As these hunters seem unable to understand the law, let me clarify.
Putting more than two hounds into woodland, gorse or a cover, where they are likely to pick up a scent is illegal.
The hounds running ahead of the hunter / field, and are baying/in cry, this is a sign that a scent has been picked up, and that the hounds are in pursuit of something.
Baying or hounds in cry must be called off immediately, by the use of a horn, a whip or by a voice calls.
Flushing out with hounds
No more than two dogs can be used in flushing of wild mammals to guns.
No dogs can chase or kill a wild mammal.
Reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that the animal is shot dead by a competent person, and reasonable steps taken to ensure that the dog doing the stalking/flushing is kept under close control to allow the animal to be shot.
Dogs must not be used below ground for flushing out, unless
A - this is done to prevent or reduced serious damage to game birds
B - the person doing the flushing has on him written evidence that the land belongs to him or that he has been given permission to use the land for that purpose by the occupier of the land.
In the case of flushing below ground for this purpose only one dog may be used and reasonable steps must be taken to ensure that the animal is flushed out as soon as it is found, and shot by a competent person as soon as it is flushed out. Reasonable steps must be taken to keep the dog under control to ensure that the animal is shot.
A Drag or trail hunt that isn?t
A trail or a drag being put though crop, woodland, near roads, peoples houses or near railway lines.
Blocked earths or badger setts. It is actually illegal to interfere with a badger sett under the Protection of badger?s act 1992. Hunters will often block fox earths so foxes cannot escape from hounds, this should be filmed and reported to us.
Hounds going off the trail or drag and not being immediately put back on track either by the horn, whip, or voice calls.
It is still legal to hunt rats and rabbits with dogs. Mink hunts have stated they are to hunt rabbits and rats instead of mink in the summer and some harrier packs have said they are to hunt rabbits. The hunter must still have permission from the occupier; if the land is not occupied then they need it from the landowner.
Another important point is that Hunts can be prosecuted under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Wild Mammals Act 1996. So for example if you had evidence of a live fox being torn apart by foxes a prosecution could be brought under PAA 1911 for causing unnecessary cruelty.