KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has announced that The 2019 Game Bird Shooting Season will open on Saturday, August 17 and close on Sunday, September 22.

NEPA, in a release yesterday, explained that under the Wild Life Protection (Game Birds) (Declaration of Shooting Season) Order, 2019, hunting sessions are from sunrise to 9:00 am and 2:30 pm to sunset on Saturdays and from sunrise to 9:00 am on Sundays.

Only the following birds must be hunted: Zenaida Dove/Pea Dove, White-winged Dove; White – crowned Pigeon/Baldpate and Mourning Dove/ Long-tailed Pea Dove. 

The overall bag limit per shooting session is 20 birds with the exception of the White-crowned Pigeon which is 15.

Shooting within Game Reserves/ Sanctuaries and Forest Reserves  and within a 50-metre distance  from the boundaries of Game Reserves/ Sanctuaries is prohibited.

NEPA said with the support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and Game Wardens, it will carry out monitoring operations during the season to enforce the compliance of hunters.

Hunters’ licences may be obtained from NEPA’s head office at 10 Caledonia Avenue, Kingston 5 or any of its authorised vendors.

The licence fee is $20,000 and NEPA advised that all applicants must have a valid firearm licence/user’s permit and Tax Registration Number.

Hunter’s Bird Shooting Report not completed and returned by the December 31 of the same year of the season  will attract a late processing  fee of $5,000 before a Hunter’s Licence is granted to hunt  during the 2019 Bird Shooting Season.