What is cub hunting?
Cub hunting (known as 'cubbing'), as the name suggests, is the practice of hunting fox cubs with young foxhounds.
Contrary to what the hunters say, hunting a live animal does not come naturally to a foxhound. As such, the young hounds must be taught how to hunt in preparation for the main season of fox hunting. This is done by hunting fox cubs in a confined area of woodland, which pushes the fox cubs into the pack, rather than involving a long chase.
Fox cub hunting remains a dirty secret of the hunting world. Despite the ban on hunting wild mammals with dogs this continues to be widely practiced as part of hunting (usually under the smokescreen of trail hunting).
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When does cub hunting take place?
Cub hunting follows seasonal patterns and generally takes place between August and October. For most hunts, the start date of the season depends on the harvest, which last year was a little later than normal due to the weather.
Our supporter-funded Animal Crimewatch received its first report of cub hunting in 2021 on 9 August. This represented a later start for the hunters. But they were quick to make up for it in cruelty and destruction.