Four course periods and a special examination before the first licence
The first licence requires an approved firearm, four course periods and a pass in a special examination.
Article 31 sets the general prohibition: no person, with or without one or more dogs, may shoot, kill, hold, capture or in any way pursue game, or carry a hunting weapon during the open season, unless they hold a valid hunting licence. The first licence is granted by the minister to someone who already holds an authorisation to possess a non-shouldered hunting bow or a shouldered smooth-bore hunting weapon — single-barrelled holding only one cartridge in the chamber, or double-barrelled holding only one per chamber — provided they have attended four periods of training courses and passed a special examination. The application is filed before the courses and examination begin, with the minister, on Form A of Annex VII, with a recent passport photograph and payment of the fee set in Annex VIII. The act adds a rule about dogs: training a dog is forbidden in the areas the act designates, and hunting accompanied by a dog is permitted only if the dog's owner holds a hunting licence.