Spring hunting season for quail between 10 and 30 April

The hunting advisory body, Ornis, is recommending the opening of a spring hunting season for quail between 10 and 30 April.

The news was disseminated by hunting organisation FKNK in a press statement this afternoon, while the meeting was still ongoing.

A proposal for the hunting of turtle dove was, however, shot down by the Ornis Committee.

According to the FKNK, its proposal for a spring hunting season for quail was approved by three votes to two. There were two abstentions.

The FKNK’s proposal for a hunting season on turtle dove running between 17 and 30 April was voted down.

The committee is now discussing the number of quail that can be shot throughout the season.

Since joining the EU Malta has applied a derogation to allow a limited hunting season to open in spring for only two species – quail and turtle dove. However, since 2017 the hunting on turtle dove in spring has stopped because the species was assigned a vulnerable conservation status by the IUCN, an international conservation body.

Hunters have been clamouring for the turtle dove derogation to be re-introduced.