No history of hunting is complete without mentioning the animals that helped humans survive and still are used for hunting. Today it is more for sport than survival, but for many it still provides food for the table.

In prehistoric times people hunted for food as well as fur and leather for clothing and hides used for shelter. As society became less nomadic, more agricultural it allowed for raising food in one place, but hunting didn't go away.

Even in the 13th century there were laws forbidding hunting during breeding seasons to insure the conservation of game animals.

While gunpowder and firearms are relatively recent, bow and arrows, snares and traps have all been used to animals. Hunting dogs were developed to point and "set" game birds, allowing the handlers to toss a net over birds. Faster dogs were used to chase down game.

Falcons and even eagles have been used in the capacity of hunters. With the domestication of the horse, human had a means of speed to get alongside big game such as the bison in North America.

Early hunters also used methods of digging pits as a trap and running larger game off cliffs as a means of survival.

Today still hunting, stand hunting, stalking and driving are most common.

Still hunting is tracking animals when it's known they're in the area but not sighted.

Stand hunting is taking a position and waiting for the game to go by - often evidenced as deer stands and placed on pathways or near feeding areas.

Stalking is when the animal is spotted but out of range and the hunter moves within range while staying out of sight.

Driving is when one group of people deliberately makes noise which drives the animals in range or past armed hunters.

Dogs have long played an important part in finding or game.

The scent receptors of a hunting dog's nose are much higher than our own plus they LOVE to hunt and want to please.

Today, as in years past, methods vary, but the history of hunting hasn't changed getting the game for food.

The history of hunting is long, with different dogs for different types of hunts. Explore the basics here.

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