Deer: apply for a licence to shoot them during the close season or at night (A16 and LR16)
Apply for a licence to shoot deer during the close season or at night, and report your actions.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
You must apply for this licence (A16) if you need to shoot deer:
- in the close season for health and safety reasons, or to prevent the deterioration of natural heritage
- at night for health and safety reasons, to prevent the deterioration of natural heritage or to prevent serious damage to property
- if you’re not eligible to use the class licence (CL55)
Natural England will only issue a licence where:
- there’s a serious risk of deer causing a public health and safety risk, or deterioration of natural heritage
- any damage caused by deer was within the last 12 months
- there’s not a satisfactory alternative
Before you start your application
Before you start your application for a licence you’ll need to have ready:
- information about the problem the deer are causing
- details of the species involved and approximate number of deer at or visiting the site
- information about any other control methods you have already tried
- the site name, location and grid reference
- details of any impacts on protected sites, if applicable
- information about any previous licence for this site, if applicable
- details of the actions you plan to take to control deer
- names and addresses of any authorised people you want to add to your licence
- wildlife convictions for anyone named on the licence
You may be asked to submit supporting evidence with your application, including:
- evidence of the serious damage caused by deer, if applicable
- census or drone survey results
- a copy of your deer management plan
- deer culling records from the past 2 years
- a site map showing where you plan to carry out deer control
- evidence of the qualifications or experience of the people who will act under this licence
- any correspondence about advice from Natural England about this application
Apply for a licence
Use the online service to apply for a licence to shoot deer during the close season or at night.
What happens next
We’ll email you within 30 working days of you submitting your application either to:
- tell you whether your application for a licence has been approved or not
- ask for more information
If you’ve applied:
- for activities linked to a specific seasonal period, you’ll usually receive a decision by the season start date
- fewer than 30 working days before the start date, you’ll usually receive a decision within 30 working days
- for activities that are not linked to a seasonal period, you’ll usually receive a decision within 30 working days
You must not carry out any licensable activities until your licence has been granted.
How to report your actions
You must report any actions you took using this licence on the report form (LR16). You must report no later than 2 weeks after your licence expires, even if you’ve taken no action. Send your completed form by post or email to Natural England using the details on the form.
Get help
Contact the Natural England wildlife licensing team if you need help with:
- applying for a licence
- renewing a licence
- reporting actions you’ve taken under your licence
Email: wildlife@naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone: 0300 060 3900 (find out about call charges)
Updates to this page
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Added the link to the online application form, and details of the information to have ready when completing it.
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Added a link to the class licence to kill deer at night by shooting (CL55).
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We've updated report form LR16.
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Added revised application form and return form
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First published.