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.
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