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

Find out more about bird crime

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.

Foxes

Fox hunting is illegal with some exemptions.

It's illegal to hunt foxes using:

• dogs with some exemptions (see 'Hunting with dogs' on Types of illegal hunting)
• illegal traps and snares (see ‘Using traps and snares’ on Types of illegal hunting)
• poisons

‘Trail hunting’ and ‘drag hunting’, where dogs follow either an animal-based or artificial scent respectively, is legal. These are hunts designed to copy fox hunting without foxes being involved at all. However, these activities must still take place on locations where the people or animals involved are allowed to go and are not trespassing.

There are exemptions under the Hunting Act 2004 that allow for foxes to be ‘humanely’ shot and killed. In such cases, a dog or dogs, depending on the circumstances, can be legally used to ‘flush’ a fox from cover so it can be shot.

Hares and rabbits

It's illegal to hunt hares and rabbits if:

• you're using dogs, although there are some exemptions (see 'Hunting with dogs' on Types of illegal hunting)
• you're not the landowner
• you don’t have relevant permissions from the landowner
• it's out of season, and you are hunting on moorlands or unenclosed land

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.

Hare coursing events

Hunting with dogs as part of a hare coursing event, where dogs are assessed on their skills in hunting live hares, is illegal. Where dogs are involved, it's also illegal to:

• attend a hare coursing event
• help with a hare coursing event
• allow your land to be used for a hare coursing event
• trespass on land with the equipment or intent to search for and pursue hares

Other protected species

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

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