hares

[Guest freestate hunter cfc]

brookie, i would like to see the hares you were hunting,hunted hares all my life and have yet to see or course an irish hare that is like a big rabbit,you must have been hunting in the summer or they have been leverets.

 

brookie, i would like to see the hares you were hunting,hunted hares all my life and have yet to see or course an irish hare that is like a big rabbit,you must have been hunting in the summer or they have been leverets.

[juckler123 707]

Irish hares are mountain hares that went into ireland during the last ice age and became a seperate species when the thaw came. They run a bit better than our mountain hares but not as swift as the brown you can see the similarity to the mountain hare still in the head more rabbit looking than the brown

[snoopdog 1,256]

Irish hares are mountain hares that went into ireland during the last ice age and became a seperate species when the thaw came. They run a bit better than our mountain hares but not as swift as the brown you can see the similarity to the mountain hare still in the head more rabbit looking than the brown

spot on j 123 :thumbs-up: the irish hare is a sub species of the blue hare ...they are smaller shorter ears and have a whole white tail like a rabbit...not taking anything away from them there still a hare but on what i have read and talked to people about them they are not as much of a test as the brown hare as i have said ive only coarsed the brown hare but i have talked to people who have coarsed both .....

[brock 11]

im not talking about the land you run,all britain is not fen land you know,people dont just course the fens.

i will put it this way then,if you put a irish hare on the fen would a good coursing dog kill it easier than he would a good brown hare?

[squirreltail 15]

This has been vaguely addressed before, but here is my hat in the ring. Hunted them both, the major difference is escape routes, and obstacles. In Ireland you have twice as many obstacles, gates, sheepwire, roads, blackthorn ditches. A dog needs to be quick thinking with good gears, game as a badger and be able use it's brain. In england it seems to be a war of attrition, where there are little obstacles (on the fens anyway) and where big lung and sheer grit seems to be the winning combination. Six of one half of dozen of the other.

very good reply too many roads on our small ireland

no contest ive coursed em both the irish hare is like a good rabbit the english hare is far far better

do not agree Irish hare far bigger and faster than rabbit.sure it wasnt a rabbit you coursed.I have done both and Irish hare has the edge.

 

Irish hares are mountain hares that went into ireland during the last ice age and became a seperate species when the thaw came. They run a bit better than our mountain hares but not as swift as the brown you can see the similarity to the mountain hare still in the head more rabbit looking than the brown

not talking about the Irish mountain hare talking about the red hare. mountain hare different species.

[Paul in North Lincs 15]

light the blue paper........stand well back.....and wait for the bang

[snoopdog 1,256]

theres only two speicies of hare in ireland the brown hare(lepus europeaus) and they are very rare...and the moutain hare(lepus timidus) which is irelands more common hare...

[Guest freestate hunter cfc]

Irish hares are mountain hares that went into ireland during the last ice age and became a seperate species when the thaw came. They run a bit better than our mountain hares but not as swift as the brown you can see the similarity to the mountain hare still in the head more rabbit looking than the brown

spot on j 123 :thumbs-up: the irish hare is a sub species of the blue hare ...they are smaller shorter ears and have a whole white tail like a rabbit...not taking anything away from them there still a hare but on what i have read and talked to people about them they are not as much of a test as the brown hare as i have said ive only coarsed the brown hare but i have talked to people who have coarsed both .....

talking and hunting are two diffrent things,this is a fact when we go to england [fen land] we would kill a lot more hares in a day,than we would kill in ireland and thats year in and year out with diffrent dogs.So was it just the mountain hare that stayed in ireland during the thaw of ice age,because if that was the case why isnt there not as equall amount of european browns here aswell?The irish hare is a native hare to ireland not a hybrid and could match a brown turn for turn.

[juckler123 707]

IRISH HARE lepus timidus hibernicus is a sub species of the mountain hare geneticaly distinct from the scottish mountain hare lepus timidus scoticus more like those found on the european mainland.recognised as a species in 1833 totally geneticaly distinct from the brown hare lepus europeaus.It has an all white tail unlike the brown. They are nearly as big as the brown hare and a much richer colour its not unknown for them to turn lighter in colour in winter.Very rarely seen out in the day unless flushed prefering to lie up in rough cover top speed 35 mph a tad slower than the brown that has a top speed of 45 mph this is probably because the brown hare is larger. The mountain hare in england scotland and ireland has been here longer than man has the earliest remains date back 28000 years and the brown hare came after either when we were joined to europe by a land bridge or more likely when the romans first came they brought the browns for food and sport. Brown hares have been introduced to ireland but didnt do well as they dont like the wet climate there even though a few still survive today and irish hares have been introduced here and they didnt survive at all both were introduced for the same reasons as both sides thought that their hares were better.Hares run better on hills than flat land using the incline to their advantage imo the irish hare is a lot swifter than the mountain hare and can jink as good as the european just a bit slower thats all.

[TOMO 26,005]

intresting stuff thanks jukler. out of intrest then, what hare are they coursing at organised greyhound coursing events in Irland.

 

i always asumed it was the brown hare, same as here . but with them being so rare over there is it the irish hare ?

[macker 5]

jukler can i ask an honest question if the brown hare is so much quicker

than the hares we have in ireland.

why is it that alot genuine english lads that come to ire hunting hares find

their very good dogs are lacking a little speed for over here.

but some times have a bit more stamina than our decent irish dogs.

some decent lads make their journey over to ire each season.

and its not to course oversized rabbits.

all the best

macker

[juckler123 707]

TOMO its the irish hare they course at organised coursing meets different to the english which are driven the irish hares are caught up and released

Macker mate i never said they run like rabbits they can twist and turn as good as a brown and to be honest a good little hare is a better challenge than a big one the difference is looks not ability as i said before theres always been a debate over which is the best to course as reguards to different styles of coursing dog some folks like the saluki blooded dogs that can kill 5 or 6 hares that have a different style of running wearing their hare down and they have the stamina to do it i prefer a quick killing dog that will burn up a lot quicker probably same as the irish dogs

Edited February 19, 2007 by juckler123

[macker 5]

soory juckler hope i did not affend.

was just replying to a couple of post earlier.

i to like to the type of lurchers that are like a lump of shit

stuck to the hares ass.

all the best

macker

[Guest Eamon.Mc]

For a good course at a hare you want ta come to Slemish mountain here in the north, the hares there will tell you what your dog's made of. Bigus hareus slemishus.