Andrew Edwards' DVDs
A review of "Fox Hunting with Lurchers By Day: Part Two" DVD by David Harcombe.
If you enjoyed the first DVD by Andrew Edwards showing his superb fox catching Lurchers hunting by day then this will come as the icing on the cake as he shares some further experiences with us. This is an excellent film full of action and wonderful, evocative scenery and action in all weathers. As with part one, there is no commentary and I was expecting this to be a hindrance to my enjoyment but I must say that actually, it was not, for these top class canines need no human assistance to improve their performance or our enjoyment of it, though there are moments of background music which I found to be most suitable.
The DVD opens with a course over rocky ground with no possible escape for the fox- until, that is, he gets under some ancient rocks which have probably been unmoved since the dawn of time. The irresistible force of the Lurchers having to give way before the immovable objects of the solid, grey lichen covered rocks. The fox could be seen watching warily from his fortress at one point as if to sneer at the fate he had so fortunately foiled. Some of these imposing places immediately took me back to my youth when we would often sit among such stones known as Top Rocks, in the Rhondda valley where sheep would shelter underneath their overhanging cover, though I never knew a fox to use them.
Much of the footage would now be illegal due to the communists of New Labour who banned such activities, without good reason for when these Lurchers catch up with their quarry then the end is very quick. If they wanted to ban animal suffering then they should have banned the Islamic practice of Halal slaughter but no, they encourage that barbarism and even plan to open a massive complex to further such cruelty in south Wales. A sheep bleeding to death with its throat cut suffers many minutes of agony which degrade humanity. The fox, lethal predator, suffers little and is quickly killed. Such is Britain today under the socialist fools who have become traitors to their own country. Enough of that.
There is footage of some top class cold marking on the Welsh hills in the haze of winter mists and it must be disappointing for the dogs, it's almost as if you could read their minds get this out for me. They know that the quarry is in there but for all their efforts, tearing determinedly at the ground with teeth and claws, there is nothing they can do about it. You can almost feel their frustration. Naturally, as a Terrier man I weep at the sight but looked at calmly, there is also little that our game dogs could do about it for much of the time. Though many of the refuges seem to be just peat buries or shallow, stony places, some could well be death traps where a dog may enter and never be seen again for many a terrier has been lost on the hills and if Andrew had to spend hours waiting at such places then obviously his particular pleasure would be limited. His dogs run the fox and catch the fox and surely would not happily stand about for an hour or two waiting, instead of running!
These Lurchers hunt with the sureness of scent of the best foxhound and, even with their exceptional speed, are blessed with stamina to spare. Andrew has been breeding these for many a year and the most recent member of his team, a collie/greyhound x hound/lurcher is a great, great grand daughter of his original hound cross. To quote from the DVD cover, she is blessed with great feet, endless stamina and a fantastic nose for her quarry- and if she is to make her name and follow her forebears she will certainly need all three!
There is a wide variety of terrain and scenery covered in this film and the man and his dogs must have spent many, many hours and covered many miles to be able to bring it all to us. At times, as the dogs work in the distance the only sound is that of the wild wind and Andrew as he tries to control his breathing and hold the camera steady. His lungs must have been near to bursting many times! I bet he aint a smoker! He covers the frost covered wild mountain moors in a manner which must speak volumes for his fitness and I doubt there would be many who could stay with him through one of his hectic days.
I was impressed with one section, early in the film, where a fox repeatedly criss-crosses a dry- stone wall as he attempts to lose his relentless pursuers. One can almost feel the desolation and isolation of the situation, a man, his dogs and the quarry, far from any other living creature in a scne which must have been re-enacted through the ages of time. The fox strains every muscle and uses all his quick reflexes to lose his pursuers but he fails and falls to these wonderful Lurchers with their almost primitive attitude to their cause. A wonderful moment and one of those times when it is all too easy to feel in sympathy with the fox in his desperate bid to live.
I often found myself tensed and watching intently so as not to miss any action, fox tracks in the snow, a fox charging across frosty terrain which looked like the surface of the moon, Lurchers leaping through long rushes like stags, graceful as ballet dancers, now you see them, now you don't and all the while they are driven forward by their natural instincts to follow their nose- and the inbred nature of their personalities.
Sometimes there are vast distances between the dogs and the cameraman and it certainly must test all involved to the limit. I suppose it can be said that the dogs are only doing what comes naturally but Lurcher owners will readily agree that nature must also be nurtured for a dog to realise his full ability and it speaks volumes for the owner that these dogs perform in such an outstanding manner. Any follower of hounds will know how difficult it can be to follow the scent of the fox and to see just two or three Lurchers perform like this is a rare treat. A fox travelling through sheep can be particularly difficult to track and one course shows just that, the fox flat out in top gear, the Lurchers with him wherever he chooses to twist and turn. And at another time, during a course on what looked like an old open cast mining site or colliery area, the fox appears to suddenly leap out, almost into the camera.
In one scene toward the end, a sequence shows a lurcher deep in the rocks and a fox nipping along as only a fleeing fox can do while some lads attempt to turn him, arms flapping. What a contrast, the red speed machine, single minded as he attempts to escape, the agile Lurchers, the ungainly, awkward men. I made some notes as I watched and after this part I wrote just one word. Superb Which just about sums up this whole film.
I don't usually watch hunting or digging videos, I find something strange about watching something on the TV at home which is usually enjoyed on the desolate hill but I think I will be revisiting this DVD quite regularly in the future and, for my money the often desolate hill scenery alone is good value. The film lasts for just over an hour and amply illustrates the bond between hunting man and hunting dog. There is a satisfaction in this relationship that no Midnight Cowboy or artificially contrived situation can hope to match. It is natural; the dogs hunt alone without help from anyone. They catch and kill or the quarry escapes. An excellent addition to any hunting mans collection, buy it and watch it when you have that odd hour to spare for it is thoroughly enjoyable.