Trail Hunting or Fox Hunting?

[wantmorenow]

Just read a random pop up post in Facebook about hunting with hounds in the UK which I naively thought had been banned. I am shocked and quite amazed at my own ignorance. I genuinely didn't realise this still goes on and despite the law banning hunting. There is footage of the fox being pursued and the data shared is an eye opener.

What 'data'?

Of course it still goes on. Legally in some specific circumstances, others not. In Ireland it remains entirely legal.

Please share the data. Trail hunting is completely legal.

I thought trail hunting was laying a scent trail for hounds to follow, so specifically designed to replicate a hunt without an animal being killed at the end?

Drag hunting where the hounds follow a scent is legal. But actually hunting an animal is not. Oscar had it right.

Trail hunting isn’t illegal, completely or otherwise, but it’s used as a cover for fox hunting and there’s a proposal to ban it

It is

No it isn't used as a 'cover'

In your clearly limited experience

How do you know what my experience is? Are you an expert?

Hunting foxes with dogs is illegal. Hunting a scent is legal. Hunting a runner is legal.

Hounds are trained on fox scent. A hunt will make a lame show of laying a trail. Hounds will pick up a fox line. The hunt will pretend it’s an accident. The hounds will chase a fox and kill it if they catch it.

It’s fox hunting under cover. There have been prosecutions.

I think initially when they first banned hunting they just tweaked a few details and 'accidentally' happened upon foxes (at least some hunts did which spoiled the rep for others). These days, and obviously I can only speak for our local packs, the dogs are entirely retrained. Some of the old school hunt folks won't entertain going out with them now. My dd goes out with a bloodhound pack which is different again. Known as clean boot hunting. Bloodhounds were never trained to kill animals and have entirely different instincts to fox hounds so there is no fear of mistake. There is no scent dragged, they simply follow the path of the human runner (and jump all over them and get treats at the end). It's not for the faint hearted though, as it's a planned route with little interruption so very fast and furious

Someone who actually knows what they are talking about!

I asked the master of our local hunt how they prevent hounds picking up and following a fox trail and keep them following the drag trail (normally they use an aniseed scent for the drag). He said the aniseed is irresistible to hounds and fox scents are much weaker and less attractive so there isn't any problem (with their hunt at least) in terms of the hounds pursuing foxes "by accident". Note I have no direct experience of hunting so I have no idea if he was telling the truth or not. But just thought I would report what is being claimed, at least in my neck of the woods.

Have you been reading Chris Packham's bullshit OP?

They are certainly still hunting foxes with dogs round my way. As well as trespassing - ignoring the local farmers who repeatedly tell the hunt to keep off their land to no avail. They even chased a deer into a neighbour's garden and savaged it in front of him. They think they can go wherever they like, damaging other people's fields and gardens, and they know the police will do nothing when they kill an animal.

It's an excuse for sad little people, angered at the fact their lovely, wholesome pastime of allowing their trained hounds to rip foxes and their cubs to pieces was banned, to wear their silly red-coated uniforms and pretend their cocks are bigger than they are, to hoodwink the rest of the country into believing they're really only 'trail hunting' and it's reaaaaaallllly not their fault if a rogue hound catches the scent of a real fox and rips it to fuck. I'd like to these cretins being chased by hounds trained in hunting cunts. But we can wish.

They are doing it here. They always congregate outside our house and have done for years. Naively I thought they were obeying the law but apparently not. A frightened fox ran across our garden and an acquaintance who knows them confirmed that they still hunt foxes.

I was fuming and contacted our local hunt sabs- I won't be making it easy for them to congregate outside our house next time!

People on here claiming it doesn't happen obviously support this barbaric practice.

TRIGGER WARNING

https://x.com/ProtectTheWild_/status/1750870381777355124

Hunting foxes with dogs is banned.

Trail hunting, where the dogs simply follow a rag with a scent, and not an actual animal, is legal.

The problem is that in some instances trail hunting is used as a smokescreen by hunts and foxes are still hunted and killed/ripped apart by a pack of hounds.

There have been prosecutions and you only have to look at images and videos captured by hunt saboteurs to see that there is an issue.

Badly run hunts can also cause issues with the dogs running riots in people's properties and attacking farm animals/pets.

Shame that the people taking part in these illegal hunts think they are above the law...

I have seen our local hunt pursuing a fox (and on a canal towpath where they are not supposed to go at all). They don’t care, they see themselves as above the law. We have a local police officer who is a liaison for the three hunts in the area and she rang to get more information from me, and told me that she does have to keep on them because left alone they carry on as they see fit, ignoring the law completely. It’s difficult to prove intent.

A close family member is a hunt sab. He's shown me plenty of recent videos of his local hunt pursuing foxes. Whether intentional or not, they certainly don't care when the hounds pick up a fox scent and don't try to deter them. Also terrier men present with terriers.

Hi - didn't expect so much traffic. Yes I watched the Chris Packham video on the page and took it at face value. I have looked for some "data" to see if what he said is true - I have no reason not to believe him as he is a credible presenter on many TV shows and loves his data. This is one I found https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/investigations-prosecutions-convictions-and-bans/ but this second one seems more complete https://www.huntingact.org/the-hunting-act/prosecutions/

I am coming at this with no prior knowledge and expertise. I am a towny (although recently moved to rural area), meat eater and generally quite uninformed so was very surprised.

Would not at ALL be surprised that they still carry it on in Herefordshire. Since badger baiting goes on and the number of dead badgers and foxes on a single stretch of road is beyond the coincidental.
I would like to hammer home that it isn't a country people vs townie people issue. The majority of country people find it outdated, barbaric and indeed as a pp said, performed by a certain type of pathetic asshole with more pomp than intelligence.
I guess their mothers didn't love them enough as children.