Night shooting simplified for England’s deer managers

New licence replaces individual permissions

Deer managers in England can now shoot at night under a new licence released by Natural England.

CL55, ‘Licence to kill deer at night by shooting’, which came into force on 23 February, replaces the previous system of individual permissions with a registration-based framework open to all qualified deer managers. It covers red deer, fallow, roe, sika, Chinese water deer and muntjac during their respective open seasons, and permits night shooting for one of three defined reasons: public health and safety, conservation, or prevention of serious damage to property.

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Part of wider deer management reforms

The licence is one of the first practical deliverables from the Government’s 10-year Deer Impacts Policy Statement, also published in February, which promised to make night shooting easier to access. Night, for the purposes of the licence, runs from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.

The most notable change is the formal authorisation of thermal imaging riflescopes for deer night shooting for the first time, bringing the legal framework into line with technology that has become central to modern practice.

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Welfare safeguards and duration

Existing welfare safeguards remain in place under CL55, including protections for females with dependent young. The licence runs until 31 July 2026 and will ordinarily be reissued each August. Registration is via the CL55 form on the Natural England website.