Hunting season

iwsf

Hi,

new to boards.ie and new to game shooting in Ireland, be gentle with me !
I just join a gun club near Galway and find it difficult to get informations in regards to seasons opening dates.
When exactly in the hare season open and are you allowed to shot female pheasants ? Might sound like a silly question , sorry for that !

Thank you

stevoman

its illegal to shoot hen pheasents as rough shooters here in ireland we rely on them to breed for next seasons stock so thats a major no no.

Also im not sure but i think you may need a special license for hunting hares or shooting them and its a bit frowned upon here in ireland as the native hare is not doing the best at the momant and most hunters prefer to admire them, rather then hunt them.

iwsf

Thank you Stevoman,
didn't know! Will not disturb hen pheasents.
Regarding hares , there are so few arrounds that i will also leave them alone.

J.R.

Shooting seasons 2008 - 2009

jwshooter

iwsf wrote: »

Hi,

new to boards.ie and new to game shooting in Ireland, be gentle with me !
I just join a gun club near Galway and find it difficult to get informations in regards to seasons opening dates.
When exactly in the hare season open and are you allowed to shot female pheasants ? Might sound like a silly question , sorry for that !

Thank you

do you have a firearm

meathstevie

stevoman wrote: »

its illegal to shoot hen pheasents as rough shooters here in ireland we rely on them to breed for next seasons stock so thats a major no no.

Also im not sure but i think you may need a special license for hunting hares or shooting them and its a bit frowned upon here in ireland as the native hare is not doing the best at the momant and most hunters prefer to admire them, rather then hunt them.

The only case for special licences for hunting hares is for trapping for coursing. During the open season you can hunt hares during daylight hours with a shotgun. As for the hare doing badly, it isn't around here in my corner of Meath. You'll easily count 15 to 20 hares without even looking for them during a few hours lamping. When wandering the fields during the day it's very strange to not see at least a few every hour.

Personally I always take a few for the pot every season.

I have no scientific back up for this but to me it looks like hares recover fairly quickly in areas where foxes are being hit hard and frequently. In a way it would make sense as levrets are at their most vulnerable when vixens are at their hungriest.

iwsf

Thank you J.R , very usefull informations.
jwshooter , yes i have a firearm. A good old Baikal !

There are many hares arround here in Galway but not as many as in meath.

J.R.

iwsf wrote: »

Thank you J.R , very usefull informations.

Animals / birds on the shooting seasons list are ones that have a specific season in which they can be shot. They cannot be shot outside these dates.

Crows / rooks / greycrows / jackdaws / magpies can be shot at any time of the year if causing damage to crops, livestock, wildlife etc.

Pigeons, which are in season now, can also be shot any time of the year if causing damage to crops.

All other birds - songbirds, seabirds, small birds etc. are protected the whole year round and can never be shot.

Animals classed as a pest / vermin can be shot the whole year round - fox, mink, rat, grey squirrel and rabbit.

Fox & rabbit can also be shot at night using a lamp.

Other animals, besides the ones on the seasons list or vermin are protected the whole year round and can never be shot - red squirrel, bats, badger, otter, stoat, hedgehog.

Hope this clarifies matters and isn't too confusing.