on a 'no warning, no second chance' basis.


Play nice.

meathstevie

Step one in Gormley's quest has been succesfull so. Not a fan of this sort of hunting either lads but the Gormley lad is up to something, mark my words.

Why do they need a licence to release a farmed animal, recapture it and than ride down it's trail while walking the dogs ? This isn't hunting anymore...

finbarrk

bb12 wrote: »

i think this is great news and a definite step in the right direction. it's a pity the minister didn't go so far as to just outlaw this outdated hunt. the stag will still suffer stress being chased by horses and hussled to the ground by the huntsmen, but at least this type of license will start pointing the hunt towards drag hunting, which is the inevitable end of where this hunt will be forced to go in the future. and the sooner the better in my opinion.

What are you rambling about, there is either hunting or not, I wouldn't think you have spent too many days on horseback on our glorious natural hunting countryside.

johngalway

Sooner that minister, and his party, is gone the better, he'll fall on his carbon tax sword I hope. They'll do us no favours.

foxhunter

johngalway wrote: »

Sooner that minister, and his party, is gone the better, he'll fall on his carbon tax sword I hope. They'll do us no favours.

+1

meathstevie

How do you recapture the stag ? With a .243 ?

kerrysgold

As bb12 said, a step in the right direction. hopefully the days of hunting in this country are numbered. The green party are only trying to do right by animals (although a complete ban would have been better.....) and the environment, both of which would be better off if they were running the country instead of fianna fail I think.

maglite

meathstevie wrote: »

How do you recapture the stag ? With a .243 ?

dont be silly you get a big cardboard box, a stick with a fork on the top and a carrot and wait for the stag to go under the box...

or a snare

meathstevie

Or you put a sleigh in the field with a lad of my size in a red suit at the reins and I bet ya the stag will be picking up the yoke himself..

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all...

P.S. And for some a trip to the Aras to collect a return ticket to cloud cuckoo land

Cantoris

I'm sure Minister Gormley prepared all the figures for Minister Cowen on the loss of incomes that will arise from any banning of hunting. 350 jobs gone in Limerick gets the headlines......how about 3,500 if hunting is banned. There needs to be a sensible approach to this as it is more inter-twined with irish society and commerce than in the UK.

BryanL

and who's paying for 2 civil servants to go and watch the hunt twice a week.
i have a good feeling the greens won't be back anytime soon
B