Illegal hunting

Hunting includes the chasing, capturing or killing of any bird or animal.

Not all hunting is illegal, but there are many laws and legal restrictions that help protect wildlife. Illegal hunting can include hunting outside of an open season, using traps or weapons that cause unnecessary suffering, or hunting without a special licence.

It's not just an offence to hunt illegally. You are also breaking the law if you:

• assist in an illegal hunt, such as allowing hunters to use your land or providing them with dogs
• watch or attend an illegal hunt

Knowing when hunting is illegal can be challenging. Different animals and birds have different laws to protect them. If you're planning to go hunting, it's important you know what you can and can't do.

Wild birds

Hunting wild birds includes:

• shooting
• trapping
• poisoning
• killing by any other means

It is illegal to hunt a wild bird if:

• it is not their hunting season
• they do not have a hunting season
• you are hunting on someone else’s land without their permission
• you are using firearms without a licence

Game birds

Game birds include pheasants, partridges and grouse, as defined by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The hunting of game birds is covered by the Game Act 1831.

Game birds have their own open season.

It is illegal to:

• hunt game birds outside of their open season
• hunt on land without written permission from the landowner
• hunt on Sundays, Christmas Day, or at night
• use firearms without a licence

Deer

Deer are a protected species, as covered by the Deer Act 1991.

It is illegal to:

• hunt for deer on land without permission from the landowner
• remove deer carcasses from land without permission from the landowner
• hunt deer with spears, arrows or similar types of missiles, whether used as weapons or as ammunition in a firearm
• hunt deer using poisons, muscle relaxants or drugs that make them sleepy or confused
• hunt deer using ammunition that contains stupefying drugs, poison and muscle relaxants
• use traps, snares or poisoned bait
• hunt wild deer during their closed season or at night, unless you have a licence to, or the deer are damaging your land (a landowner can authorise someone to kill the deer when their land is being damaged)
• capture deer for science, education or relocation without a special licence

Muntjac deer are not protected by an open season. This is because Muntjac deer breed all year round.

Hares and rabbits

 It is illegal to hunt hares and rabbits if:

• you are not the landowner
• you don’t have relevant permissions from the landowner
• it is out of season, and you are hunting on moorlands or unenclosed

You can shoot hares and rabbits on your own land in most cases, if you have the correct firearm licence. See ‘Hunting with firearms’ on the Types of illegal hunting page for more information.

Other protected species

Unless you have special exemptions, it is illegal to hunt, capture and kill any of the following:

• bats
• red squirrels
• otters
• wild cats
• dormice
• water voles
• beavers
• porpoises
• dolphins
• whales