Hello from florida.
I asked
@odino, and I'll ask you also.... can you give a brief description on the process for you to obtain the stuff required for you to legally hunt.
I understand you mean licenses and such? Are you ready for depression?
In Spain any hunter needs two main documents: hunting license and hunting insurance.
If you hunt with firearm (only rifles or shotguns are allowed), then you also need a “weapons permit”. This permit is obtained by taking an exam. You are asked to study laws and regulations related to firearms, then pass the written and practical exam. A specific unit of the Police deals with this.
Only people holding this permit are allowed to buy any firearm. Every time you buy a gun or ammo, the shop notifies the police with your permit reference number. You can only have a certain amount of guns in your possession and you can only buy a certain amount of rounds per year.. You are also forced to buy a certified gun safe and give the serial number to the Police to keep those arms at home. Big pain.
Now, every gun comes with a specific ID card in which model and serial number are printed along with owners name.
Every time you carry your gun, you need to be in possession of the permit and the gun’s ID card...
To make it even worse, every five years you have to renew you permit and this includes medical examination, psychological and physical, a tax and taking every single gun you own to a Police station for check up.
But, if you hunt with a bow, you do not need all of the above, only the hunting license and the insurance. Bows have no ID card. Note: this applies only to vertical bows; crossbows, since they can be carried loaded and ready to fire, are treated as shotguns and need all of the above...
Hunting License: Spain has a population similar to that of Texas and is smaller in size. Still we have managed to divide it into 17 States!! No national license, you need one for every state you intend to hunt. Not expensive, but boring process to apply for one at a time.
Hunting Insurance: Issued by any insurance company that carries the specific policy to cover accidents and damage to the hunter o third parties, you cn even include dogs coverage
So, every year, you need to renew both licenses and insurance. As you see, if you hunt in Spain, it is because you are really passionate about it... It is the price to pay for not having a 2nd amendment...
But then on the other hand, hunting opportunities are incredible here and for such a small territory we are blessed with a variety of terrains second to none. We have red stags, wild hogs, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon, Balearian Boc, barbaric sheep, chamois, feral goats, and of course the world famous four subspecies of Spanish Ibex. All of them in healthy populations allowing for year round hunting.
