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Top Tips for Catching Sabs

The Official BTM Guide to Spotting & Stopping Hunt Saboteurs

Think you’ve spotted a sab? Here’s how to turn that encounter into evidence we can use. Follow these six steps to help us expose the criminality and anti-social behaviour by these countryside terrorists.

1. Pin your position

Always lock down your location. Drop a WhatThreeWords pin, save your GPS coordinates, drop a pin on your Maps app, note the nearest road junction or landmark. Be specific.

2. Get your camera out

This is the money shot. Film in portrait mode with a steady hand and make sure you capture clear facial footage. Zoom in on faces and encapsulate the surroundings or anyone else involved.

Make sure your fingers aren’t covering the microphone on your camera (usually at the bottom of your phone). Believe us, it’s easily done.

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Clive Richardson calling hounds of a laid trail

3. Document everything

The more intel you gather, the stronger the case. Get all of this down:

Vehicle details: make, model, colour, registration number
Clothing and distinguishing features
Head count: how many individuals are present
Date, time, and who you think they might be.
Any identifying marks, tattoos, piercings, hair colour or equipment they’re carrying

When in doubt, write it down.

4. Stay calm, stay smart

Engage if you want to but keep it neutral and polite. Ask simple questions: ‘Ae you lost?’ or ‘Do you know you’re on private land?’. Don’t rise to provocation. Don’t get dragged into arguments. Observe and record, don’t debate. Let them talk themselves into corners while you stay composed – that’s how you maintain credibility.

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North London Sabs trespassing

5. Illegal Activity? Get It On Camera

If they're breaking the law, get it on camera. Trespassing on private land? Obstructing a legal hunt? Attacking a member of the public? Film it clearly and calmly. Narrate what you're seeing if it helps establish context: 'They've just climbed over the gate marked Private Property' or 'They're now blocking the road.' If you choose to confront them, do it from a safe distance and keep your tone measured. Aggression undermines your evidence.