Hard on wild animals, the recent snow and frost. At least rabbit could shelter in their burrows badgers, too; and the fox will surely find a bolt hole he can use. But the poor hare live above ground. Mind you. Arthur Stringer, author of The Experienced Huntsman, published 1714, gives examples of hares born under ground, who return to their holes. Still, the hare is non burrowing. And you would hope that the big notice near Ardee, County Louth saying "No Hare Hunting", and the many plates tacked to gates in Meath reading "Hunting Dogs Will Be Shot", will put off those posses which arrive with gross lurchers, half Irish wolfhound, you would think, to sweep the big open spaces of cattle country.
The French have various nicknames for the hare. Our usual one is puss. But the French call him or her variously `Le Capucin', the Capuchin, le bossu, the humpback, the oreillard (Big Ears). And there must be many local variations.
The hare, of course, is associated in this country with witchcraft. Maybe that gives justification for certain practises, burning heretics. And you have stories such as one related in Kevin Dannher's Folktales of the Irish Countryside, Mercier Paperback 1967, "The Tailor and the Hare Woman". The man escaped from a dangerous situation, with erotic undertones, only to find himself burdened for life with a patch of hare fur on the back of his neck. And there's Kitty the Hare.
To the French, the hare is a delightful prey for the shooting man, a delicious addition to his cuisine. And their hunting or shooting clubs do work at it. In an area along the Allier, two clubs got together to raise the numbers of bares, which had dropped. In the early 80s they shot 200, then the figure went in six years to 75. So they limited the hare shooting days to one per season, as against the previous twelve. It was hard to restrain the members. But then next year two days per season were allowed. And so on up to five. More bares to kill and eat, but also more to survive, they say. They check habits with implanted transmitters. They have an elaborate card and form filling system for the shooters.
Well, some hares live on. But that's French organisation for you. Meanwhile, in Ireland. Leave them be, for this brutal year anyway.