S.I. No. 331/1998 - Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1998.

S.I. No. 331 of 1998.

WILDLIFE (WILD MAMMALS) (OPEN SEASONS) ORDER, 1998.

I, Sile De Valera, Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by Sections 8 (2) and 25 of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (No. 39 of 1976), and the Heritage (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1994 ( S.I. No. 443 of 1994 ) (as adapted by the Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1997 ( S.I. No. 306 of 1997 )), hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1998.

2. In this Order a reference to a column is to a column of the Schedule to this Order.

3. The species of protected wild mammals specified in column (1) may be hunted during the periods specified in relation to the species concerned in column (2), in the manner so specified in column (3), in the places in the State so specified in column (4).

4. The Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1979 ( S.I. No. 193 of 1979 ), is hereby revoked.

SCHEDULE

Species of Wild Mammal	Hunting Period	Manner of Hunting	Places in the State
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Male fallow deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of September in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State
Female fallow deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of November in each year and ending on the 31st day of January in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State
Male sika deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of September in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State
Female sika deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of November in each year and ending on the 31st day of January in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State exclusive of the counties of Dublin and Wicklow
Female sika deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of November in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	The counties of Dublin and Wicklow
Male red deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of September in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State exclusive of the county of Kerry.

Female red deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of November in each year and ending on the 31st day of January in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	Throughout the State exclusive of the counties of Dublin, Wicklow and Kerry.
Female red deer	The period beginning on the 1st day of November in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms	The counties of Dublin and Wicklow
Hares	The period beginning on the 26th day of September in each year and ending on the 28th day of February in the year immediately following that year.	Shooting with firearms; coursing at regulated coursing matches; hunting with packs of beagles and harriers	Throughout the State exclusive of the townlands of North East Slob, North West Slob, Big Island, Beggerin Island and The Raven, in the county of Wexford.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 9th day of September, 1998.

Sile De Valera, T.D.,

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The effect of this Order is to revoke the Wildlife (Wild Mammals) (Open Seasons) Order, 1979 ( S.I. No. 193 of 1979 ) and set hunting seasons for certain species of wild mammals.