England offers a genuinely wide range of hunting, from six species of deer to driven game birds, wildfowl and wild boar, and each has its own season set in law. In broad terms, deer stalking for males runs from around August to April, the game bird and wildfowl seasons fall across autumn and winter, and wild boar can be hunted year-round. Knowing exactly which species you can hunt, and precisely when, is the foundation of every legal and ethical trip, so this guide lays out the current open seasons in England clearly and in full.

Before the detail, two things apply throughout. You will need the correct firearm or shotgun certificate and the landowner’s permission for any quarry, and because seasons and wildlife law can change and vary in detail, you should always confirm the current dates before you hunt. At Field and Forest Hunting we work with these species and seasons constantly, and our founder Paul spent years as a gamekeeper, deer manager and shoot manager on English estates, so the guidance below comes from managing this quarry through the calendar rather than reading it off a chart. Here is what you can hunt in England, and when.

Deer species and seasons

England is home to all six species of British deer, and each is managed under its own open season. The dates below apply to England and Wales.

Red deer stags may be taken from 1 August to 30 April, and hinds from 1 November to 31 March. Sika follow exactly the same dates, with stags from 1 August to 30 April and hinds from 1 November to 31 March. Fallow bucks run from 1 August to 30 April and does from 1 November to 31 March. Roe are the exception among the antlered species, with bucks open from 1 April to 31 October and does from 1 November to 31 March. Chinese water deer, found mainly in East Anglia, have the same season for both sexes, from 1 November to 31 March, because the males and females are hard to tell apart in the field. Muntjac are unique in having no close season at all, since they breed continuously through the year, though responsible stalkers avoid taking heavily pregnant does or females with dependent young.

In our experience, targeting roe bucks during the late July and early August rut works better than waiting until later in the buck season because the bucks are active, respond to calling, and are far more visible as they chase does, whereas by autumn they become secretive again and much harder to find. If a roe buck is your goal, plan around the rut rather than simply the open dates. There is more on the wider picture in our guide to hunting in England.

Game bird seasons

The game bird seasons are the heart of the traditional British shooting calendar. Pheasant may be shot from 1 October to 1 February, and partridge, both grey and red-legged, from 1 September to 1 February. Red grouse have a longer, earlier season running from 12 August, the famous Glorious Twelfth, to 10 December. Black grouse, which are scarce in England and often left unshot for conservation reasons, run from 20 August to 10 December, though in Somerset, Devon and the New Forest that season begins later on 1 September.

Driven pheasant shooting is the classic expression of this season, with beaters pushing birds over a line of standing guns, and it remains one of the most sociable and tradition-rich pursuits in the country.

Wildfowl and wader seasons

Wildfowling has its own distinct set of dates. Duck and goose may be shot from 1 September to 31 January inland, with the season extended on the foreshore, below the high-water mark of ordinary spring tides, to 20 February. Common snipe run from 12 August to 31 January, and golden plover from 1 September to 31 January.

Woodcock deserve particular mention. In England the woodcock season runs from 1 October to 31 January, but because of concerns about breeding populations, many shoots now voluntarily restrict or avoid shooting them, and some ask guns not to take them at all. We have found that respecting these local conservation choices is simply part of being a responsible guest.

Wild boar and ground game

Wild boar occupy an unusual position, since they are not listed in game legislation and are not protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This means they have no close season and may be hunted year-round with the appropriate firearms certificate and landowner permission, though responsible hunters avoid shooting sows with dependent young. England’s boar are localised, with the largest population by far in the Forest of Dean.

Rabbits also have no close season and may be controlled throughout the year. Brown hares are more complicated. They have no statutory shooting close season in England, but there are legal restrictions on when they may be taken on moorland, and the sale of hares is prohibited between 1 March and 31 July, so many follow a voluntary close season through the breeding months. Always check the specifics before shooting hares.

The legal essentials

A few rules apply across the board and are worth committing to memory. Deer may normally only be shot from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset, and night shooting requires a specific licence. No game may be shot on Sundays or Christmas Day in England and Wales, and Sunday wildfowling is additionally banned in a number of counties. There is also a steady and continuing move away from lead ammunition across game and wildfowl shooting, so always check what a given shoot or estate requires, and expect non-lead or steel shot to be the norm. For deer, make sure your rifle meets the legal minimum calibre and energy requirements, and having it properly set up and zeroed by a good gunsmith before the season is always time well spent.

Planning around the seasons

Understanding the seasons lets you plan a full year of hunting rather than a single outing. The male deer seasons and the game bird seasons overlap neatly through autumn and early winter, which is why that period is so busy, while the doe and hind cull through midwinter offers excellent, quieter stalking once the trophy season has closed. From working with clients over many years, we have found that the hunters who plan around the whole calendar, rather than fixating on one narrow window, get far more from their sport.

When the English seasons do close, the Continent picks up where they leave off, with driven boar and other hunting available through the winter and beyond. We arrange trips across Europe as well as stalking here in the UK, and our current special offers show what is available abroad when the home season is quiet.

The experience behind the advice

Reliable guidance on seasons comes from people who have managed quarry through them, not merely consulted a list. Paul trained as a gamekeeper, learned game and deer management, and rose to head gamekeeper and shoot manager on prestigious English estates, directing both the deer cull and the shooting calendar across the seasons. That is the perspective behind this guide, and it is why we can help you plan a trip that lands on the right species at the right time. You can explore our UK deer stalking on our Scotland and England destination page, and see the kind of quarry and country involved in our gallery.

Plan your hunt

England’s hunting calendar is rich and varied, but it rewards those who understand and respect the seasons. Get the timing right, hold the correct certificates, secure your permissions, and you have the makings of a superb year in the field.

To plan a hunting trip around the English seasons, get in touch and speak to us directly. You can call us in the UK on +44 (0)7789 224466 or in the US on +1 (307) 259 9861, and we will give you a straight, experienced answer.