{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deer-scotland-act-1959-repealed-18111996/section-23",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deer-scotland-act-1959-repealed-18111996/section-23.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Eliz2/7-8/40",
  "legislation_title": "Deer (Scotland) Act 1959 (repealed 18.11.1996)",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/deer-scotland-act-1959-repealed-18111996",
  "path": "section/23",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "23",
  "heading": "Unlawful taking or killing of deer.",
  "text": "(1) Subject to section thirty-three or 33A of this Act, any person who takes or wilfully kills or injures deer between the expiration of the first hour after sunset and the commencement of the last hour before sunrise shall be guilty of an offence.\n(2) Subject to section thirty-three of this Act, it shall be an offence wilfully to kill or injure deer otherwise than by shooting, and shooting for the purposes of this section means discharging a firearm, of a class prescribed in an order under section 23A(1) of this Act.\n(2A) Subject to subsection (2B) below and section 33(1) of this Act, if any person—\n(a) discharges any firearm, or discharges or projects any missile, from any moving vehicle at any deer; or\n(b) notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (5) below uses any aircraft for the purpose of transporting any live deer other than in the interior of the aircraft,\nhe shall be guilty of an offence.\n(2B) Nothing in subsection (2A)(b) above shall make unlawful anything done by, or under the supervision of, a veterinary surgeon or practitioner.\n(2C) In subsection (2B) above “veterinary practitioner” means a person who is for the time being registered in the supplementary register, and “veterinary surgeon” means a person who is for the time being registered in the register of veterinary surgeons.\n(3) Any person guilty of an offence against subsection (1), (2) or (2A) of this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale for each deer in respect of which the offence was committed or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both such fine and imprisonment and to the forfeiture of any deer illegally taken or killed by him or in his possession at the time of the offence.\n(3A) Subject to section 33A of this Act,Any person who uses a vehicle to drive deer on any land with the intention of taking, killing or injuring them shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to both.\n(4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(5) Nothing in the provisions of this section shall be construed as prohibiting a person having a legal right to take deer on any land, or a person with permission in writing from any such person as aforesaid, from taking a deer . . . on that land in any manner which does not cause it unnecessary suffering.",
  "extent": "S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(1) inserted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words inserted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 6(d)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(2) substituted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(b)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words inserted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 6(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(2) substituted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(b)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "S. 23(2A)—(2C) inserted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 8(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(2A)(a) substituted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(c)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(2A)(b) substituted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(c)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words substituted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 8(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words substituted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 14(1), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(3)(3A) substituted by virtue of Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), s. 289G and (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(d)(e)(iii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Words added by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 14(1), Sch. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "S. 23(3A) inserted by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), s. 9"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "Words in s. 23(3A) inserted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(e)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F15",
      "text": "Word in s. 23(3A) substituted (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(e)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F16",
      "text": "Ss. 23(4), 29 repealed by Deer (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 1982 (c. 19), Sch. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F17",
      "text": "Word in s. 23(5) repealed (18.10.1996) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 13(1)(2), 14(2), Sch. 1 para. 1(19)(f), Sch. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 23(3A) amended (18.10.1996) (temp.) by 1996 c. 44, ss. 10(3), 14(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/7-8/40/section/23",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:00.741447+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}