Bringing shotgun and cartridges from UK to Ireland.

[kieran222]

I have just visited my parents farm in Ireland and they have loads of crows on their winter barley field. Just wondering what the rules are for bringing shotgun and cartridges between UK and Ireland.
Also wondering if there is anything like the general licence in Ireland or do you need to apply for a specific license?

 

[Dunwaters]

I have just visited my parents farm in Ireland and they have loads of crows on their winter barley field. Just wondering what the rules are for bringing shotgun and cartridges between UK and Ireland.
Also wondering if there is anything like the general licence in Ireland or do you need to apply for a specific license?

You will need a visitors firearms cert for your gun and to purchase and possess ammunition.
You get that from the local Gardai, the form is online.
Shooting nuisance birds is a bit fraught, you can do it but it’s not as simple as all that and the consequences of getting it wrong could be a hefty fine and confiscation of gear.
Check out the NARGC and NPWS sites for current regulations.
Enforcement is rare, but it does happen.

 

[kieran222]

You will need a visitors firearms cert for your gun and to purchase and possess ammunition.
You get that from the local Gardai, the form is online.
Shooting nuisance birds is a bit fraught, you can do it but it’s not as simple as all that and the consequences of getting it wrong could be a hefty fine and confiscation of gear.
Check out the NARGC and NPWS sites for current regulations.
Enforcement is rare, but it does happen.

View attachment 337557

Thanks for that. My parents farm is near Portlaoise so very relevant post. I think that I will give it a miss. The article makes a big thing out of using decoys and a caller, both of which are fine in the UK as long as its not an electronic caller. While I have no intention of breaking the law it just sounds too much hastle.

 

[dryan]

Every farmer shoots crows! Decoying and calling is technically illegal. However if the crows are around lambs, feed troughs or crops then there is always a reasonable argument that shooting them is permissible.

I think there's something around other methods being considered 1st before shooting, so a bodged up scarecrow would suffice to cover that aspect.

You can actually shoot them with a rifle, derogation allows for it. Much more fun!

 

[Dunwaters]

Every farmer shoots crows! Decoying and calling is technically illegal. However if the crows are around lambs, feed troughs or crops then there is always a reasonable argument that shooting them is permissible.

I think there's something around other methods being considered 1st before shooting, so a bodged up scarecrow would suffice to cover that aspect.

You can actually shoot them with a rifle, derogation allows for it. Much more fun!

Theres a couple of ways to shoot birds legally, via open seasons order or derogation, but you need to be damn careful which regulations apply to what you’re doing on the day because it’s a mess and a bit of a legal minefield.
I don’t shoot woodpigeons outside the open season anymore precisely because of the lack of clarity regarding what is and is not acceptable.
For example, if you shoot them under the derogation use of decoys is not allowed and you are only permitted to shoot them over the crop that they’re damaging, flighting or intercepting them can be illegal.
It’s all good clean fun right up to the time the wildlife ranger approaches and starts to caution you.
It can get really expensive really fast once that happens

 

[kieran222]

It must be difficult to control numbers when decoys aren't permitted. It makes me think that the UK's general licence is pretty lenient. Hopefully it will stay that way.

 

[finnbear270]

Paperwork can be touch & go, a friend of mine who shoots international clays said one of their team almost got denied entry last year.