Hunting in Elizabethan Times

Much More Than a Sport Hunting was very important to the people of the Elizabethan era. However, hunting, also known to Elizabethans as “the art of venery,” was not something to be enjoyed by everyone. Most often, only the upper class could take advantage of hunting. They mainly hunted boar and a few species of deer. These noblemen hunted to show their status in society, to practice for war, and for the dietary nutrients of …

…and perhaps even leading to a longer life span. Consequently, to the Elizabethan upper class hunting combined characteristics of an exclusive party, a military lesson, and a supplementary vitamin. To some, it was a part of their everyday lives. Today, hunting is seen as little more than a pastime. It is difficult to imagine such an importance placed upon a sport, but the to the Elizabethan nobles, it was so much more than a sport.