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What's a hare worth?


Toombsy
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I shot one last week, had it at the weekend, and that's the last hare I'll shoot as it was just a bit too strong-tasting for my liking.

 

There's nothing untoward going on here... the reason I asked was that at the weekend I'd overheard someone say that hares are worth around £4.50 each, and I thought I'd misheard him.

 

It's nothing to do with buying a big net, some rockets, baseball bat and paying off my mortgage early. Honest ;)

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I had a Hare sat about ten yards from me whilst I shot twelve bunnies using the .22LR last week.

It never moved, even when I shot a bunny that was fairly close to it.

 

I find them fascinating to watch, but their eyes freak me out sometimes, it's like there's some kind of hidden inteligence in their. ;)

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I find them fascinating to watch, but their eyes freak me out sometimes, it's like there's some kind of hidden inteligence in their. :good:

 

You're not the first person I have heard say that about hares' eyes, and I agree absolutely. I thought exactly that when I was peering through the scope on my .22-250, watching a hare eat emerging sugar beet earlier this year. I unloaded the rifle and walked off, leaving the hare untouched. I haven't shot another one since (I used to shoot about 80-100 per year). Rabbits I detest and would gladly eradicate, but I think hares are graceful and charming animals, and should be tolerated.

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tollerated to a point. Up here my permissions are big open fields. All around are big open fields. Rabbits don't do well here, but hares abound. Last spring and the year before they decimated the sprouts, especially when first planted. They will start on the edges and work their way into the field, clipping the seedlings just above the ground. I had a shoot em all order last year as there were too many. I shot 40+ from <200 acres of fields just shooting 2 hours in an evening and there were still a bunch about. This year they are noticably thinner than last year, but there are still plenty about. I haven't targetted them this year as there hasn't been a need.

 

Thanks,

Rick

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What's the difference between a hare and a rabbit?

 

Little, in terms of crop damage per head. However hares don't breed with the same zeal as rabbits, nor do they cause the H&S problems us farmers encounter with major warrens undermining tracks and ditches.

 

Rick, I agree - there is a point when that tolerance ends and the population needs to be thinned. For the time being, we have a population density of about 1 hare to every 25 acres, which is entirely tolerable. On farms where we're growing roots and veg, we have a much less welcoming policy. We also haven't had any problem with coursers for the last year.

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Little, in terms of crop damage per head. However hares don't breed with the same zeal as rabbits, nor do they cause the H&S problems us farmers encounter with major warrens undermining tracks and ditches.

 

Rick, I agree - there is a point when that tolerance ends and the population needs to be thinned. For the time being, we have a population density of about 1 hare to every 25 acres, which is entirely tolerable. On farms where we're growing roots and veg, we have a much less welcoming policy. We also haven't had any problem with coursers for the last year.

I'd say that's about where the fields I'm shooting are sitting on. It is enough that you can go out any night of the week and see a couple by walking the field edges, but not so many that they are everywhere.

 

Thanks,

Rick

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There are plenty in Cornwall,you just have to know where to look,whilst out clearing moles from a garden 2 weeks ago I watched 4 running around one field having a whale of a time,there are a few farms I go on that have brought Hares down from up the line and released.This was about 3 years ago and they have survived but on occasions one gets caught by the mower.

Too few down here to shoot in my opinion ,but nice to watch and hope they get better established for a bit of future sport.

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