Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom
Hunting and Shooting in the United Kingdom has been practised there for many centuries and is a major part of British rural culture.
History
Hunting has been carried out for millenia in the United Kingdom.
Hunting was formerly a royal sport, with many Kings and Queens being involved in hunting and shooting. For example, hunting on the large estates of Scotland was particularly popular. This trend is generally attributed to the Victorians who were inspired buy the romantic imagery of the Scottish Highlands.
Methods of hunting
Shooting
The shooting of game birds, in particular pheasant and grouse, is a popular sport in the UK, with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) saying that over a million people per year participate in shooting (including game shooting, clay shooting and target shooting). Shooting of game birds is carried out using a shotgun, most often .12, .410 or .20 "bores".
Game birds are shot in three ways: Driven Game shooting, where beaters are used to drive game towards a line of standing guns, Rough Shooting, where several guns walk through a woodland or field and shot birds their dogs put up, and Wildfowling, where a single gun sits in pursuit of wildfowl by a body of water, often at dawn or dusk, and waits for birds to "flight" in.
Deer Stalking
Rifles are used for shooting deer species, in a practice know as deer stalking.
===Hunting===. Hunting should not be confused with the aforementioned methods. Hunting with dogs (including hunting for fox, deer, mink and hare coursing) was banned in the UK under the Hunting Act 2004.
Fox hunting is often thought of as a primarily British activity in which trained dogs pursue red fox, followed by human hunters who are usually on horses but sometimes on foot. A traditional equestrian activity, many animal welfare campaigners object to it as a barbaric "blood sport", while proponents and participants view it as a crucial part of rural history in England, vital for conservation, and a method of pest control.
Game animals
In the UK game is defined in law by the Game Act 1831. Other (non-game birds) that are hunted for food in the UK are specified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. UK law defines game as including:
| Species | Season (England, Scotland and Wales) | Season (Northern Ireland) |
|---|---|---|
| Pheasant | October 1 - February 1 | October 1 - January 31 |
| Partridge, Grey and Red-legged | September 1 - February 1 | September 1 - January 31 |
| Black Grouse | August 20 - December 10 | N/A |
| Red Grouse | August 12 - December 10 | August 12 - November 30 |
| Ptarmigan | August 12 - December 10 | N/A |
| Brown Hare | No closed season | August 12 - January 31 |
- Deer are not included in the definition, but similar controls provided to those in the Game Act apply to deer (from the Deer Act 1991). Deer hunted in the UK are:
- Red Deer
- Roe Deer
- Fallow Deer
- Sika Deer
- Muntjac Deer
- Chinese Water Deer
- Hybrids of these deer
Other animals which are hunted in the UK include:
Please note that this is the situation at the time of writing and close seasons etc are subject to change, and that the situation is in many ways differenty to that in Ireland.
Former quarry species hunted before the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in Great Britain incuded Curlew, Redshank, Greater Scaup and Bar-tailed Godwit.
Notes
The aforementioned species are those primarily pursued for game shooting. To this list can be added Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Feral Pigeon, Jay, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook and Collared Dove, which are shot in the interests vermin control rather than as game birds.
Black Grouse are no longer shot on a regular basis, due to an on going decline in numbers, and those that are are most likely to be females mistaken for Red Grouse.
Capercaillie are no longer shot in the UK, as they are now protected due to a long term decline.