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Why did subsistence poaching occur in medieval and early modern Europe?

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A person wearing an orange vest and holding a shotgun walks through tall grass with a hunting dog ahead in a field with scattered trees. — hunting Bird hunting with a dog.

In medieval and early modern Europe, subsistence poaching was primarily driven by the need for impoverished peasants to supplement their meager diets.1

During this period, feudal landowners, ranging from royalty to the nobility, strictly reserved the right to hunt and fish on their properties for their own sport. Large areas of forest were protected by special laws specifically to maintain populations of deer, wild boars, and other game for the exclusive use of the elite.21

Because these laws criminalized the taking of wildlife by commoners, those who hunted to survive were forced to do so illegally. As land was increasingly enclosed or taken into private use, these restrictions tightened, turning subsistence poaching into a high-stakes activity that often resulted in severe punishment, including imprisonment.1