First-time applicants for a deer-hunting licence will be required to show evidence of attendance and completion of a certified deer-hunting training course for the 2022-2023 season.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has confirmed that the mandatory training will be introduced next year, and comes from a recommendation in a deer-management plan published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2015.

The NPWS said:

"An Irish Deer Management Forum was established to implement the various actions listed in the Deer Management in Ireland – A Framework for Action report.

The training will cover:

The 2021-2022 hunting season is now underway since September 1, and will last until the end of February.

Up to September 9, the NPWS had granted 5,253 licences to hunt deer in Ireland.

Last year, there was a marked drop in the number of licences granted, due to Covid-19.

Deer-hunting licences granted: