Hunt

Hunter with rifle in England.

The hunt or hunting (also, hunting activity) is the activity or action in which an animal is captured or killed in a state wild or wild, after being tracked and chased. According to the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, "hunting is everything that is done before and after the death of the animal. Killing is essential for hunting to exist". Species hunted recreationally are generally known as game animals and are usually mammals and birds. A person who participates in a hunt is a hunter; a natural space intended for hunting is called a hunting ground; an experienced hunter who helps organize a hunt and/or manage the game reserve is known as a game warden. The time during which it is forbidden to hunt or fish in a certain place or a certain species is called veda.

History

Hunt in Ancient Greece.

Jabali hunt in a Roman mosaic.

Painting representing the hunter with his prey, painted by Joachim von Sandrart.

Tiles representing the hunt.

The human species has practiced hunting since prehistoric times, it was the first and main occupation of men. It is considered that the first human groups used a system of hunting, fishing and gathering which was very efficient to guarantee the population of the planet. And even today it continues to be part of the livelihood of many human groups. Humans began to hunt to survive, and that is still the case today in many parts of the world. Subsistence hunting is that activity that is carried out in order to obtain animal protein or hunting by-products to satisfy the needs of human groups linked to rural areas where the availability of game species is high.

Hunting is reflected in religious and mythological texts. For example, the Bible says that Nimrod the grandson of Noah was a hunter. Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, distinguished himself in this exercise. Esau sold his inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of pottage when he arrived hungry from the game. David was a hunter, etc.

Greek mythology represents Artemis as the deity of hunters. Chiron, who took care of the instruction of most of the heroes of antiquity, was instructed by Artemis in the art of hunting. It attributes to Pollux the glory of having taught or trained the dogs in hunting; and Castor introduced horses to deer hunting.

In Babylonia and Media they also had a particular fondness for hunting and the latter had built large parks, in which they kept lions, wild boars, leopards and deer. In the Greece of heroic times they were also passionate about hunting. Plato called hunting "divine exercise" and the school of military virtues. We read in Homer that Ulysses was wounded in the thigh by a wild boar whose mark lasted his whole life. They had a certain vainglory in owning well-trained dogs to which they gave different names, distinguishing them according to the country they came from. Nor was hunting birds unknown to them with the falcon and hawk.

In Rome only slaves and people of low extraction were the ones who went hunting, despite the fact that they considered this occupation an honest exercise. Paulo Emilio gave Scipio hunting baggage similar to those of the kings of Macedonia; and the young hero after the defeat of Perseus hunted in the kingdom of this prince during all the time that his troops remained in it. Pompey, victor in the African regions, gave himself up among these peoples to the pleasures of hunting.

In Rome people went hunting in the woods, in the fields, etc. and in the last times of the republic, in the groves or parks where they kept animals of all kinds. Hunting with dogs always seemed to them the noblest; despite the fact that this did not prevent, as Pliny says, that they also hunt with the falcon or the hawk.

After the conquest of Gaul, the Franks entrusted the locals with cultivating the land and reserved hunting for themselves, which became a noble exercise among them.

Hunting was formerly allowed to everyone. The Romans had not yet formed a point of jurisprudence from it. The Salic law already contained some regulations related to hunting, but it did not in any way restrict the natural right of hunting. Little by little, laws were introduced and regulations were formed for the exercise of it, not allowing in certain countries to dedicate themselves to hunting but to the distinguished class of society.

In the first centuries of Christianity, the zeal of the faithful did not allow them to go hunting during Lent and fasting days, even if they kept it, allocating the time for penitential exercises.

The hunting instinct has a remote origin in the evolution of the race. The hunter and fighting instinct are combined in many manifestations. [...] Since the blood feign of humans is a primitive part of us, it is very difficult to eradicate it, especially when a fight or hunt is promised as part of the fun.

William James (psychologist), 1890

Big game modalities

The game species applicable to the term "big game" differ from country to country legislation. For example, in Spain, big game is considered to be species that are larger than a fox in adulthood (not including it): wild boar, deer, roe deer, ibex, chamois, wolf (north of the Duero river), fallow deer, mouflon and ruined.

Although in small game it is also necessary to take into account the meteorological characteristics (wind, rain, lunar phases, temperature, etc.) it is in the largest where it is necessary to take it more into account, since these characteristics condition the movements of the animals, or betray the presence of the hunter.

Hunting

« Hunting notes, a stop in the mountain range» (White and Black1900.

In this modality, with more than 300 years of history, there are two variants practiced in Spain.

In the best-known variant, practiced in almost the entire peninsula, the hunters (called huntsmen) are placed in posts surrounding a spot (more or less thick forest area where the animals take refuge) arranged in lines (called armadas). surrounding the stain. Once all the hunters are installed, a series of rehalas begin to move in an orderly fashion around said spot to make the animals flee, so that the hunters can shoot at them.

In this variant, the different navies in which the posts are placed receive the following denominations depending on their position:

• Closure: it is a line of posts that closes the stain to prevent the escape of the cattle of the farm to hunt.
• Naughty: it is a line of posts that crosses the inside of the stain with the intention of abating the reses that move inside it.

Once the huntsman is located in his position (or posture), he must remain there until the end of the hunt without moving from his position. It is, therefore, a static hunting method where the hunter waits for the dogs grouped in rehalas to lead the animals to the position in which the latter is located to try to shoot them down with his rifle or shotgun.

In the other variant, more typical of northern Spain, before setting up the stalls, the dogs are searched for on leashes (mainly bloodhounds). Knowing the location of the animals to be hunted, the positions are placed according to their escapes and desires.

