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Hares Yes or No?
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Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot

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Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 8:29 am Post subject:

RoryD wrote:

Sorry. In retrospect that looks a bit rude. I've never seen the word fieldcraft used in polite company before. My apologies.

I think it was I who had been drinking.

Don't worry, ray mears was on the TV earlier, and I had been drinking, just didn't understand how you knew!

Snap Cap

Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 553
Location: Outside a warren armed to the teeth.

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 8:31 am Post subject:
My Staffy used to chase them but since his training he has become a disiplined and obeidient member of cainine society.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46359
Location: yes

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 12:39 pm Post subject:
it was foul weather up a mountain in winter ,i didnt see me ,both of us were pretty hypothermic ,i missed it first time ,reloaded and got it second ,it didnt flinch at the miss . then it took me 3 hours to light the fire . . it wasnt clever just paitience and big bun's time .

random

Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Posts: 158
Location: Sk�ne, Sweden

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 06 12:56 pm Post subject:
We have plenty of Hares here in Skane, most days I see some on the smallholding, so far they have eluded the best attempts of my weimaraner

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 7:45 am Post subject:
When I use to go beating on a local shoot we soon cured any of the guns who wanted to shoot hares. We made them carry them. Its amazing how quickly they came to heel. A full grown hare weighs a fair bit.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45704
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 8:08 am Post subject:
At the moment I've no wish to shoot anything but I had a guy from the Forestry Commission down to look at my deer situation, he said that we had a significant hare population and in his view it needed controlling.

Bodger

Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 06 8:36 am Post subject:
Tahir Hares in big numbers will damage trees but unlike deer which will do far more damage they are pretty easy to fence out.

whitelegg1

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 409
Location: Woodford Green

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 9:36 am Post subject:

I am fortunate that the farm that I shoot on has a prolific population of hares.
I am unfortunate that they are very difficult to shoot.
Full powered air rifles are capable of dealing with a hare.
Not a shot for a beginner though. The closer the hare the more residual energy the pellet has.
I spent 30 mins creeping along a ditch in the pouring rain yesterday morning, stalking a hare....the only one who hadn't run away imediately I appeared.......stop start stop start stay still.....got to within comfortable range...approx 15-20 yards. (Rabbits would be 25-30 yards). Ducked into the ditch.....got ready......poked the rifle over the edge of the ditch....hare nowhere to be seen

Still felt good to have got that close....maybe next time.

Pete

Snap Cap

Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 553
Location: Outside a warren armed to the teeth.

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 2:39 pm Post subject:
Is that Woodford Green E18?

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Mon Aug 14, 06 2:47 pm Post subject:
Going back to Snap Cap's original question : rabbit yes, hare no. There is a reasonable hare population here, but not huge, so I wouldn't shoot one either, on grounds of rarity and also for symbolic reasons.

leebu

Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 418
Location: east yorkshire

Posted: Thu Aug 17, 06 5:03 pm Post subject:

Plenty of hares around here, so in prnciple I have nothing against shooting or eating them... and I've had plenty of opportunity to get well within 20yrd of them on numerous occasions. But I don't own or wish to own a rifle so it's a moot point. Suppose I'd be happy to buy one if I was convinced it was legit and the inclination took me. Obviously in other areas of the country I would not be so keen.
Farmers' views seem to vary round here- some will happily let them be shot, some want them left alone and both views I can respect.

I don't think they are anywhere near as difficult to catch or hunt as previously posted though... even my 7 year old labrador caught one last year- don't know who was more surprised the hare or the dog!
They seem to have only two speeds- dead still or greased lightning and it may be that some are better at judging which gear to be in than others... or maybe they just breed 'em stoopid up here.

whitelegg1

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 409
Location: Woodford Green

Posted: Thu Aug 17, 06 5:56 pm Post subject:

Snap Cap wrote:

Is that Woodford Green E18?

How very dare you

I live in Essex! (Postal)
Postcode IG8......

E18 is Sarf Woodford....Different place altogether....you have more things you can do in S.Woodford, they even have a cinema!

Pete

spanky

Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 121
Location: near lowestoft suffolk

Posted: Wed Aug 23, 06 10:34 pm Post subject:

In nth suffolk hares are very plentiful you can count 4 or 5 on a field most nights after harvest, i take one each year only a couple of days before xmas that is live round shot .22 lr usually within 50 yds head shot it is hung for one night only to allow all the blood to drain down to its neck then skiinned etc , frozen with the blood and we have a jugged hair dinner on new years eve ,after that the hares are left to do what they wish, the shoot takes none , the habitat is maintained the wildlife friendly way to encourage all wildlife so well we currently have the first pair of red kites nesting ( just left ) on the farm with 2 chicks ( registered 2004 rsppb ), i kill many a rabbit with live round ,air rifle snares long nets and ferrets , but the eating of a hare is a special occasion for me having been in farming all my life

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Aug 24, 06 9:21 am Post subject:
We son't eat hare: I have the same feeling about them as many others here: they're such lovely animals I can't bear to. And there aren't enough here, either. I suspect the low numbers are partly due to badgers raiding forms. We have more badgers than anyone could possibly shake any number of sticks at.

chappers

Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 7

Posted: Mon Sep 04, 06 10:14 pm Post subject:
same as Spanky will usually have one a year but leave them alone the rest of the time . Bloody tasty though.

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