IT was meant to sound the death knell of the centuries-old pursuit of fox hunting for ever.

But exactly a decade on from the introduction of controversial legislation in Scotland which was fiercely opposed by the countryside set, local hunts continue to survive - and even flourish.

And the attitudes of many campaigners who fought vigorously against the ban seem to be softening.

Indeed, as the 10th anniversary of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act passed on February 13 the public could be forgiven for thinking little has changed during the course of time.

Scotland's largest hunt, the Buccleuch, were out in force in the Borders last Monday offering a pest control service to local land owners with a pack of hounds aiming to flush out a fox to waiting gunmen - as the law permits.

No fox was shot on this occasion but evidence suggests three time times as many are being killed due to the introduction of guns than before the new laws were brought in 10 years ago.

While the Hunting Act in England and Wales, introduced two years later and with far stringent conditions, faces being repealed if Prime Minister David Cameron delivers on his promise of a free vote, no similar moves are anticipated north of the border.

A number of loopholes in the Scottish legislation allows the blood sport to continue in a manner which is seemingly palatable to both sides of the hunting divide.

Trevor Adams, the 54-year-old Buccleuch huntsmaster, was a vehement opponent of Lord Watson's bill when it was first proposed and ultimately introduced.

He remains the only person ever to have been prosecuted under the legislation when he was charged with deliberately hunting a fox with 20 dogs.

Adams was subsequently found not guilty of the charge at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on December 10, 2004, whereas a verdict the other way could have meant a maximum fine of �5,000 or up to six months in jail.

With such a penalty hanging over his head for what he has always believed is his natural birth-right, he could be forgiven at being bitter at the legal process he had to endure before being cleared.

But he says there will be no attempts to change the law in Scotland and has mellowed somewhat.

Adams told us: "I think we have got to work with the law we have got in the end. We certainly have adapted to the new law where we flush out foxes and offer a pest control. It is a sensible compromise. The regulations seem to have kept everyone happy which is not easy in this day and age.

"We serve a purpose and the fact that we are still here is a victory of sorts. I am not saying I agree with the legislation but we will conform to it. I think it will be repealed in England but I do not anticipate any moves to change the law in Scotland."

The Scottish legislation outlawed the hunting of wild mammals with dogs but faced with huge opposition at the time by the Scottish Countryside Alliance amendments were made to the Act which allowed fox hunting to continue in a watered-down form.

It is now legal to use dogs to flush a fox from cover for it to then be shot so long as this is done as a form of pest control.

The Act further states that no offence is committed of the dog kills the fox during the course of this activity but only if it was not the huntsman's intention that it does so and is regarded as an accident.

Hounds are also used to kill foxes that have been wounded by the gunmen or are otherwise seriously injured or diseased.

Adams was charged because a farmer claimed to police that the dogs had ran past the gunmen in continued pursuit of the fox and were "out of control". But the not guilty verdict vindicated his position that there was no intent.

Customs of a hunt such as the Buccleuch - which patrols a vast area of the central Border land stretching from the foot of the Lammermuir Hills to the Cheviots - can be continued although mounted followers have since ditched the traditional red jackets in favour of tweed outfits to mark the change.

Only the huntsman, the fieldmaster and the whipper-in continue to wear the traditional dress as it makes them easier to see.

The Buccleuch meets five times a fortnight offering its pest control service and as the mounted riders follow a pack of 25 hounds, the sight of witnessing the chase seems to satisfy the hunt followers whose numbers do not seem to be affected by the changes.

In England and Wales, foxes can also be hunted as a form of pest control but no more than two hounds can be used so therefore the thrill of galloping after a pack has been removed.

The discontent south of the border with the current legislation may lead to the Hunting Act being scrapped but the hunting lobby in Scotland are not willing to take that chance.

They insist they will work within the barriers of the law and not allow the hounds to catch the fox because Holyrood could decide to outlaw the bloodsport entirely.

Adams states that he believes three times as many foxes are now killed as a result of the introduction of guns than before the change in the law.

Lord Watson, who introduced the Bill acting on the complaints of the anti-hunting lobby appalled at foxes being torn to pieces by hounds, insists it is entirely up to the police to act if the law is being broken.

Allan Murray, the 61-year-old chairman of the Buccleuch Hunt who in his role with the Scottish Countryside Alliance vociferously opposed the bill back in 2002, does not seek to have it scrapped like his counterparts down south.

Despite nursing a broken shoulder, he witnessed last Monday's rideout featuring up to 20 mounted riders following the pack of 25 hounds.

Murray said: "The legislation was not justified. I suppose after 10 years we have managed to overcome what the Bill did but huge changes had to be made.

"It is important to work within the law.

"We lost a lot of the traditionalists when the law changed but we are building up the numbers again.

"We still have the 10 mounted hunts in Scotland, five of them in the Borders, so tradition is being maintained but we have had to adapt to change."