Horrific footage has been released which shows a man killing a stag with a gun after hunting it for more than ten miles on Exmoor.

Footage released shows a stag being chased and killed after being pursued with horses, hounds and quad bikes in the National Park.

The video, has now been released by the Hunt Saboteurs Association, after being filmed on 20 April.

Footage shows a male red deer, or stag, being chased across Exmoor National Park for three hours by the Devon and Somerset Staghounds group.

The exhausted animal is then shot in a stream at gun point by a hunt member, before a group of men drag the dead stag away.

The ordeal was filmed and witnessed by two hunt saboteurs, who can be heard shouting at the gunman.

North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs said around 100 horse riders from the Devon and Somerset staghounds met at Cussacombe Cross in the Exmoor National Park - with dozens more hunt followers in vehicles, who lined the roads to scare hunted stags back in the direction of pursuing hounds.

They claim multiple stags were chased by the hunt that day, until a final stag was eventually chased to their death, which was eventually caught on film.

Opponents of stag hunting are now calling into question the legality of the past time.

A Hunt Saboteurs Association spokesperson said: “The whole day showed what a tangled mess this law is.

"Legislation allows stag hunts to pick and choose whichever legal exemption suits them each day of their disgraceful spectator blood sport.

"The murdered stag was clearly exhausted, as he struggled to jump multiple fences while being chased, all while hounds are relayed to stack the odds hugely against the hunted animal.

"The fact that this can legally be defined as ‘research’ is a complete joke.”

Stag hunting was restricted as part of the 2004 Hunting Act, which also banned the hunting of fox, hare and most other mammals with a pack of hounds.

However, campaigners say that stag hunts "bend the rules" by using motorised vehicles such as quad and motorbikes.

Prior to the Hunting Act, stag hunts would utilise a pack of up to thirty dogs, as well as motorised vehicles.

Stag hunts claim to be carrying out ‘research’ by hunting stags, which is allowed under the law.

The 2004 Hunting Act has faced national scrutiny in recent months with national news outlets covering the issues with the legislation which relate to fox hunting.

A spokesperson from the Hunt Saboteurs Association said: "In March, Police Chief Matt Longman commented on national news that the Hunting Act was in fact unworkable, due to loopholes in legislation.

"With an election looming, the Labour Party have also vowed to ban hunting with dogs, due to continued controversial coverage of the issue.

"While stag and deer hunting with hounds was once widespread in the UK, now only three registered packs exist in south west England.”

The hunt has been contacted for comment.