I know that in NI rabbit can be hunted all year round as there is no 'protected season'
One thing I need to clarify however is whether or not it's legal to hunt them with a slingshot on public land (provided you are not posing any danger to other people. I can walk for fifteen minutes (I live on the outer suburbs of Belfast) until I get to a public owned piece of land where there are plenty of rabbit warrens. They're somewhat off-trail and require a bit of slope climbing; essentially the area has two public paths (one on the lower part of the slope, one on a slightly higher part of the slope and if you climb further you get to an area of somewhat thick foliage on the top part of the slope, which has a fence at the very top (leading to a privately owned, but occasionally walked field which can be accessed through a latched gate from a different area of the glen. The rabbits have extensive warrens on this top, unpaved (the other two have basic gravel paths) slope and I've been wondering about the legality of shooting the rabbits with a slingshot on this top part of the slope. An air rifle in NI requires a FAC which will be hard for me to get as when I was younger I got a conviction for posession of a class C substance resulting in community service and a fine (the CS was completed and the fine paid in full), I also know that possession of an air rifle on public land is very illegal (I'm a good shot with both a bow and crossbow but would never take either off my property unless the string was removed (bow) or the crossbow was in a locked bag being transported to a friend's private land for target use); use of bows for hunting is illegal here. Personally I feel that bowhunting could be legal. However it should require as much scrutiny, safeguards and training as obtaining a driver's licence and that a hunting bow should be marked with a bar/QRcode (applied with the same type of stickers which read 'void' when peeled off) this means the bow can be scanned by law enforcement personnel along with an inspection of your hunting licence if you are participating in bowhunting. This is a personal opinion and would be quite an undertaking as target shooting (which is what I use both of my bows for) should always be differentiated from bowhunting. Denmark (about the same size as England has very good laws when it comes to this).
But I digress:
Is the hunting of rabbits, when it poses no danger to human life illegal on public land when using a slingshot (not to my knowledge classed as an 'offensive weapon' in public, but can be seen as an offensive weapon when used as a weapon against other people or property.
I'd like to be able to legally hunt some of these rabbits for food on public land, though if that isn't illegal I'll probably apply for hunting insurance and politely (send them a letter with the inquiry first with a contact number, email address and home address) ask the landowner/s of the fields (the rabbits often nip under the fences to feed/play) in the fields and the fences would be great places to anchor (legal, 'free running' snares) with the landowner's permission. People (<18) occasionally camp and drink there during the summer and the landowners have occasionally asked the authorities to simply ask them to either turn music down or not light fires (I was there about six years ago visiting the younger brother of a friend (with said friend) who was up there, the police came along; ignored the alcohol and said that the landowners phoned them and simply wanted the campfires extinguished, the music turned down/off and that people "go to their tents and wrap things up for the night") When walking I'll still find cider/beer cans as well as bottles, 'stray' coils of old barbed wire and the like and may offer to clean up the fields for them (they occasionally have cows/bulls grazing there) in exchange for the right to hunt on their land. I've already asked about this and been told hunting insurance as well as leaving a letter in the landowner's door and if called/emailed/sent a letter to turn up well dressed, show that I have insurance and offer to help in exchange for the right to hunt 'pest animals' on their land.
The main question is, however; can the rabbits be hunted on public land, using a (double or triple gold therabanded slingshot) where I pose no danger to others?
Thanks for the help.
Edit:
Nope, not at cavehill. There's too many people walking around there for it to be safe at all.
Upper Cregagh glen (near Lagan college) is where I've been thinking of. There's the glen then private pasture for miles around up there. There's Mount Ober Golf course and driving range further up but hunting will certainly be illegal there too. However there's a nice slice of land in between, I'd love to see if I could hunt there as when I go for walks there are almost always rabbits/sounds of them moving in the bush but a complete and utter shortage of predators such as foxes; crows seem to be their sole threat. It's practically like a Watership Down haven for rabbits, I wouldn't mind taking a few every month while still preserving their habitat.
