fox hunting

A gentlemen's sport, devoted to the chase, not the actual capture of the fox. Frequently vilified by radical animal rights protesters as a barbaric blood sport, though the reality of the sport in modern-day Europe and North America is quite different. Today, the most common types of hunts are "drag hunts," in which a scent is laid so that the dogs have something to follow--thus furthering the goal of a day riding across country. Pursued by both those who love the countryside and horses. "Actual" hunts in which a fox is pursued are typically practiced in areas where the local fox population is overly large, resulting in damage to livestock as well as starvation of the fox population due to a lack of food sources. The reality is, in some areas, cute as they may be, fox are seen as vermin or pests, not unlike deer in the north eastern portion of the United States.