country file on Sunday

[Kirawan]

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CountryFile on Sunday from 11.00 - l2.00 is doing a piece on the hare

coursing ban in Northern Ireland. Should be interesting....... just in case you didn't know!.

 

[tlewis]

CountryFile on Sunday from 11.00 - l2.00 is doing a piece on the harecoursing ban in Northern Ireland.  Should be interesting....... just in case you didn't know!.

Why just N.Ireland? Do they have a different set of game laws to the rest of the UK?

 

[Mark Roberts]

I think they are working on NI first now as being part of the UK it would mean they had obtained bans in Scotland, Ireland (if they get it) looks like the Anti lot are chipping away rather than fighting it head on.

typicle Anti tactics.

 

[Kirawan]

Why just N.Ireland?  Do they have a different set of game laws to the rest of the UK?

Well, without wanting to get into a huge debate about it - I think that netting the hares (which they do in Ireland) and then releasing them to be coursed hardly constitutes "sport" - so from where I stand it is not such an awful thing if it ceases. Park coursing is not very "real" - that's just my opinion....

Then again, I much prefer the walked up meetings anyway and to be honest, I think it is more stimulating for the dogs because they are 'looking' all the time.

Once money enters the scene most things are spoilt. At least with the whippet coursing there is no money involved, so - win or lose - you can just enjoy watching your whippet course - a whippet in full flight is such a beautiful sight.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Hi Kirawan

I have to agree with you on the issue of Park Coursing as it's called, I think it's done mainly in Southern Irland if i'm not mistaken.

a few year ago when I visited friends in Kilkenny I was invited to a mornings coursing, we arived in what can only be described as the most beautyfull place I have ever seen.

we got ourselves sorted out (clothing cup of Tea ect) and set off down a field the next thing I was stood against a fence with a field approx 170yds long (30yds wide) in from of me?.

on enquiring I was told it was park coursing! so not having seen it before I stood in anticipation of what I would see.

at 1 end there was a sort of chute fenced in by netting with an inner chute inside it? at the other end of the field was a lage fence off area with loads of hay bays ect stacked and holes in the fencing just big enough for the hares to fit through but not the dogs.

A slipper then appeared and was promptly handed 2 fantastic looking Greyhounds wearing muzzles, a hare was promptly released from the inner chute and ran straight for the top pen, when the hare had cleared the end of the chute the Greyhounds were released and raced for the hare, (I say raced as I only actually saw 1 hare coursed all day all the hares but 1 reaching the safety of the end pen before the dogs had got anyware near them)

Being a purest I enquired about the muzzles and was told it was so that the dogs could not catch the hare? now the only hare to have been turned that day was turned 3 or 4 times in this small enclosed pen and then the dogs killed it by litteraly jumping up and down on it as they were unable due to the muzzles to pick up and kill quickly.

I then enquired that if the sole aim was to test the dogs in a straight line run why bother with the hare and not just use a drag lure? the reply from a few of the Irish lads is unprintable.

Being a purist and supporter of Hare Coursing and any field sports I must say I saw little or no sport in what I saw that day at the park coursing and on seeing the hare that was killed die the way it did I would never defend Park Coursing.

But in saying that I fully support Open field coursing where the hare is given fair law on its own ground where the Hares are at liberty on the own ground with all the escape routs they have learnt over time, where a good strong Hare will out run & out Class the best coursing dog in the land.

if a Hare gets caught in Open field coursing to my mind that Hare must of been weak so is better removed from the breeding gene pool.

 

[CCS]

Well said Mark.