Beagling

Beagling is the hunting mainly of hares, but also rabbits, but definitely not foxes by beagles by scent. A beagle pack (10 or more hounds) is usually followed on foot, and in some limited examples, mounted. Beagling is often enjoyed by 'retired' fox hunters who have either sustained too many injuries or lost the agility to ride horseback, or who enjoy the outdoors and the camaraderie of the hunt. It is also traditionally a way for young men and women to learn how to handle hounds on a smaller scale before they go on to hunt with foxhounds.

In the UK and Ireland, the traditional quarry of beagle packs has been the hare. In the UK, the brown hare was hunted, whereas in Ireland the Irish hare is hunted. It was estimated, pre-Hunting Act, that beagle packs in the UK collectively caught 1,650 hares per season, meaning each pack caught 20 hares. Hare hunting in its traditional style, like fox hunting, was banned in England and Wales by the Hunting Act 2004. The Act bans the hunting of most wild mammals (including hares) with certain exemptions, which include the retrieval of hares that have been shot.

Hunts are managed very similarly to foxhound packs - generally governed by one or more Masters, who typically take much of the financial responsibility for the overall management of the hunt. A hunt will traditionally have a Huntsman, a full-time employee of the hunt, who is responsible (in conjunction with assistants, known as "whippers-in") for directing and controlling the hounds during the course of the day.

The attire for traditional beagling on foot normally consists of a green coat and stockings, white breeches and a cap (similar in style to those worn when riding a horse), or a green flat cap. Many packs have a coloured collar to distinguish themselves from other packs. As with foxhounds a handful of packs have a different coloured uniform, either red or blue coats being worn, while in a few hunts the huntsman's coat may be a different colour from those worn by the whippers in. Beagles generally have a higher pitched "cry" when hunting a line than foxhounds do.

At one time, many famous public schools and universities had a pack of beagles. Now, however, only three schools (Eton, Radley and Stowe) have a pack, whilst only three university packs remain (the Christ Church and Farley Hill Beagles of Oxford University, the Trinity Foot and South Herts Beagles of Cambridge University, as well as the Royal Agricultural University Beagles). Some packs of beagles also have associations with the British armed forces, such as the Purbeck and Bovington Beagles (Junior Leaders Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps); the Pimpernel (Royal Signals) Beagles; the Catterick Garrison Beagles; the Colchester Garrison Beagles (amalgamated with the Sproughton Foot Beagles in 1994 to form the Stour Valley Beagles); Per Ardua Beagles (RAF) and Britannia Beagles (Royal Navy). The harrier and beagle packs are represented by the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB). There are currently over sixty packs of beagles registered with the Association based in England and Wales.

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