Some Huffington Post readers may have read my various blogs on here explaining how I am continuing to set dogs in pursuit of wild deer on my farm in Devon.
I've had a fascinating response on twitter from Professor John Cooper QC the chairman of the League Against Cruel Sports. John was discussing my activities with a judge who goes under the account @Jack_T_Judge.
John Cooper's comment was "He's a laugh isn't he?". The honourable judge did not seem to quite get why flouting the law is so funny.
Of course the professor is right. Too often when discussing the issues surrounding hunting with dogs, country sports and wildlife management we forget that one of the central points of these activities is to be good fun. There is something uniquely enjoyable and satisfying about sending dogs after a running deer. It's a laugh. My dogs could never and would never harm a wild red deer and the deer easily evade them.
Escaping from potential predators is an entirely natural process and it need not involve unacceptable cruelty.
A key reason that I continue flushing deer with my dogs is for fun and what better reason could there be to do it than for bit of a laugh? If it is illegal under the Hunting Act then the law is clearly absurd as it makes it legal to do the same thing and then shoot them. I enjoy not shooting them so I don't - and surely that is as good a reason as any. What's wrong with gaining pleasure from not killing wildlife?
Unfortunately much of the Hunting Act is concerned with stipulating conditions in which animals have to be killed. It's an incredibly depressing document and is based on narrow minded bigoted ignorance. What we should be doing is celebrating the sheer joy of the chase. The law should contain an exemption for harmless fun.
Whichever way I look at it breaking the Hunting Act offers me more amusement than obeying it. Added to the established benefits of hunt crime in terms of wildlife management and animal welfare I think there is an inarguable case that I am justified in flouting the legislation.
After all if even Professor John Cooper QC is deriving amusement from my taking dogs out and chasing wild mammals with them it can't be all bad.