Coursing
From Free net encyclopedia
Coursing is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly Greyhounds and other sight hounds— running by sight, not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique practiced by nobility with Greyhounds and by commoners with Lurchers.
Animals coursed include hares, rabbits and foxes. Jackrabbits are coursed in America. Coursing in the UK is usually undertaken with one or two dogs, but coursing in America is done with three.
A competitive version has been developed since the first set of English rules for hare coursing was drawn up in the reign of Elizabeth I. The object is to test the dog, not to kill the hare, and today in Ireland (but not in Great Britain) the dogs are muzzled.
The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act and the Hunting Act 2004 (in England and Wales) made it illegal to course hares under any circumstances or to course rabbits without the landowner's permission.
There is a strong debate in California over proposals to make coursing illegal. California Assemblywoman Loni Hancock introduced a Bill to make it a crime for any person in California to engage in "field coursing" and a pro coursing campaign has also been established.