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Coursing by humans is the pursuit ofgame or other animals bydogs—chieflygreyhounds and othersighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, as well as by commoners with sighthounds andlurchers. In its oldest recorded form in theWestern world, as described byArrian—it was a sport practised by all levels of society, and it remained the case untilCarolingian periodforest law appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other landowners. It then became a formalised competition, specifically onhare in Britain, practised under rules, theLaws of the Leash'.[1]
As a zoological term, it refers to predation by running down prey over long distances, as opposed to stalking, in which a stealthy approach is followed by a short burst of sprinting. Humans also employ coursing as a means of hunting, but the term is normally reserved for predation by non-human predators.[2][3]
Animals coursed in hunting and sport includehares,foxes,deer of all sorts,antelope,gazelle,jackals,wolves.Jackrabbits andcoyotes are the most common animals coursed inthe United States. Competitive coursing inIreland, the UK (until prohibition in 2004),Portugal andSpain has two dogs running against each other. In the United States, generally speaking, three dogs are run together.
TheProtection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act and theHunting Act 2004 (inEngland and Wales) made it illegal to hunt any type of mammal with dogs with the exception of rabbits and rats. Dogs are still permitted to chase (flush) game into the path of a waiting gun, as long as no more than two dogs are used.
In Australia, dogs may be used to hunt feral animals such as foxes, deer, goats, rabbits, and pigs.[4]