One thing I need to clarify however is whether or not it's legal to hunt them with a slingshot on public land (provided you are not posing any danger to other people. I can walk for fifteen minutes (I live on the outer suburbs of Belfast) until I get to a public owned piece of land where there are plenty of rabbit warrens. They're somewhat off-trail and require a bit of slope climbing; essentially the area has two public paths (one on the lower part of the slope, one on a slightly higher part of the slope and if you climb further you get to an area of somewhat thick foliage on the top part of the slope, which has a fence at the very top (leading to a privately owned, but occasionally walked field which can be accessed through a latched gate from a different area of the glen. The rabbits have extensive warrens on this top, unpaved (the other two have basic gravel paths) slope and I've been wondering about the legality of shooting the rabbits with a slingshot on this top part of the slope. An air rifle in NI requires a FAC which will be hard for me to get as when I was younger I got a conviction for posession of a class C substance resulting in community service and a fine (the CS was completed and the fine paid in full), I also know that possession of an air rifle on public land is very illegal (I'm a good shot with both a bow and crossbow but would never take either off my property unless the string was removed (bow) or the crossbow was in a locked bag being transported to a friend's private land for target use); use of bows for hunting is illegal here. Personally I feel that bowhunting could be legal. However it should require as much scrutiny, safeguards and training as obtaining a driver's licence and that a hunting bow should be marked with a bar/QRcode (applied with the same type of stickers which read 'void' when peeled off) this means the bow can be scanned by law enforcement personnel along with an inspection of your hunting licence if you are participating in bowhunting. This is a personal opinion and would be quite an undertaking as target shooting (which is what I use both of my bows for) should always be differentiated from bowhunting. Denmark (about the same size as England has very good laws when it comes to this).
But I digress:
Is the hunting of rabbits, when it poses no danger to human life illegal on public land when using a slingshot (not to my knowledge classed as an 'offensive weapon' in public, but can be seen as an offensive weapon when used as a weapon against other people or property.
I'd like to be able to legally hunt some of these rabbits for food on public land, though if that isn't illegal I'll probably apply for hunting insurance and politely (send them a letter with the inquiry first with a contact number, email address and home address) ask the landowner/s of the fields (the rabbits often nip under the fences to feed/play) in the fields and the fences would be great places to anchor (legal, 'free running' snares) with the landowner's permission. People (<18) occasionally camp and drink there during the summer and the landowners have occasionally asked the authorities to simply ask them to either turn music down or not light fires (I was there about six years ago visiting the younger brother of a friend (with said friend) who was up there, the police came along; ignored the alcohol and said that the landowners phoned them and simply wanted the campfires extinguished, the music turned down/off and that people "go to their tents and wrap things up for the night") When walking I'll still find cider/beer cans as well as bottles, 'stray' coils of old barbed wire and the like and may offer to clean up the fields for them (they occasionally have cows/bulls grazing there) in exchange for the right to hunt on their land. I've already asked about this and been told hunting insurance as well as leaving a letter in the landowner's door and if called/emailed/sent a letter to turn up well dressed, show that I have insurance and offer to help in exchange for the right to hunt 'pest animals' on their land.
The main question is, however; can the rabbits be hunted on public land, using a (double or triple gold therabanded slingshot) where I pose no danger to others?
Thanks for the help.
Edit:
Nope, not at cavehill. There's too many people walking around there for it to be safe at all.
Upper Cregagh glen (near Lagan college) is where I've been thinking of. There's the glen then private pasture for miles around up there. There's Mount Ober Golf course and driving range further up but hunting will certainly be illegal there too. However there's a nice slice of land in between, I'd love to see if I could hunt there as when I go for walks there are almost always rabbits/sounds of them moving in the bush but a complete and utter shortage of predators such as foxes; crows seem to be their sole threat. It's practically like a Watership Down haven for rabbits, I wouldn't mind taking a few every month while still preserving their habitat.
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