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Traditional hunting involving the chasing and killing of animals, was banned by the Hunting Act 2004 in England and Wales, and the Protection of Wild Mammals Act 2002 in Scotland.
After the ban, ‘trail’ hunting was created. Find out what we're standing against.
What is ‘trail’ hunting?
- ‘Trail’ hunting was created to mimic traditional fox hunting with dogs.
- The hunts lay an animal-based scent trail (using fox urine) which has been laid in areas where foxes or hares are likely to be.
- Crucially, those laying the trail are not meant to tell those controlling the hounds where the scent has been laid, so if the hounds end up following a live animal scent the hunt can claim that they did not know.
Does the National Trust allow trail hunting?
No, the National Trust banned trail hunting on its land in late 2021, a year after suspending the practice.
It followed a campaign by the League Against Cruel Sports urging the National Trust to stop issuing trail hunting licences.
The decision to ban trail hunting came after members voted for it at the 2021 National Trust AGM and was prompted by concern that it was being used as a cover for illegal fox hunting.
Is trail hunting a lie?
Yes, trail hunting is a deception which was invented by hunts after the fox hunting ban to hide the fact they are still chasing and killing foxes.
Trail hunting is used by fox hunts to try and deceive the public, police and courts in a bid to get around the hunting ban which came into force in 2005.
'Trail’ hunting is a “smokescreen”…
An explosive exposé aired on ITV in November 2020 showed senior figures within the Master of Fox Hounds Association and the Countryside Alliance caught on camera admitting that ‘trail’ hunting is a “smokescreen” for the chasing and killing of foxes.
Phil Davies, the Countryside Alliance police liaison officer, said:
“Now you know more about hunting than the saboteurs or courts will know but what it will do is create that smokescreen or that element of doubt that we haven’t deliberately hunted a fox, so if nothing else you need to record that, and it will help us provide a defence to huntsman.”
Mark Hankinson, MFHA director, said:
“It’s a lot easier to create a smokescreen if you’ve got more than one trail layer operating, and that is what it’s all about, trying to portray to the people watching that you’re going about your legitimate business.”
If 'trail' hunting is real, then why are hunts out of control on roads and railways, trespassing on private land, and worrying domestic pets and livestock as well as still killing wildlife? Find out more below:
Claim of trail hunting was a cynical subterfuge"
– Judge Michael Pert QC after Fernie Hunt unsuccessfully appealed their guilty verdict.
The case against ‘trail’ hunting
- After the ban came in to force, the hunts could have converted to genuine drag hunting or to ‘clean boot’ hunting instead of chasing and killing animals, but instead, they chose the latter.
- The hunts operate in the same locations they used prior to the ban – areas which are known to contain foxes (or hares, deer or mink).
- Trail hunts are always accompanied by terrier men – contractors who follow the hunt on quad bikes, with terrier dogs. In traditional hunting these dogs were sent underground to find a fox if it had escaped, by hiding in a hole underground for example. Terrier men would place the terrier in the hole to force the fox out, so the chase could continue. If trail hunts genuinely don’t try to catch foxes, why are they always accompanied by terrier men?
- Trail hunts very rarely involve laying a trail. Since the Hunting Act 2004 was enacted, over 30 hunt monitors have released more than 4,000 monitor reports in which witnesses report seeing someone lay a possible trail in an average of around only 3% of occasions where they monitored hunts. They believe however, that only an average of around 0.04% of the occasions witnessed, were a genuine trail hunting event.
Is trail hunting legal in Scotland?
No, trail hunting was banned by the Scottish Government in 2023 with the introduction of the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023.
What are trail hunting UK rules?
Trail hunting is a fabrication being used to deceive people. The hunts purport to follow a pre laid trail, often claimed to be an animal-based scent.
Trail laying is very rarely seen except when the hunts hold a lame PR exercise.
The League receives hundreds of reports every year of foxes seen being chased by hunts.
What is the point of trail hunting?
Trail hunting has been invented to get around the fox hunting ban so that hunts can carry on hunting as they did before.
The League Against Cruel Sports believe ‘trail’ hunting is not a genuine sport but a cover for illegal hunting, designed to deceive the authorities and make the prosecution of illegal hunters very difficult.
Now the hunting fraternity themselves have admitted to using trail hunting as an excuse to circumvent the law, it is only a matter of time before trail hunting comes to an end.
What scent is used for trail hunting?
Hunts often claim to use animal-based scents but in reality, trail hunting is a ruse being used to fool the public.
What's the difference between drag hunting and trail hunting?
Drag hunting is a legitimate activity and a test of equestrianism taking place in open countryside away from fox habitats.
Trail hunting is a smokescreen being used to conceal the hunts’ illegal hunting of foxes.
Will trail hunting get banned?
The government has committed to launching a consultation to ban trail hunting in autumn 2025.
We are calling for our supporters and opponents of fox hunting to take part in the consultation and make their voice heard.
We will be calling for trail hunting to be banned, for all the loopholes in the law being exploited by hunts to be removed, and for custodial sentences for those that break the law.
How can I help?
- Visit our take action page to see how you can use your voice to help end the cruelty for good.