Certain species of wild mammals are protected under their own
legal provisions.
In Great Britain, legislation prohibits the taking or killing
of deer listed on the appropriate Schedule during the close season
for that species, unless it is done for the purpose of preventing
the suffering of an injured, or diseased, deer or to prevent damage
to crops, vegetables, fruit, growing timber, or any other property
of land. These actions can only be carried out by authorised
persons or by persons who have the consent of the landowner or
occupier to enter the land. The taking or killing of deer in the
first hour after sunset and the last hour before sunrise is
prohibited, as are certain methods of taking or killing, these
include the use of traps, snares, poison and stupefying bait or
nets. Certain weapons for the killing or taking of deer are
prohibited, namely arrows, spears or any firearm or ammunition
listed in the appropriate Schedule. A person will not have
committed an offence if the weapon is used to prevent the suffering
of an injured or diseased deer. The acts prohibited by the
legislation can be authorised by a licence issued by the
appropriate authority. The appropriate Minister may, by Order,
amend the Schedules as he considers necessary. The legislation
affording protection to deer in Northern Ireland is very similar to
the legislation in Great Britain, and provides additional
protection for certain species listed on the appropriate
Schedules.
Specific legislation for protecting wild deer is in the
Deer Act, 1963 (amended by the Deer Act, 1991).