Can some amswer this for me?

Half-cocked

Our shoot is crawling with introduced Brown Hares - not the Irish Mountain Hare. Destructive little buggers. We plant a lot of shrubs to provide cover for our birds and the hares strip the bark off them and kill them. It also attracts illegal coursing which disturbs our birds too. I wouldn't mind clarification if it is legal to cull them with a rifle.

iwsf

Shot one last year , it was absolutly delicous.
Left it in red wine over night before cooking it.
Very few hares in north Galway.

Back in France we used to always shot one a year.
The tradition was thatthe lucky one ( the one that shot it ) would have to cook it and invite everybody for a meal.

J.R.

No6 wrote: »

Sorry JR where is the with shotgun only bit? My rifle licence says I can shoot hares, there is a season for it so I believe it is ok to shoot hare in season with a rifle or a shotgun. feel free to correct me if I am wrong, that siad I havn't shot any and theres plenty around me!!!

When you asked that question it got me thinking....


I don't shoot hares as they're quite scare on our gun club lands but the answer I gave was what I'd heard & believed .......I always though that a rifle could only be used to shoot vermin and that one could not shoot protected species with a rifle unless you had a licence for such (deer licence etc).

I also thought that if you needed to shoot hares with a rifle (causing damage etc.) you would have to apply to the NPWS for a section 42 licence.

But you state that your rifle licence permits you to shoot hares.



On my rifle licence it states Subject to conditions NONE below:

On all licences there are conditions A, B, & C.

Condition A (B) states: To hunt & kill pursuant to and in accordance with any other order under section 25 of the said act which is so in force any hare.


Theefore I assumed I couldn't shoot hares with the rifle




On my shotgun certs it states: Subject to conditions A below:

This, I assumed, allows me shoot hares with it.



I did a quick check of the Wildlife Acts but couldn't find anywhere where it states that hares cannot be shot with a rifle. (I know they can be shot with a rifle in UK)

So, at the moment all I can say is that I now am not 100% sure!!!!!!!!!......I certainly can't correct you...far from it!!!........if your rifle licence states that you can shoot hares then that may be the case but I'd have a look at the line 'Subject to conditions........below' to see what it says.

I know this doesn't clarify matters but if I find anything else on the matter I'll post it.

No6

Cheers JR It is still as clear as mud!!! As far as I know section 42's are for shooting species out of season so therefore in season can you shoot hares with a rifle?? I checked my licence conditions agian and it the same as your but like you I can find nothing in the wildlfie acts to say you can or can't shoot hares in season with a rifle. You definately cannot apply to the NPWS to hunt hares as there is no form available (well online anyway!!)

Dusty87

I can remember a poster here putting up a link to where it says they can only be shot with shotgun. Iv tried finding the post, here and elsewhere, but cant seem to find it. Il pm and check was i only dreaming:rolleyes:

J.R.

Dusty87 wrote: »

I can remember a poster here putting up a link to where it says they can only be shot with shotgun. Iv tried finding the post, here and elsewhere, but cant seem to find it. Il pm and check was i only dreaming:rolleyes:

Dusty 87

found an old thread on the subject....don't have time to read through it all now....going out...............there may be some additional info. in it to clear up this matter.

Hare's in Ireland
http://wang.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055347349

Dusty87

J.R. wrote: »

Dusty 87

....don't have time to read through it all now....going out...............

Well for some on a wednesday night:D:p

Dusty87

ok read through that thread although its not the one i can remember.

From that thread i get the impression you can only shoot them with a rifle if you have a section 42. Although it still a bit unclear. The thread i remember J.R, had a link posted to a wildlife act i think.

On another note, theres loads in a field across the road from me but they seem to only stay in that field and not in the uncles which is next to it. Funny they dont spread to it. (maybe they do but i havnt ever seen any. Wouldnt shoot them anyways.

marlin vs

It only mentions shotgun here, iv'e alway's held the opinion that they are out of bound's for any type of rifle.

No6

I don't know it still dosn't state clearly anywhere that you can or can't hunt hares with a rifle, at least we know you can hunt them with a shotgun!!

pedroeibar1

No6 wrote: »

I don't know it still dosn't state clearly anywhere that you can or can't hunt hares with a rifle, at least we know you can hunt them with a shotgun!!

Maybe the no rifle/hare thing is folklore, but I thought that also. Although I don’t shoot hares this topic has been puzzling me.
Section 33 of the 1976 Act stated “(3) It shall be an offence for a person to kill or injure with a shotgun a protected wild animal other than a hare.”
That section was amended by the Wildlife (Amendment) Act, 2000 where in Section 41. it states —Section 33 of the Principal Act is hereby amended—
((3) It shall be an offence for a person to hunt or injure in the course of hunting with a shotgun a protected wild animal other than a hare otherwise than under and in accordance with a licence granted in that behalf by the Minister.

From S.I. No. 240/1977 — Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1977. through to S.I. No. 331/199 Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1998 it states “Shooting with firearms” for hares from the 26th day of September, ......to the 28th day of February, .........., both days inclusive.

Para 1 of Section 33 also states: “ It shall be an offence for a person to kill or injure—
( a ) with a repeating or automatic shotgun (other than a repeating or automatic shotgun which is adapted or modified so as to render it incapable of carrying more than three shotgun cartridges), with an airgun, air-rifle, gas-rifle, pistol or revolver, or with any firearm fitted with a silencer device, any wild bird,
( b ) with a rifle, any protected wild bird.”

So it seems hares are legal with a firearm, including a shotgun, but shooting protected wild birds with a rifle/airgun is off limits.

Unless someone comes up with something better......;)

P.

No6

Which basicly means you can't shoot procted animals such as deer with a shotgun, but you can shoot a hare in season with one because they are small enough to be killed by a shotgun. I too would read those bits of the legislation as meaning you can shoot hare in season with a rifle but you cannot shoot any protected wild bird with one, and all birds are protected unless they go on the ministers list every year, ie crows magpies etc.

Dusty87

Half-cocked wrote: »

Our shoot is crawling with introduced Brown Hares - not the Irish Mountain Hare. Destructive little buggers. We plant a lot of shrubs to provide cover for our birds and the hares strip the bark off them and kill them. It also attracts illegal coursing which disturbs our birds too. I wouldn't mind clarification if it is legal to cull them with a rifle.

I read somewhere (probably here) that the irish hare is being reduced due to the Brown Hare. Does the Brown Hare have the same protection as the Irish Hare??