Am I breaking any law if I shoot on Christmas day to cull rabbits?

Legal
DAVID FROST says: There is no restriction on shooting rabbits on Christmas day. However if you’re going to be an effective rabbit controller then doing it one day a year is hardly enough.

If shooting is impractical at other times have you considered using ferrets?

Ferreting is fun, effective and much less likely to cause alarm among golfers. Ferreted rabbits suffer less meat damage so usually fetch more at the butcher’s.

By pest control I assume you mean the birds covered by the DEFRA Open Licence system. There is nothing in the licences that prohibits pest control on Christmas day unless it falls on a Sunday. In this case you should assume Canada geese are subject to the usual restrictions which apply to shooting wildfowl on Sundays.


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