Beagling

Hunting of hares and rabbits by beagle dogs The Caynsham Foot Beagles (c. 1885) Beagling is mainly the hunting of hares and rabbits by beagles using their strong sense of smell. A beagle pack (10 or more hounds) is usually followed on foot, but in a few cases mounted. Beagling is often enjoyed by 'retired' fox hunters who have either sustained too many injuries or lost the agility to ride horseback, or who enjoy the outdoors and the camaraderie of the hunt. It is also traditionally a way for young men and women to learn how to handle hounds on a smaller scale before they go on to hunt with foxhounds. Quarry Irish hare in its summer pelage In the UK and Ireland, the traditional quarry of beagle packs has been the hare. In the UK, the brown hare was hunted, whereas in Ireland the Irish hare is hunted. It was estimated that before the Hunting Act 2004 beagle packs in the UK collectively caught 1,650 hares per season, meaning each pack caught 20 hares. That Act banned hare hunting in its traditional style, like fox hunting, in England and Wales. It bans the hunting of most wild mammals (including hares) with certain exemptions, which include the retrieval of hares that have been shot.