During the hunt, in addition to safety regulations, the hunter must pay attention to shooting only the animals that are allowed to do so and shooting only the authorized number, and there may be different limitations depending on the species, sex, age etc

After the hunt is over, the so-called "meat board" is held, where the carriers will place the animals killed during the hunt so that the huntsmen can observe their trophies and those of the other attendees.

Hook or beat

Similar modality to the previous one, but with limitations of positions, dogs and total number of participants. It should be noted that the organization of the positions is different from that of a hunt, since in a hunt the positions are placed in a single line to cut off the escape of the pieces to be hunted.

Caza del alce in Norway, image of early twentieth century.

Stalking

It consists of approaching a previously selected animal. It is the modality that requires the most effort from the hunter, since he must be able to reach an optimal shooting distance, without the animal noticing his presence. The approximation is carried out in the natural environment of the animal, being commonly in summits, steep slopes or closed mountains. This modality is characterized by being the most selective of all, since from the first moment, the hunter knows with certainty the animal he is going to hunt, as well as its sex and approximate age.

I wait or wait

The hunter is located in a position close to a regular place for animals (generally wild boars, in baths or food areas). In the event that they appear, the hunter, after observing the animals, will fire the shot on the chosen animal. One of the most practiced variants is waiting at night, in which the hunter is helped or not, by an artificial light source.

Jumping

A single hunter, with or without dogs, looks for the animal to be hunted, either on its bed or near it, to finish the set with a shot or after being caught by the dogs with a knife or spear.

In hand

Similar to the previous one, but more of a hunter. Although the definitions of "on the jump" and "in hand" differ little, in reality the execution is very different. In this hunt more animals are killed.

Small game modalities

Small game game species differ from country to country. In Spain they are considered smaller than the fox and the main ones depending on their catches are: rabbit, partridge, quail, hare and dove.

To the jump or «A gallant war»

Similar to that of big game. If it is practiced with dogs it is also called "a rabo".

In hand

Similar to that of big game.

People

Similar to the big game, but with smaller species. Mainly partridge, although it is also common with hare.

Claim

Hunting with back and back.

It hunts with the help of a live caged partridge placed in the center of a clearing to attract its kindred, which are caught by nets or generally shot by the hunter hiding in a post.

On the go

Hunting similar to «wait» or «wait» in greater, except that here the hunters mainly wait for the animals on the way from their roosts to the food areas, or their migratory passages. Pigeons and thrushes are mainly hunted.

Falconry

Hunt using a bird of prey.

Hare hunting with greyhound

Painting of hare hunting with hen.

This is a modality in which no weapons are used and in which only greyhound dogs are used. On the other hand, it is similar to hunting "by leap" or "by hand" on flat land clear of arboreal or shrubby vegetation.

Burrow Hunting

Hunting on burrowing mammals (foxes and rabbits) using terrier dogs or ferrets.

Hunting with trail dogs

It is a modality in which the trail hunting dogs pursue the hunting species by means of smell. Initially, the traces that the animal has left before going to bed are traced. The animal is then lifted from the bed or shelter used. Finally he is chased. This modality is typical of northern Spain, used for hunting fox and hare for small game, and wild boar and roe deer for big game.

Legal aspects

Although hunting is legal, regulated and practiced in the vast majority of countries in the world, pressure from animal groups has led to the fact that this practice has been prohibited in some countries, such as Kenya or Costa Rica, since since December 10, 2012 sport hunting was declared illegal by the Legislative Assembly of that country, becoming the first country in Latin America to prohibit such activity. In 2019 Colombia also prohibits sport hunting, thus the second country in Latin America to declare it illegal.

Some African countries maintained a ban on big game for some time as a result of international outrage and the bad image in some countries that hunting generated by killing animals, such as lions, giraffes or elephants on safaris, as happened with the death of the lion Cecil at the hands of the American hunter Walter Palmer, causing the outrage of the Zimbabwean authorities and the world by hunting him in an area where hunting was prohibited. This resulted in the banning of lion hunting in that country for some time after such an episode, or the scandal caused in 2012 by King Juan Carlos I of Spain when, in the midst of the economic crisis, he was invited to a safari to hunt wild elephants., generating a wave of criticism and international outrage. As a result of that scandal, Botswana prohibited the hunting of elephants for a few years. Even so, in countries like Kenya, the scientific community has recently opened a debate to study its authorization, after verifying that the populations of wild fauna decreased by 70%. % compared to other neighboring countries.

Media

The ferret is used in rabbit hunting in holes.

For the exercise of hunting, humans have used, and continue to do so, other animals: dogs, ferrets and birds of prey (falconry). The use of dogs is necessary in practically all types of hunting, both small and large, being common in hunting animals such as rabbits, or as occurs in hare hunting with greyhounds, the latter being the only means used by the dog. man to capture the animal.

Your role in nature conservation

Increasingly the practice of hunting is recognized as an important element of nature conservation. Organizations such as WWF have recognized that trophy hunting—where it is scientifically understood as a population dynamic and is managed correctly—has been shown to be an effective conservation tool in some countries and for some species, including endangered species. Along the same lines, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, pronounced in 2016, which ensured that hunting activity "provides both livelihood opportunities and incentives for habitat conservation for small rural communities and generates profits that can be invested for conservation purposes." As recently explained, recreational hunting can reduce the number of individual animals in a population, while on the other hand, diverting land from agricultural or other development to areas hunting can benefit entire ecosystems.” Scientists from the University of Helsinki, in Finland, and Flinders University, in Australia, have been the latest to join this trend. In a recent scientific article, they have tried to summarize what sport hunting entails worldwide and have highlighted that "recreational hunting can divert land from agricultural development, benefiting entire ecosystems."