The Importance Of Hunting In Medieval Times

During the medieval time period there was a lot going on. One of the things that they did was hunting. Hunting was a thing that most people loved to do. There were laws saying what they could hunt, when they could hunt, and what they could hunt with. Most of these hunters used dogs they had trained. The laws were very strict. If peasants were accused of poaching they were liable for hanging, castration, blinding or being sewn into a deerskin and then hunting down by ferocious dogs. They used their dogs for everything they hunted even for larger game as well. They mainly used a bow and arrow for hunting because that was all they really had. Bow and Stable hunts were more for the less active men. During this type of hunt the man was accompanied

by their dog, they were on horseback using a bow as their main weapon. The dog would drive the animal into a enclosed area and the hunter would shoot the animal at a close range. The main choice of animal for this type of hunt was deer. Now for the At Force type of hunt this was for the more active and fit young men. The dog accompanied the huntsmen and they ran the animal to near exhaustion or they corner it and shoot it. This type of hunt was extremely dangerous. The main animal for this type of hunt was a wild boar. They hunted stags, deer, boar, foxes, rabbits, otters, and game birds ( geese, ducks, pheasants, partridge, grouse etc). Hunting dogs were bred primarily to work with people to hunt animals. Sighthounds specialized in their quarry by sight rather than scent. Scent hounds specialized in following the scent of the animal.

Knights in the medieval time period were respected with a great deal.

There are two ways you could be a knight in the medieval period you were either born into it or you showed bravery and prowess on the battlefield. If you were born into power you would be sent off to learn how to be a page at the age of 8. Then by the age of 13 were called a squire they were taught how to be a better knight. Knights had a lot of tournaments all the time they jousted, shot bow and arrows, and had hand to hand combat. Knights even had a code of conduct which was also called the code of chivalry. The code of conduct or chivalry told you what your goal and what you had to do to be a good knight. Knights were expected to do a lot around the castles and what not. A knight was expected to protect those less or lesser rank than himself and to hold to the highest standards of combat and knowledge in religion, writing, music, and leadership. A knight was very closely related to their horse. They had a lot training in them horses and hours working with them. A knight had to have years and year of training before they called be called a knight. Their armor was very expensive to produce. They had to be brave and fearless in battle to be able to be a knight. Knights also did some hunting and they had to put some hour into everything they honestly did. Being a knight meant you have a job and you better go get or done or you were severely punished. A knight didn't just stand for having power it meant you

better protect the people of your town and they will take care of you in return for many different ways. Knights had a good reputation and if you messed that up you were punished and it wasn't very pretty. Knights were respected with a great big deal because they were known to protect the village and the people in the village.

Also in the medieval time period there was a falconry.

Falconry was the ancient sport of hunting of small wild game or birds with trained birds of prey. Birds were taken from their nest when they were really young to start there training. There was plenty of hours of training put into these birds but if the bird wasn't used to the human than all the hours put into it was useless. This sport was very expensive because the birds required special cages also known as mews. The key to this sport was to get the birds used to the human. They used birds to hunt other different types of animals. Hawking or falconry was considered a sport of royalty. Bells were attached to the birds legs so the hunter could keep track of their birds. The trained birds were not restricted to be falcons they also used hawks and sometimes eagles. Birds were trained by sealing their eyes shut with a needle and thread the end of the thread was tied over the head of the birds the trainer could open and close the birds eyes.This was extremely cruel because the birds were temporarily blinded. It takes years and years to be able to train a bird to go get another animal. Falconry was a respected sport because not everyone has the chance to train a bird to go get the other animal they are hunting and to get the bird used to the human would be another reason why it was a very respected sport. When the bird you took from the nest was really little it's very tricky to get a bird to be used to being around you. Once

the bird was used to being around the human it would be a little bit easier in trusting the bird. Various accessories were required to train the birds in hawking such as hoods, jesses, bells, and lures. Hawks were the main bird they used for hawking. The higher classes were the ones to do this because for the lower classes it was hard to afford to buy the thing they actually needed.