Brown hares are subject to unregulated harvesting in the UK, with no close season or licensing requirement, creating potential for welfare harm and unsustainable population reduction.
Brown hare welfare encompasses both the welfare of individual animals subject to shooting and coursing, and the population-level welfare implications of declining numbers. Hares shot cleanly and competently die quickly, but those wounded and not retrieved suffer prolonged deaths - a welfare concern common to all game shooting. The absence of a close season means that lactating does can be killed during the spring and summer, leaving leverets that depend on periodic but essential maternal milk visits. Population recovery through habitat management benefits hare welfare at the species level by supporting social opportunities, genetic diversity, and the behavioral expression of natural ranging behavior.