January Hares...

[willow 53]

i can only comment on rabbits,

but i find the hardest fastest rabbits down here in august by january there all bellied up again and most have had there 1st litter,

i will say that ive never found a january rabbit harder then a july rabbit or a january hare harder then a july hare pre the ban.

 

 

mark how can you tell with 3 dogs out of the moto whats harder our seasons have moved its warmer now adays

[FUJI 17,328]

i can only comment on rabbits,

but i find the hardest fastest rabbits down here in august by january there all bellied up again and most have had there 1st litter,

i will say that ive never found a january rabbit harder then a july rabbit or a january hare harder then a july hare pre the ban.

 

 

This is what i was meaning Bazil about things been in young in January,i've been amongst dogs for a good few years and in truth it's possibly this past 10/15 years or so that i've been coming across gear carrying young or even having had their young in early/mid January,i even seen a Roe with a fawn way back in late March,pretty early to say the least..i really do think the seasons as we once knew them are changing in a big way? ATB Andy.

[Moll. 1,770]

They seem to be all to pot breeding wise here.

 

Seen them mating in November 2yrs ago.

Got 3/4 grown here this June.

And last year found newly born in September.

 

Even though we have had foul winters of late their numbers seem to have increase dramatically...wonder if the decline in the BOP here has had anything to do with it?

[robert michem 314]

i think this post mite get the odd cross,wire,when i am talking about the fitess of the hare i am referring to march because its got over a hard winter then its got the vitamins from the sun and the goodness in its body from the ground and if this hare was to be dropped in july as tomo put the survery said it would be around 9 month mark people wrap up in march because the laws of the land and right they should and its not because the hare gets easier mainly because the ground gets harder and grass gets longer. but going back to what i said if you could put that conditioned hare in march time in a january month it would run no doubt better than the hares thats had a hard winter if theres an answer to this please tell me how a hare can get out of condition from the end of jan to march thats 28 days does it go to mc donnalds in them ammount of days because i dont no how fitness can drop off a wild animal in 28 days

Edited July 5, 2011 by robert michem

[rocky1 942]

most hares round my way local are all hardy 2 run ,never get a easy 1 from sep to march/april they get ran 2 death ,when i,ve traveled 2 place were they don,t get ran as much i find them 2 be just like rabbits 2 catch regardless of month,so i also think a strong hare is 1 that has getting away a few times imo

[nighteyes 275]

yep years ago the cover nettles ect would be down gone late october but now its more december time before the covers down properly imo i think the old globel warming is making things breed alot earlier

[running addiction 207]

People who ran hares including myself season after season will surely no they at there best dec jan had a bitch that would do 2s 3s when stubble is 1st cut the struggle getting 1 come dec jan alot wiser by then ground plays a big part aswel if its had a heavy rain your dog sinks in abit hares alot lighter they just skim over top

[cocker 2,655]

its a fact that changes in the pattern of land use have not been helpful to hares. Autumn sown cereal crops show better yields than those sown in the spring owing to the longer growing season available before harvest. More winter cereals are planted than ever before, so whilst hares have an abundant food supply between November and February, the plants then become unpalatable. In the absence of spring sown crops hares then suffer a food shortage at the very time when their energy needs are greatest - at the height of there breeding season

 

cocker

[robert michem 314]

will agree with that the ground his the main thing,, like i said come march time when the grass his longer the ground his a little harder or the grass folds down to benifit the dog s feet so its not sinking in up to its wrists,, has the hare become un,fitter, or easer in the space of 28 days,,like some people have said some hares have not started breedin by this time, //////

Edited July 5, 2011 by robert michem

[juckler123 707]

Its hard to generalise id say weve had warm winters and had our first proper winter for a bit last year hares went poor after it but it was snow covering that done them happen if winters were colder theyd adapt accordingly cant remember poor hares when we did have bad winters it was a case of easy pickings in the snow.

One thing i have noticed about winter hares three good weeks of frost on their backs does seem to make them step up a gear imho id say dec and jan they are at their fittest as they are ready for bucking come feb in a warm winter they will be going off

[TOMO 26,835]

will agree with that the ground his the main thing,, like i said come march time when the grass his longer the ground his a little harder or the grass folds down to benifit the dog s feet so its not sinking in up to its wrists,, has the hare become un,fitter, or easer in the space of 28 days,,like some people have said some hares have not started breedin yet//////

 

because its mating,, like i said erlier

 

andy im not saying there arnt any pregnant hares in jan,,, but i bet if you cought 10 you would only find maybe 1 ..... in fact heres a good survay for next year,, lets see what the persentage is

[robert michem 314]

i need dog that can retrive them tomo,, before we do this survey,,

[TOMO 26,835]

i need dog that can retrive them tomo,, before we do this survey,,

 

yeh your not the only one lookslike time for the gun

[robert michem 314]

NOT GOT A GUN,, WILL HAVE TO LEND THE KAT,,,LOL

[FUJI 17,328]

They seem to be all to pot breeding wise here.

 

Seen them mating in November 2yrs ago.

Got 3/4 grown here this June.

And last year found newly born in September.

 

Even though we have had foul winters of late their numbers seem to have increase dramatically...wonder if the decline in the BOP here has had anything to do with it?

 

 

Its hard to generalise id say weve had warm winters and had our first proper winter for a bit last year hares went poor after it but it was snow covering that done them happen if winters were colder theyd adapt accordingly cant remember poor hares when we did have bad winters it was a case of easy pickings in the snow.

One thing i have noticed about winter hares three good weeks of frost on their backs does seem to make them step up a gear imho id say dec and jan they are at their fittest as they are ready for bucking come feb in a warm winter they will be going off

 

 

will agree with that the ground his the main thing,, like i said come march time when the grass his longer the ground his a little harder or the grass folds down to benifit the dog s feet so its not sinking in up to its wrists,, has the hare become un,fitter, or easer in the space of 28 days,,like some people have said some hares have not started breedin yet//////

 

because its mating,, like i said erlier

 

andy im not saying there arnt any pregnant hares in jan,,, but i bet if you cought 10 you would only find maybe 1 ..... in fact heres a good survay for next year,, lets see what the persentage is

 

 

Good posts ladies and gents and i'd like to participate in that survey but like Robert and Tomo it's not an option unfortunately lol but i could assure you Tomo that in past years there would be more than one in ten infact i'd go as far as saying 4 or 5 atleast and thats with some of the ten being bucks,i started to quit on them the last day of December due to this..keep the posts coming,it's good craic reading peoples views.ATB Andy.