Brown hares remain legal quarry for beagle packs and coursing in some contexts, with their welfare determined by both hunting practices and agricultural land management.
Hares caught during illegal coursing suffer severe stress from pursuit and violent death from dog attacks. Even in legal formal beagling, hares experience intense fear responses during sustained pursuit. The prolonged nature of hare coursing before capture means individual animals may suffer extended distress. Agricultural intensification reducing farmland biodiversity deprives hares of adequate shelter and food, causing nutritional stress and increased predation vulnerability.