Freedom of Information Request - Hunting Licences

Date:14 November 2025  

Our ref: SIR182112/A5568242

Information Request – Hunting Licences

Your Request 

'Since the start of the hunting licenses in Scotland can you confirm how many have been issued for each listed county below for each year (2023, 2024 & 2025) the licenses have been in effect'

Our Response

Hunting licenses issues per Local authority/County for 2023-2025

Local Authority/County	2023	2024	2025
Aberdeen City Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Aberdeenshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Angus Council	Nil	New - 1 Amended/Renewed - 2	New - 1 Amended/Renewal - Nil
Argyll and Bute Council	Nil	New - 3 Amended/Renewed - 2	New - Nil Amended/Renewed - 1
City of Edinburgh Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Clackmannanshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dumfries and Galloway Council	Nil	New - 20 Amended/Renewed - 1	New - 2 Amended/Renewed - 2
Dundee City Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
East Ayrshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
East Dunbartonshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
East Lothian Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
East Renfrewshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Falkirk Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Fife Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Glasgow City Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Inverclyde Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Midlothian Council	Nil	New - 1 Amended/Renewal - Nil	New - Nil Amended/Renewed - 1
North Ayrshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
North Lanarkshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Orkney Islands Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
Perth and Kinross Council	New - 5 Amended/Renewal - Nil	New - 19 Amended/Renewed - 19	New - 7 Amended/Renewed - 6
Renfrewshire Council	Nil	New - 1 Amended/Renewed - 1	Nil
Scottish Borders Council	Nil	New - 13 Amended/Renewed - 1	New - 3 Amended/Renewed - 4
Shetland Islands Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
South Ayrshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
South Lanarkshire Council	Nil	New - 2 Amended/Renewal - Nil	New - 2 Amended/Renewed - 1
Stirling Council	Nil	New - 1 Amended/Renewed - 1	Nil
The Highland Council	Nil	New - 6 Amended/Renewed - 2	New - 3 Amended/Renewed - 2
The Moray Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
West Dunbartonshire Council	Nil	Nil	Nil
West Lothian Council	Nil	Nil	Nil

How We Handled Your Request

We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.

If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.

Review and Appeal

I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.

If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Scottish Information Commissioner 
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road 
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS

Online appeal service

FOI Website

Telephone: 01334 464610

Yours sincerely

FOI Officer, 
NatureScot 

[email protected]