| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Snap Cap |
Hares Yes or No?As Hare season is upon us I would like to know your politics on trapping and hunting them?I would not generally take a Hare because Essex dosn't have that many of them. And the prep side of eating one fills me with dred. So what are your opinions on this. |
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| Mary-Jane |
Gervase and I never shoot hares. They're too rare, precious and beautiful to bag for the pot in our opinion. | ||||
| Snap Cap |
They are quite numereous in many places. But on the farm I shoot on the farmer tells us to leave them alone because he likes to see them playing in the fields so that is what I do leave them alone. | ||||
| sally_in_wales |
Personally hares have a symbolic relevance to me, so whearas I'll happilly eat bunny, I wouldnt willingly eat hare even in those few areas where they are common. Uncertain how I'd feel about a roadkill one even.  So in my own opinion, not an animal for eating, but I know others here who cheerfully do.
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| Mary-Jane |
Aye. The farmer we bought our smallholding from asked that we do exactly the same thing, which of course we were more than happy to do. Like Sally, I have no problem with shooting and eating bunnies - but a hare, no. |
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| cab |
The hare population in parts of Cambs., Suffolk and Norfolk is pretty high, so I do buy the odd one for the pot. Bloody good value, excellent eating. Around here it isn't hunting them for the pot that limits their numnbers, its habitat and space, so I don't see any major problem in eating the odd one. The ones that make it to the butcher and the farmers market tend to have been shot by farmers who want to keep the number down.
If I lived in an area with less hares, I might be a lot less happy to eat 'em. |
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| Snap Cap |
That is the main thing that puts me off is the hanging and all that goes with it.
I have no probs at all with shooting and eating coney's in fact got bunny piella<sp> tomorrow! |
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| Treacodactyl |
Look after their habitat, do as much as you can to help them, which includes good legal predator control, and take the odd one for the pot. I tend to think if they don't have much of a purpose then people will not look after their habitat.
Anyone know what else eats hairs, do foxes get them? |
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| Snap Cap |
It would be a clever a fox to get one as they stay mostly out in the open and once notified of incomming danger have an impressive turn of speed.
I would imagine the young ones are fair game for the flying hunters. But even a Harris hawk would struggle with a full grown hare. So would say their most succesful enemy is man. |
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| judith |
We don't shoot, but have quite a few friends who do and share their proceeds. Hares don't come our way very often at all - perhaps one a year or less. That is enough for me. It remains something special to be savoured that way. | ||||
| Silas |
Absoloutly. Agree 100% |
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| Silas |
Yep. You are 100% right! |
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| Wombat |
BASC ask members in Cheshire not to shoot Hares.
We have a shoot in Cheshire and there are lots of them, but we dont shoot them. Wombat |
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| bodger |
In my youth I took plenty but not for twenty odd years.
Firstly I love them as creatures and secondly I don't like the taste of them. I could still go out and take dozens very easily but I just don't. Modern farming and too many sheep are responsible for the decline in hare numbers. |
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| RoryD |
I don't a. do any shooting b. want to offend anyone c. have any strong view either way.
Is a hare not just a big rabbit? Why is a Hare beautiful and a Rabbit not? Scarcity aside whats the big deal? |
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| Treacodactyl |
Another question, if taste isn't a reason why you don't eat them would you eat farm hare? | ||||
| bodger |
Rory
You need to get out into the countryside and take sometime to watch them . Once you had observed them, you wouldn't have to ask what the big deal was. |
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| cab |
Hare is a much bigger animal, different in behaviour and appearance to a rabbit. Much darker meat, more intense, and butchering it is quite a job, compared with butchering a rabbit. In my opinion both are beautiful animals. I'll eat either, though, if I know they're wild and from a sustainable source (farming rabbits, I mean to say, why?) |
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| Snap Cap |
A rabbit is a beautiful animal and I have the utmost respect for it as quarry and that respect should carry on when it comes to butchering it and finally cooking it. | ||||
| Jonnyboy |
From an ethical perspective I have no problem with shooting and eating Hare, IF the population can support it.
However, I would be much more wary about shooting one than a rabbit as they are far larger, faster and IMHO harder to kill cleanly unless you have the right tools for the job. |
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| Snap Cap |
A full power legal limit 12ftIlb Air rifle will easily bowl over a Hare if hit behind the eye and below the ear. After all they are just a big bunny. But would not risk a shot over 25-30 yards. |
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| Jonnyboy |
If you can get within 25yards of a hare then your fieldcraft isn't poor by any means. | ||||
| Snap Cap |
I have never placed the cross hairs on Hare's head but have watched them and sooner all later playing hares will come close enough for a shot. Its basically a waiting game. Stalking a Hare I would not even bother as his early warning systems are top notch plus he has the added bonus of height. | ||||
| RoryD |
you've been drinking. its ok its friday night after all but you've definitely been drinking |
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| Treacodactyl |
BASC advise a centrefire rifle only, not even a .22LR rimfire, http://www.basc.org.uk/content/riflescalibreland |
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| Jonnyboy |
eh? |
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| dpack |
once 10 ft ,yum ,not again . | ||||
| Snap Cap |
10ft! was you invisible? or was the hare already dead? | ||||
| RoryD |
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.
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| @Calli |
Hares are plentiful here, but wouldn't shoot/eat as not as numerous as bunnies. As to getting close to them you can walk right past them and hardly move but our border terrier gives them a run for their money - took him 4 hrs to get home the other day!! | ||||
| Jonnyboy |
Don't worry, ray mears was on the TV earlier, and I had been drinking, just didn't understand how you knew! 
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| Snap Cap |
My Staffy used to chase them but since his training he has become a disiplined and obeidient member of cainine society. | ||||
| dpack |
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 . |
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| random |
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 |
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. |
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| tahir |
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 |
Tahir
Hares in big numbers will damage trees but unlike deer which will do far more damage they are pretty easy to fence out. |
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| whitelegg1 |
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 |
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| Snap Cap |
Is that Woodford Green E18? | ||||
| gil |
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. |
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| leebu |
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. |
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| whitelegg1 |
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
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| spanky |
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 |
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 |
same as Spanky will usually have one a year but leave them alone the rest of the time . Bloody tasty though. | ||||
| KILLITnGRILLIT |
We have loads but shoot a few(less than 10/yr)I understand peoples respect for this animal 
I have issues with the wrong tools for taking animals and disagree with airrifles(sub12)and also with BASC`s cf (if correct). Penultimately,as for being had to creep up on.....I have almost stood on the b**gers. Instead of sticking with older,and lovely,recipes try a few different ones. Mix 2tsp wholegrain mustard with 2tsp soft butter then smear a leg/saddle with it and cook in a moderate oven.OR bone a leg and stuff with forcemeat,tie like a joint and seal before roasting. Nice to meet you allBTW. |