British foxhunters have failed in their to overturn a ban on the practice but have vowed to fight on in court.
The government are banning hunting through the rarely used 1949 Parliament Act.
Two of Britain's top judges rejected the claim that the 1949 act was invalid but gave objectors leave to appeal on February 8th, just 10 days before the ban is due to come into effect in England and Wales.
Mr Simon Hart of the Countryside Alliance, speaking after group lost its first legal challenge against the ban, said: "We are battling on with confidence. There is a long way to go. Keep hunting , keep fighting."
The pro-hunting group is also taking a second legal challenge, arguing their human rights are infringed by the ban. That hearing may not take place until April.
The issue generates intense controversy and had promised to become an embarrassment for Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose government banned hunting with dogs last November. The ban is due to come into effect next month.
The Blair government is opposing the alliance but is happy to let the troublesome issue slip until after the election, saying it is taking a "relaxed" view.
Militant hunt supporters had been planning a civil disobedience campaign ahead of the election with open defiance of the ban and protests like dumping animal carcasses on ministers' doors.
Debates on fox hunting have taken up several hundred hours of parliament's time since Mr Blair took power in 1997 with a pledge to outlaw the pursuit.