Ireland - Obtain Deer Hunting Licence

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Procedure

1. Complete an application which is available from the National Parks and Wildlife Service office and can be downloaded from their website.
2. If you do not intend to shoot on your own land, you must also supply written evidence of permission with your application from the landowner allowing you to hunt on his/ her lands that hold deer. You will also have to supply the folio number of the lands. Folio numbers can be obtained from the Land Registry Service of the Property Registration Authority.
3. Applications are only considered on receipt of a fully completed application form. Your application will be examined by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, together with the landowner's permission. If you were issued with a deer hunting licence in the previous year, details of the deer you shot (bag returns) are sought on the application form for each applicant.

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Required Documents

• Completed application
• If you do not intend to shoot on your own land, you must also supply written evidence of permission with your application from the landowner allowing you to hunt on his/ her lands that hold deer. You will also have to supply the folio number of the lands. Folio numbers can be obtained from the Land Registry Service of the Property Registration Authority.

Office Locations & Contacts

National Parks and Wildlife Service
7 Ely Place
Dublin 2
Ireland

Tel:+353 (0)1 888 3242
Locall:1890 202 021
Fax:+353 (0)1 888 3272
Email: [email protected]

Eligibility

You must be over 16 years of age to hold a licence.

You may be of any nationality.

Fees

Licences are issued free of charge, subject to compliance with certain rules.

Validity

A hunting licence if granted, is valid for the hunting season in a particular year. The application form is issued to existing licence holders on an annual basis.

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Processing Time

Applications for deer hunting licences are processed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service within 20 working days.

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Instructions

The wild deer population in Ireland, which consists of red, fallow, sika, muntjac and hybrid deer, is managed by conservation rangers employed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The NPWS is part of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

The number of wild deer hunting licences issued by the NPWS varies from year to year, depending on demand, and the management of the deer population. The open season in Ireland also varies from year to year depending on the location and species of deer. Outside of the open hunting season, landowners can apply for a Section 42 licence to control deer on their lands if damage is being caused.

You can apply for a hunting licence during the open or closed season but you can only hunt deer when permitted. Applications may be processed faster during the closed season.

Firearms

You will be asked to provided your firearm (gun) when you submit your application for a deer hunting licence. Firearms certificates for weapons to hunt deer are issued by the Garda Commissioner through your local Garda station.

Your local police may require you provide evidence of adequate security in your home, land folio numbers if this weapon is to be discharged on your land and a deer hunting licence before they issue you with a firearms certificate. If you are not a landholder, you may be required to provide written evidence of shooting permission from three landholders together with a deer hunting licence before you are issued with a firearms certificate.

Required Information

• Firearm (gun) details when applying for a licence. The legal minimum requirement for a firearm to hunt deer is at least .220/.250 calibre which uses bullets of no less than 55 grain weight. All firearms in Ireland are registered and licensed.
• Date of birth.

Need for the Document

As stated under Ireland's terms of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (as amended) deer are a protected species and it is a serious offence to hunt them without a licence.

This procedure provides you information on how you can apply for a deer hunting licence.

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

• Hunting for deer in Ireland without a licence and the penalties for hunting without one can include fines and/or imprisonment, or both. You can only hunt deer for the period stated on your licence.
• You must produce your licence if requested by any authorised person (an authorised person is a Garda or a conservation officer who is employed by NPWS).
• It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate deer hunting licence and a firearm of the appropriate calibre. You will be prosecuted for hunting deer with an inappropriate firearm or by any other means.

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