Shooting Rabbit / Hare with an Air Rifle in the UK

If you own, and plan to use, an air rifle to shoot rabbit and / or hare in the UK, you will need to make sure that you are fully aware of your legal responsibilities.

You are required to make sure that any kills you make are humane and that you have full permission to hunt on private land which are not open to the public. It is highly recommended that you do not use an air rifle to shoot for hare as their power limit (under 12 ft/lbs) isn't sufficient to make a clean kill.

You must also be aware of when to legally use your air rifle as there is a closed season for hunting on varied animals with rabbit / hare most commonly set at February 1 to September 30 (no hunting permitted during these times unless you have an official government or nature agency license to prevent crop/forestry damage.

If you are in a position to legally and safely hunt with an air rifle then you can look to kill and consume some of the best lean wild game meat. Rabbit is said to contain more protein per serving than chicken or beef.

Like many other small mammals, rabbits can host a variety of parasites to include botfly larvae, flees and ticks so caution will be needed when collecting, skinning and consuming. Hunting outside of the warmer months will reduce the amount of parasites, avoid hunting between regulated and advised months, mostly April to September.

Have you chosen an appropriate air rifle that offers adequate power and accuracy in order to hunt for rabbits? A fine example is the Reximex Lieva PCP Air Rifle Black .177 which offers 11-11.5 ft/lbs power.

Best wines to pair with wild hare / wild rabbit? Depending on the cooking method and any additional sauces, most times a red wine is suggested as the ideal pairing. The meat can be very rich which allows for many decent tannin red wines to accompany the meat though if cooked within more white / mustard sauce then a Chardonnay or even Champagne is ideal.

A young Chianti Classico is a fine choice as the bright acidity and vibrant red berry fruit characters will cut through the fat and combine well against the rich game savoury character of the meat.