The huntsman was (and still is) in charge of the hunt; he was a hunt servant. In most hunts, the hunt servants would wear a red coat, though other colours, especially green, were also used. Since the introduction of the Hunting Act some hunt staff have decided not to wear these garments as this singles them out from the rest of the hunt.

The huntsman controlled the pack of hounds and the rest of the staff, and decided which coverts would be drawn, meaning where they will disperse the hounds to search for a fox, although he would have discussed the general plans for the day's hunting in advance with the Master. He would also decide which fox would be hunted if more than one fox was found, and which foxes would not be pursued e.g. if the fox was close to a busy road such as a motorway or land where access had not been granted to the hunt. Thus the huntsman was (and continues to be) in control of the day's hunting and has ultimate responsibility for the decisions that are made during the day and the success of the day's hunting.

The huntsman was (and continues to be) assisted by one or two whippers-in, who were also hunt servants. Their job was to assist the huntsman, particularly in keeping the pack together and resolving any problems that occured during the day's hunting. As a general rule, when a fox is being actively hunted, the whipper-in was some distance from the huntsman (sometimes a long way off), collecting lost hounds. His primary role was keeping the pack together and rounding up missing animals. When the pack was stopped or called off, the whipper-in would be with the huntsman to help stop the pack from pursing a fox.

A terrierman would follow the hunt, either on a quad bike or in a vehicle; he would generally carry one or more terriers, often in a box on the back of a quad bike, and implements for digging out a fox that had gone to ground and blocking fox earths, badger setts and other possible escape routes.

Since the Hunting Act has come into effect monitors have reported an increase in the number of terriermen present at hunts.

A hunt had (and continues to have) one or more Masters. These people were jointly responsible for the overall management and conduct of the hunt, and the hunt servants acted on their orders. The huntsman would meet with one or more of the Masters prior to a day's hunting to agree how the day would be conducted. However, all the Masters would not necessarily attend every day of hunting, but at least one would act as the Field Master each day. The Field Master is in charge of the mounted field (those people who follow on horseback); his/her prime function was to stop the field over-running the hounds, hindering the hounds while they work, prevent the field going to areas where access has been refused, and minimising damage to crops and fences.

The other key officer for a hunt was and continues to be the honorary secretary. He/she was responsible for calling and minuting Committee meetings, liaising with the Masters, collecting subscriptions and dealing with all the financial issues relating to the hunt, including the payment of the wages. Thus he/she was the key person in the management and day-to-day running of the hunt.

The other people who attended the hunt (the mounted field and foot followers) were and continue to be observers, and generally play no active role other than occasionally indicating to the huntsman the direction taken by the hunted fox. This could take several forms: generally the follower would give a call (the "view halloa"), or stand with his/her cap held high, sometimes on a stick.