Where can I legally go hunting for rabbits with a slingshot in the UK?

do I have to ask land owners or could I go into a forest away from people and hunt there?

Yes, you always need the land owners permission to hunt/fish or even to leave designated footpaths. So yes you do need permission to hunt. Bear in mind that virtually all land in the UK is owned. This may be a farmer or an NGO like the National Trust (The largest land owner in the UK). There are some common lands and these typically have restrictions on what is permitted on them written into local laws. Often these bylaws will not allow hunting.

Rabbits are not a protected species in the UK. Through rabbits are currently in a serious decline due to Rabbit haemorrhagic disease. So hunting rabbits is not restricted. There is a rabbit season but this is not enforced. Many land owners consider rabbits a pest and treat them as such. Bear in mind that some practices (hare coursing for example) are considered "Blood Sports" and are banned as a separate activity.

Slingshots are not classed as firearms in the UK and have no restrictions (per say). But a slingshot can be classes as an "offensive weapon", in fact virtually anything can be classed as an offensive weapon in UK law depending on the circumstances. Providing you can clearly demonstrate that you are using the slingshot for hunting and do not carry when not hunting (your going to struggle to explain to the police why you have a slingshot in a built up area, etc) you should be fine.

You're going to struggle to get a clean kill with a slingshot. I wouldn't think of it as an ideal hunting weapon (for rabbits at least, I've seen it used for small game birds like pigeon but they're less robust than a rabbit). You may want to consider a reasonably powerful air rifle to hunt rabbits instead.

posted almost 6 years ago

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