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HILL HARE
Hill hares, or Blue hares as they are sometimes known (because their summer coat has a blue tinge, and to distinguish them from the ‘red’ hare found on lower ground) are widespread through much of Scotland’s hill ground, and Scotland has some of the finest hill hare shooting it is possible to find.
Unusual, because their summer coat, which is brownish to camouflage them among the heather, changes to partially or entirely white during the winter when much of their habitat is covered by snow, annual production of these hares on heather moorland can be astonishing, and hare shooting can be a necessary part of management if they are not to suffer from winter starvation and a lingering death from natural causes.
In recent years, the conservation status of these hares has raised some concern, as there is little scientific information available, and currently, various studies are being carried out to try to establish a baseline of populations in the various areas in which they occur.
They have declined almost to zero in some areas - largely those parts of the country which have been planted with large blocks of conifer plantations, resulting in loss of habitat and excessive predation by the increased fox population which inevitably follows such plantings. In other areas, they are so common as to be classed as undesirable because of their direct competition with hill sheep for grazing during the winter months, and there are long-standing arguments about their possible role in the life cycle of sheep ticks on moorland.
Shooting is usually carried out by parties of Guns, either with the hares being driven towards them, or by Guns walking in line over the open moor. The animals are wild and wary so grouse butts are often used for concealment during hare-driving operations.
Generally shot between September and February, hill hares can be in either their summer coats or, from December onwards, in their pure white winter coat - in either, they are a beautiful work of nature and a welcome addition to any dinner table.
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