Hare Hunting With Harriers/beagles Season N.i

[Rocky2 14]

What is the open season in Northern Ireland for hunting hares with a pack of harriers as I am told that the shooting and hunting of hares are under different legislation. All answers welcome.

[thefootman 17]

We are a Monaghan pack but would hunt over and back across the border regularly. Not sure of the actual legislation, but to my knowledge it starts on the 1 October and finishes on 28 February same as the south. lets just say the cops would keep a low profile in the parts of the north our hounds would cross into. so the law was never much of an issue for us. I remember once in the early 90s the pack got across the border and we came across an army/cop foot patrol when we were following them up, The old lads told the cops we were hunting foxes even though the pack were full steam after a hare. When the cops cleared off they told us young lads that you can't hunt hares in the North on a Sunday and to always tell the cops that we were hunting foxes. Not sure if that is true or not.

[Rocky2 14]

Thanks footman. I rang the countryside alliance and they told me you can hunt hares in the north from the 12th of August until the end of march unlike the shooting season for them which d from the 12th of Aug until 31 Jan. Except on a sunday no game can be hunted sunday.

[thefootman 17]

That's good to know, we wouldn't hunt hares until October anyway. That's a good one about Sunday hunting. Does that include foxes?

[Rocky2 14]

You can hunt foxes on a Sunday and all year round as they are not classed as game no game can be hunted or shot on a Sunday unlike the south. Was a way of stopping the lower class people who worked six days a week from getting out do do a bit off shooting or hunting in the olden days the old hands do say.