Hunting seasons · 2026/2027 · Updated
Hunting seasons in Wales
Wales: the open seasons for every game species, class by class, and where they differ from the dates that hold everywhere in the United Kingdom. With Pro, the HunTracker app sends a notification on the day the main seasons open or close.
Big game
| Species | Sex / age class | Open season |
|---|---|---|
| Red deer | Stag | – |
| Hind | – | |
| Calf | – | |
| Japanese sika deer | Stag | – |
| Hind | – | |
| Calf | – | |
| Fallow deer | Buck | – |
| Doe | – | |
| Calf | – | |
| Roe deer | Buck | – |
| Doe | – | |
| Fawn | – | |
| Chinese water deer | Both sexes | – |
| Reeves's muntjac | Both sexes | All year |
Small game
| Species | Sex / age class | Open season |
|---|---|---|
| Red grouse | Both sexes | – |
| Black grouse | Both sexes1 | – |
| Grey partridge | Both sexes | – |
| Red-legged partridge | Both sexes | – |
| Common pheasant | Both sexes | – |
| Mallard | Both sexes2 | – |
| Eurasian teal | Both sexes2 | – |
| Eurasian wigeon | Both sexes2 | – |
| Gadwall | Both sexes2 | – |
| Northern pintail | Both sexes2 | – |
| Northern shoveler | Both sexes2 | – |
| Common pochard | Both sexes2 | – |
| Tufted duck | Both sexes2 | – |
| Common goldeneye | Both sexes2 | – |
| Canada goose | Both sexes2 | – |
| Greylag goose | Both sexes2 | – |
| Pink-footed goose | Both sexes2 | – |
| Greater white-fronted goose | Both sexes2 | – |
| Eurasian coot | Both sexes | – |
| Common moorhen | Both sexes | – |
| European golden plover | Both sexes | – |
| Common snipe | Both sexes | – |
| Eurasian woodcock | Both sexes | – |
| European hare | Both sexes | All year |
| European rabbit | Both sexes | All year |
| Common wood pigeon | Both sexes3 | No open season |
Predators and other game
| Species | Sex / age class | Open season |
|---|---|---|
| Red fox | Both sexes | All year |
| Carrion crow | Both sexes3 | No open season |
| Eurasian magpie | Both sexes3 | No open season |
| Rook | Both sexes3 | No open season |
| Western jackdaw | Both sexes3 | No open season |
| European badger | Both sexes4 | No open season |
| Eurasian otter | Both sexes4 | No open season |
Where Wales differs from the rest of the United Kingdom
Compared with the dates that hold everywhere in the United Kingdom:
- Red deer (Hind): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Red deer (Calf): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Japanese sika deer (Hind): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Japanese sika deer (Calf): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Fallow deer (Doe): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Fallow deer (Calf): – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Red grouse: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Black grouse: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Grey partridge: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Red-legged partridge: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Common pheasant: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- Common snipe: – · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
- European hare: All year · everywhere in the United Kingdom: –
Openings and closings by month
January
- Closes
- Canada goose ·
- Common goldeneye ·
- Common moorhen ·
- Common pochard ·
- Common snipe ·
- Eurasian coot ·
- Eurasian teal ·
- Eurasian wigeon ·
- Eurasian woodcock ·
- European golden plover ·
- Gadwall ·
- Greater white-fronted goose ·
- Greylag goose ·
- Mallard ·
- Northern pintail ·
- Northern shoveler ·
- Pink-footed goose ·
- Tufted duck ·
February
- Closes
March
- Closes
- Chinese water deer ·
- Fallow deer (Doe, Calf) ·
- Japanese sika deer (Hind, Calf) ·
- Red deer (Hind, Calf) ·
- Roe deer (Doe, Fawn) ·
April
- Opens
- Roe deer (Buck) ·
- Closes
- Fallow deer (Buck) ·
- Japanese sika deer (Stag) ·
- Red deer (Stag) ·
August
- Opens
- Fallow deer (Buck) ·
- Japanese sika deer (Stag) ·
- Red deer (Stag) ·
- Common snipe ·
- Red grouse ·
- Black grouse ·
September
- Opens
- Canada goose ·
- Common goldeneye ·
- Common moorhen ·
- Common pochard ·
- Eurasian coot ·
- Eurasian teal ·
- Eurasian wigeon ·
- European golden plover ·
- Gadwall ·
- Greater white-fronted goose ·
- Grey partridge ·
- Greylag goose ·
- Mallard ·
- Northern pintail ·
- Northern shoveler ·
- Pink-footed goose ·
- Red-legged partridge ·
- Tufted duck ·
October
- Opens
- Closes
- Roe deer (Buck) ·
November
- Opens
- Chinese water deer ·
- Fallow deer (Doe, Calf) ·
- Japanese sika deer (Hind, Calf) ·
- Red deer (Hind, Calf) ·
- Roe deer (Doe, Fawn) ·
December
- Closes
Notes
- From 1 September in Somerset, Devon and the New Forest.
- Inland; below the high-water mark (foreshore) until 20 February.
- No open season: may only be shot under a general licence, for the purposes it lists (such as preventing crop damage).
- Protected species; no open season.
- Source
- BASC / legislation.gov.uk
- Legal basis
- Deer Act 1991; Game Act 1831; Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; Deer (Close Seasons) (Scotland) Order 1984, as amended 2023; Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985
- Published
Wales's own regulations prevail: they can add closures, quotas or restrictions not shown here. Season information in the app is for guidance only. Always check current legislation and local rules before you hunt.
Every season in your pocket
HunTracker opens on the country you are in, shows what is open today, and keeps every hunt in your journal.