A NEW year buck hunt took place in the New Forest on January 2, 1995, the riders meeting at the High Corner Inn at Linwood, near Ringwood.

Hunters on horseback gathered outside the pub, while dozens of spectators congregated to see them off.

Since the passing of the Hunting Act 2004, the hounds must now pursue a drag.

However the New Forest Buckhounds were wound up before then – in March 1997 – as the weight of public opinion turned against hunting.

The buckhounds had been formed in the mid-19th century to control the number of fallow deer in the Forest.