hunting

Introduction
Origins
Ancient history
Later history
Hunting codes
Hunting with guns
North America
Africa
Asia
South America
Australasia
Game management
Hunting methods
Dogs
Equipment

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

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.

Hunter in an orange vest and green hat kneels in snow with a rifle, accompanied by a brown hunting dog, with tall dry grass in the background.

At a Glance

hunting summary

Quizzes

Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.

American Sports Nicknames

Related Questions

How are decoys used when hunting ducks and geese?
How can illegal plant collecting threaten orchids cacti and other plants?
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How does calling attract game birds and deer?
How does hunting for sport differ from hunting for food?
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How does stalking allow hunters to approach game in open country?
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How were animals hunted in enclosed preserves in ancient Egypt?
How were hounds controlled during a traditional fox hunt?
What clothing was traditionally worn by leaders of an English fox hunt?
What roles did the master and huntsman have in a traditional fox hunt?
Which animals were hunted in ancient Egypt?
Which fox parts were sometimes given as trophies after a traditional hunt?
Which methods are used in sport hunting?
Which tools and weapons did early hunters use?
Which tools did hunters use in ancient Egypt?
Which weapons are commonly used for big-game hunting?
Why are blinds commonly used for hunting waterfowl?
Why are coyotes sometimes hunted instead of foxes in the United States and Canada?
Why did early humans hunt animals?
Why did foxhunting become less popular after World War I?
Why did subsistence poaching occur in medieval and early modern Europe?
Why have rhinoceroses and African elephants been heavily poached?
Why is the goal of many hound-led hunts in the United States and Canada not to kill the quarry?
Why was hunting for sport originally associated with rulers and nobles?
Why was shooting a sitting duck considered unsportsmanlike under traditional hunting codes?
Why were hunters expected to track wounded game?
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Sports & Recreation Other Sports

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External Websites

ABC listen - Counterpoint - Hunting
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Sport Hunting, Predator Control and Conservation of Large Carnivores
PETA - Hunting
Alimentarium - The history of hunting
Harvard Business Review - The Dangers of Nepotism

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

hunting - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

hunting

sport

Also known as: shooting

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 9, 2026 •History

hunting, sport that involves the seeking, pursuing, and killing of wild animals and birds, called game and game birds, primarily in modern times with firearms but also with bow and arrow. In Great Britain and western Europe, hunting is the term employed for the taking of wild animals with the aid of hounds that hunt by scent, whereas the sport of taking small game and game birds with a gun is known as shooting. In...

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