Is my friend stalking legally?

You will have to be certain what the local police force's interpretation of your certificate says, before stalking.

By Richard Prior

Friday, 24 August 2007

A friend of mine would like to stalk in Scotland, but his firearms certificate says it has been issued only for the control of vermin. The landlords of the estate say all deer on their land are classed as vermin. Can he legally shoot deer on this land?

A:

Most police forces are strict in their interpretation of the word vermin, and it is unlikely to be the same as that applied by your landlords (Scottish Woodlands).

However, with your written permission to shoot deer on the land you lease, there should be no difficulty for your friend to apply for a variation on his certificate to include deer.

This assumes that he uses a rifle calibre that complies with Scottish law.

Failing this, he may well be committing an offence.

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