New documentary, Fair Chase, follows group of persistence hunters

A uniquely human ability to run long distances for hours at a time has led to theories that humans once hunted prey by chasing it to the point of exhaustion. The style of hunting is known as persistence hunting and is still practice by only a handful of tribes around the world, though it’s believed to have been used as long as two-million years ago.

A group of elite distance runners, hoping to test the theory, have released a new documentary, Fair Chase, following them as they attempt to catch a pronghorn, the second-fastest land mammal on Earth, in New Mexico, by persistence hunting.

The runners plot and plan their strategy to chase the pronghorn on foot for hours until they’re able to catch it. Pronghorns have been known to run at speeds of nearly 90 km/h.

Released this week on Vimeo, the trailer is worth a watch and the full film can be bought for $12.45. It was directed by Emma Tammi and Alex Cullen.