On October 3, 2023, Scotland’s “Hunting With Dogs Bill” came into effect. The Bill was passed this January to ban all trail chasing (called a drag hunt in the U.S.) and any hunting with more than two hounds without a special license. This Bill replaces the Protection of Wild Mammals Act that has been in effect in Scotland since 2002. That Act allowed the hunting of foxes to protect livestock and ground-nesting birds or to prevent the spread of disease. The new Bill will affect eight foxhunt clubs and one mink hunt club located in Scotland. Two hunt clubs in Scotland now use bloodhounds as of this season to chase a group of runners (called “clean boot”) and should be unaffected by the Bill.
The Scotsman reported on October 6 that multiple packs had been euthanized, with more hounds at risk for the same fate. However, this has not be corroborated. The Scottish Government said it recognizes that the hounds will be affected and pointed to charities that may assist in rehoming the working dogs.
The purpose of this Bill was to ensure that “Scotland’s wildlife is protected and managed to be both sustainable and humane”, according to Environment Minister Gillian Martin. This is despite research data concluding that shooting as predator control has a high wounding rate unlike hunting with hounds, according to Vet and Chairman of the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management David Renney.
VAWM said the new restrictions would also put numbers of red-listed species, including ground-nesting birds, at a higher risk. Mr. Renney said it could even lead to the decline of the fox population. Earlier this year, 103 vets from VAWM signed a letter to the UK Government warning the species’ population had plummeted in the wake of the English 2004 Hunting Act. The British Trust of Ornithology last year reported a 48 percent decline in the red fox in the UK between 1995 and 2022. “I expect populations will decline, but in hilly areas where it’s more difficult to control them without dogs, they could become a real problem for other threatened species,” Mr. Renney said.
Hunters can apply for a license if they wish to use more than two hounds to hunt. These allowances will only be permitted in certain circumstances such as preventing serious damage to livestock and the spread of disease. However, Jake Swindells of Scotland for Countryside Alliance, claims that the proof threshold for approval will be almost impossible to attain.
Several hunts have already disbanded at the end of last season, including Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds and Fife Foxhounds. The hounds from both packs were drafted to packs in England. Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds have hunted since 1771 and released a statement citing lack of hunt country as the cause of the change. Fife Foxhounds was founded in 1756 and announced they were disbanding for financial reasons. Lanarkshire & Renfrewshire Foxhounds will still host point-to-point races and other social events as a riding club.
The Lauderdale Foxhounds and the disbanded Fife Foxhounds (now the Fife Bloodhounds) have changed their packs from foxhounds to bloodhounds for the 2023-2024 season to hunt clean boot, or human runners that do not drag any artificial scent. The runners are called “quarries”, and they set off between 20 – 60 minutes before the hounds are “laid” on the line. Hunts vary in distance, depending on the time of year and the amount of country available. There are usually two to three hunts in a day, and people may join for as many or few as they like. These clean boot packs are registered with the Masters of Draghounds and Bloodhounds Association.
Here is a link to the current Hunting with Dogs Act 2023 as spelled out by the legislation government for the United Kingdom: Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
Here is a link to a review of the Protection of Wild Mammals Act 2002 published in 2016 by the Scottish Government: