Thread: Weird hare behaviour

I was in the bush yesterday. A hare appeared out about 20 metres away and ran straight towards me. I stayed still and it stopped at my feet. It had a sniff, then ran back to where it appeared from. It then did the same thing a second time. Weird!

Have had kiwis do the same thing, suspect they can smell soil / plant matter from different areas on the soles of your shoes. Its the only explanation i can think of

Had this happen a few times most have then been followed by a stoat or Weasel

Have had them run directly at me whilst out spotlighting an many occasions literally shooting them at my feet. @Ryan_Songhurst you saw a hare do something funny the other day ?

The expression "mad as a March hare" is relevant. March is the Hare's northern hemisphere spring mating time when they do their "dance" etc.

Down here its in our spring, mostly I've seen it in September.

One of the most beautiful things you'll see in nature in NZ (our native species included). Put me off shooting hares for life really.

https://www.tokyvideo.com/video/hare...-of-the-street

Just be careful though, they can get angry.

Originally Posted by Tentman

The expression "mad as a March hare" is relevant. March is the Hare's northern hemisphere spring mating time when they do their "dance" etc.

Down here its in our spring, mostly I've seen it in September.

One of the most beautiful things you'll see in nature in NZ (our native species included). Put me off shooting hares for life really.

Exactly. They are my favourite animal and I very seldom shoot one. Strangely, I have the same affinity for Pukekos - they just make me smile.

female in season....males all run after her,sometimes up to dozen of them,sooner or later she lets them catchup...or at least one of them.
saw hare at 20 yards in bush the other day...seen it there before too. maybe a female had run through where you were standing and this romeo was a bit late to party and you just happened to be in the way....you werent wearing lynx perchance???

Except for fact that if you shoot one you'll virtually alway get its mate because they don't bugger off, I haven't seem hairs do what the OP'S describe.

Plenty of rabbits running towards the spotlight and disappearing underneath the ute.

Sadist thing (depending upon your point of view of course) was in Oz. Our family was sitting on a raised brick terrace out front in the middle of the day when a rabbit came thru our front gate and continued in a straight line towards us until, thud, it hit the terrace. It's eyes were completely closed and matted with myxo puss. I had the honour of disposing it. No one else wanted to touch it.

Yep love to watch Hares and also the little Parma wallaby up here. Bush robins too.

always wondered how hard it would be to manufacture female hare scent.........would be more fun than whistling foxes or decoying mallards,just dont bend over.

so there i was driving home and i ran over a hare, as soon as i stopped the mrs jumped out of the car and sprinkled some liquid on it and it came back to life
i said what the hell was that?
she replied hair restorer
as we drove home later the same hare was sitting upright flapping around its front paw

wtf???

she said " it was for permanent wave"

Originally Posted by Mohawk .308

Until you see a pukeko ripping apart a little duckling

Yes, that's a dark side from our human perspective. Nature doing its brutal thing doesn't mean though we cant appreciate their beauty and uniqueness.

I hate having the walking disease bags running around
every one I shoot seems to be riddled with ticks or something equally disgusting

Originally Posted by gonetropo

so there i was driving home and i ran over a hare, as soon as i stopped the mrs jumped out of the car and sprinkled some liquid on it and it came back to life
i said what the hell was that?
she replied hair restorer
as we drove home later the same hare was sitting upright flapping around its front paw

wtf???

she said " it was for permanent wave"

What a ‘Dad’ joke!