The hare in the Netherlands: a polder game species under watch

The brown hare (Lepus europaeus), presented in our entry Brown hare, is found throughout the country: meadows, arable land, open woodland, heathland and coastal salt marshes^[3].

According to Zodion, the Dutch mammal society (formerly the Zoogdiervereniging), the decline began in the 1970s. It cites the intensification and enlargement of farms, more frequent mowing, the loss of field margins, road traffic, diseases such as EBHS, as well as hunting^[3].

In the Red List of mammals updated in 2020, the hare is placed in the lowest category, "gevoelig" (sensitive). The ministerial text drawing the consequences points out that numbers have fallen by more than 60% since 1950 and that, according to a Wageningen Environmental Research report, the species is not in a favourable conservation status at national level^[2].

The same text stresses that hunting is not the main cause of this decline: habitat loss and degradation, linked to agricultural intensification, weigh far more heavily^[2].

In the Netherlands, opening the hunting season is a national decision. In 2022, the minister responsible for nature decided no longer to open hare hunting in the provinces where a population decline had been established: Groningen, Limburg and Utrecht. The rule was carried over unchanged under the Omgevingswet, the Environment and Planning Act that has since come into force^[2]. The official government page still states that hare hunting is prohibited in these three provinces^[1].

Elsewhere, hunting remains possible during the open season set nationally. The hare is one of the five huntable species, along with the mallard, the pheasant, the woodpigeon and the rabbit; rabbit hunting is currently closed^[1].

To hunt with a gun, you need a jachtakte (hunting licence), issued by the police, and must be a member of a local hunters' organisation^[1]. On the ground, the wildbeheereenheden (local wildlife management units) collect hare counts; in the 2022 assessment, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) identified quality issues in some of these counting protocols^[2]. The provinces, through their Gedeputeerde Staten, are consulted on these decisions^[2].

The rules governing the uitzetten (putting out) of wild animals fall under Dutch nature law and its enforcement by the provinces. Before any project, check with the province concerned (Gedeputeerde Staten) and the faunabeheereenheid (provincial wildlife management unit). Our guide to returning hares to the wild describes the steps for preparing a hunting ground from a French perspective.

GIBIS, a game breeder based in Chatte, in the Isère department of France, raises young hares there and also offers wild-caught hares from Central Europe: see our hares. The photos on this page show the species in its habitat and do not depict our animals.