Hunting mountain hare is a very traditional form of hunting in Sweden. Dogging dogs are used and it is a very social form of hunting. The hunters can sit and talk while waiting for the dog to find the hare.

The Mountain Hare is a hare, which is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. It is distributed from Scandinavia to eastern Siberia; in addition there are isolated populations in the Alps, Ireland, Poland, United Kingdom and Hokkaidō.

While the fur is brown in summer, in preparation for winter this species moults into a white (or largely white) pelage. The Irish race (Lepus timidus hibernicus) stays brown all year and only rarely do individuals develop a white coat. The Irish race may also have a dark/grey upper surface to the tail. This combined with the various shades of brown that the Irish hare may display could lead to observers confusing a sighting with a brown hare. In Scandinavia, the hare turns completely white.

Alternative common names include Blue Hare, Tundra Hare , Variable Hare, White Hare, Alpine Hare and Irish Hare.

In northern parts of Finland and Sweden, the Mountain Hare and the European Hare compete for habitat. The European Hare, being larger, is usually able to drive away the Mountain Hare but is less adapted for living in snowy regions: its feet are smaller and its winter fur is a mixture of white and brown. While this winter fur is actually a very good camouflage in the coastal regions of Finland where the snow covers the shrubs but for a short time, the Mountain Hare is better adapted for the snowier conditions of the inland areas.

 

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