Hunting Society

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Hunting always provided sustenance and furs, mainly for the lower nobility. For the aristocracy, refined court hunting became more of a pastime, as hunting was significantly cheaper than tournaments, while providing similar excitement. It became a favorite diversion, with hunts for wild animals using dogs being almost ritualistic.
Hunting weapons were the same as those used in warfare: bows, crossbows, javelins, and hunting knives. Dogs were used to track and scare the game and then chase it until the exhausted animal stood its ground. Only then did the hunters (following on horseback to the sound of the dogs’ barking) arrive to kill it with arrows or spears. The final kill on the ground was done with a sword or hunting knife.
Falconry (originally a pastime from the Orient), and hunting with other specially trained birds of prey (hawks and goshawks) was more of a fashionable activity and could be pursued by women as well.
For the lower classes, hunting in the lord’s forests was strictly prohibited under severe penalties (with the exception of hunting hares).

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