David Jones

He may be retired, but giving up totally couldn’t be further from this diehard’s mind, as David Jones continues to fly the flag for hunting at home and abroad

- Frank Houghton Brown

IT’S difficult to get to speak to 77-year-old David Jones, because he’s just too busy hunting.

“I try to get out four days a week if I can,” he explains, while driving back from the College Valley and North Northumberland’s last day of the season.

Brought up in Merthyr Tydfil, the son of a plumber, David’s hunting gene is a mystery.

“Where it came from, I don’t know,” he says.

As soon as he could drive, David hardly missed a day and then set up his own pack, the Taf Fechan, in the middle of Merthyr.

“We fed them on food waste from the canteen at the Hoover factory,” he remembers, “and met at the town hall in the centre of Merthyr on Boxing Day. I hunted them for six seasons.”

His pack eventually amalgamated with the Ystrad to become the Ystrad Taf Fechan.