A close up shot.

[JDog]

This afternoon I crept up on this hare in a spinney whilst it was happily chewing on bramble leaves. I got to within 3m of it. What was remarkable was that I had Barney my nine month old Sprocker on a lead next to me. I made him sit and together we watched it for fully five minutes before it ambled off. It was perfectly healthy.

 

[ditchman]

hah.............that made me smile/...

 

question ............when does a leverate become a hare ?

edit again ......when does a spinney become a wood ?

Edited March 18, 2019 by ditchman

[dipper]

Hares do funny things in March.Nice

[marsh man]

Hares always fascinate me , like Woodcock they have got a lot of mysterious ways that we can never fully understand .

I have only ever seen Leveret's once in there form that were only a day or two old  , these are fully developed and look like a miniature Hare with all it's features .

Nice photo and THANKS for sharing.

 

 

[maxtich]

Nice to see members posting pics that are thought provoking and taking us to different level.

Lovely pic of Hare sadly in decline in some areas.

[Old Boggy]

Nice photo JDog and you were fortunate to get that close.

I once watched a buck do its trick of diverting potential predators (in this case merely a group of amblers) from its family, a doe and four leverets, by boldly showing itself and gradually edging away from the form, occasionally standing on its hind legs (in boxing mode) until it thought that the danger had passed. It then returned to its family. Utterly fascinating. 

Thanks for sharing and reminding us of the wonders of nature and its inbuilt preservation. As said, hares are quite scarce in many areas. At one time around here and at this time of year it was common to see them in the young wheat, but sadly now a rare occurrence.

OB

[pigeon controller]

Thanks for sharing, I've always respected hares and never been asked to shoot them. I watched coursers in the fens ruin fields of growing crops. My only concern is the " Xbox" generation will have no knowledge of what goes on in the countryside, again thanks.

[oowee]

Great post. It's surprising how tight they will sit thinking you can't see them 🙂 Lots on some of my perm's to the point where they will no doubt attract unwanted attention. 

[Walker570]

I had one come hopping out of the wood and it stopped about 6ft from me. I was sat in the Landie passenger seat whacking squirrels. I noticed the front left leg was deformed and the hare was holding it up.  It put it's nose in the air and then dropped it's ears back, then slowly turned and hopped back in the wood, stopping about 15ft away to look back. I think it actually got my scent.  It was in excellent condition and the deformity had obviously been there for some time. I don't normally shoot hares but if it had shown any sign of being in pain or distress I would have.  There is just something about them which gives and air of mystery.

Agree with pigeon controller, we are fortunate to see and experience things these nerds will never understand.

[ditchman]

think most of us sum the hare and woodcock in the same box.........."air of mistery"...almost a majicle aura about them..........they are proberly deep in our stone age sub consernous

[marsh man]

The Late Mc Kenzie Thorpe used to blow / suck on the back of his hand when after Hares and had them run up to him before he gave em a shot , the sound he made didn't sound anything like the sound the Hare made and yet they were drawn to the noise he made like a magnet .

I was once told by an old countryman that you can get close to a squatting Hare by walking round it in a wide circle and slowly reducing the distance from the Hare  each time you walk the full circle , I did try it once and easily got within shooting distance , although I only had my stick and not my gun , so maybe they knew the difference 

 

[FOXHUNTER1]

Watched a buck hare mount his doe at the weekend. They were chasing all over. 

[NatureBoy]

3 hours ago, marsh man said:

The Late Mc Kenzie Thorpe used to blow / suck on the back of his hand when after Hares and had them run up to him before he gave em a shot , the sound he made didn't sound anything like the sound the Hare made and yet they were drawn to the noise he made like a magnet .

I was once told by an old countryman that you can get close to a squatting Hare by walking round it in a wide circle and slowly reducing the distance from the Hare  each time you walk the full circle , I did try it once and easily got within shooting distance , although I only had my stick and not my gun , so maybe they knew the difference 

 

My father reckoned my granddad would hand  squeak hares in and catch them  by hand or with a sack by walking round them in decreasing circles. They squatted and froze and some screamed. Bit like a stoat working  round a rabbit in a hypnotic way.  NB

[GingerCat]

My parents last place had a few hares knocking about. One would regularly go day the lane around 6pm. You could almost set your watch by it. If you stood still it would amble past as if you weren't there. 

[Old Boggy]

The last time that I saw a good number of hares was in a small field attached to a B&B we were staying at on the outskirts(just East) of Diss in Norfolk. If I recall, this was adjacent to a game farm. Perhaps someone knows or remembers it. I got up early for a walk and must have counted about twenty hares. The most that I've ever seen in one place. Wonderful to watch and as has been said they are fascinating and mysterious creatures. 

OB

[olly321]

very nice mate