Who they are and where they hunt

The Quantock Staghounds hunt red deer in the Quantock Hills in Somerset.

Joint-Master James Howthorne stated “Since the ban trail hunting takes place, but there are various exemptions that allow us to hunt and take a deer. We can flush a deer to guns, using two hounds, or deal with an injured deer, again with two hounds, and we are involved in research and observation. We can change over the two hounds and substitute another couple, but if hounds are settled on a line it can all go wrong if they are changed. We are only allowed to shoot deer with a firearm. We use a 12-bore with a barrel shortened to 25 inches and a heavy cartridge containing nine pellets”. 

This hunt used to be monitored by investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports as it hunts close to land owned by the League. It also hunts regularly on National Trust land – where they have no permission to be.

The hunt is often seen on Sights of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

For more information about reporting this hunt, please click here.