Great hunt commences

The “Great Hunt” started on Sunday and will continue until every Sunday until January 3, the Interior Ministry announced.

The full list of the 10 remaining dates on which hunting is allowed is: November 1 (tomorrow), 8, 15, 22 and 29; December 6, 13, 20 and 27; and January 3.

Hunting permits must be valid until July 31, 2021, the statement added.

Hunters are only allowed to shoot hares, partridges, francolins, tragopans, jack snipes, quails, pigeons, pheasants, woodcocks, fieldfares, crows and magpies. The hunting of any other animals or wild birds is strictly forbidden. Hunters cannot kill more than one hare, five partridges or francolins, eight jacksnipes, five tragopans, eight common wood pigeons and 20 fieldfares on each hunting day, while their total game tally must not exceed 40 animals on each day.

Hunting can only take place between sunrise and sunset and hunters are not allowed to enter hunting zones with their rifles between 7pm and 4am.

They must hunt at least 500 metres away from dams and reservoirs, 200 metres away from urban areas and 300 metres away from picnic sites. One hunter can be accompanied by a maximum of three dogs.

Any hunter who wants to carry their rifle outside of their registered district must obtain a “transport permit” from the relevant district governorship.

Hunters cannot drive or park their vehicles more than 50 metres inside the designated hunting zones and only “saloon, van and pick-up” type vehicles can be used to travel to hunting sites. Hunting rifles cannot be carried on “all-terrain vehicles”.

Those failing to abide by the rules will be prosecuted, a police spokesman warned.