Austria

Summary

In Austria hunting law belongs to the nine federal states, and each has its own hunting act. Eight of them list the bow, or the arrow, among the means that may not be used for hunting: Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Vienna’s act does not name the bow; it allows hoofed game to be killed only with a bullet and forbids crossbows for furred game.

The Austrian Bowhunting Federation writes on its site that bowhunting is currently not allowed in Austria and that it campaigns to introduce it.

The legal mechanism

• Burgenland Hunting Act, § 95 (1) 1 (a): hunting with air guns, crossbows, bows and weapons not intended for hunting is forbidden. The breach is an administrative offence with a fine of EUR 360 to 3,600 (§ 162 (1)).
• Carinthia Hunting Act, § 68 (1) 2: shooting at game with crossbow bolts or arrows is forbidden, in the same list as some kinds of shot. Fine up to EUR 1,450, up to EUR 2,180 in aggravated cases, and the loss of the hunting licence for up to five years may be added (§ 98).
• Lower Austria Hunting Act, § 95 (1) 1: weapons not intended for hunting and not normally used for it are forbidden, and the act lists the bow and the crossbow among them. Fine up to EUR 20,000 (§ 135 (1) 31 and (2)).
• Upper Austria Hunting Act, § 60 (1) 3: weapons and ammunition not intended or usual for hunting are forbidden, including the crossbow and the bow and arrow. Fine up to EUR 20,000 (§ 89 (2) 19).
• Salzburg Hunting Act, § 70 (3) (a): weapons not normally intended for hunting are forbidden, among them the bow and arrow and similar devices, and crossbows. Fine up to EUR 10,000 (§ 158 (1)).
• Styria Hunting Act, § 58 (2) 1: crossbow bolts and arrows may in no case be used for hunting. Fine up to EUR 2,200 (§ 77).
• Tyrol Hunting Act, § 40 (1) (c): using crossbow bolts or arrows for hunting is forbidden. Fine up to EUR 6,000 (§ 70 (1)).
• Vorarlberg: the Vorarlberg Hunting Act leaves to a regulation which devices may be used (§ 27 (2)). The Vorarlberg Hunting Regulation forbids crossbows among the weapons not intended for hunting (§ 20 (a)) and, in the same list as unselective traps and snares, arrows and crossbow bolts (§ 20 (b)). It does not name the bow. Fine up to EUR 7,000 (§ 68 (1) of the act).
• Vienna: the Vienna Hunting Act allows hoofed game to be killed only with a bullet (§ 88 (2)) and forbids crossbows when catching or killing furred game (§ 90 (1) 11). It does not name the bow or the arrow. Fine up to EUR 3,000, up to EUR 6,000 in aggravated cases (§ 129).

In every state an attempt is punishable too.

Exceptions in the texts

Four states allow the authority to lift these bans in individual cases, in wording broad enough to cover the bow. Burgenland’s government may grant exceptions to prevent game damage, for research, for restocking, against animal diseases or for reintroduction (Burgenland Hunting Act, § 95 (3)). In Upper Austria the district authority may do so to avert serious game damage, and exceptions may also be written into orders on off-season culling and compulsory culling (Upper Austria Hunting Act, § 60 (3) and (4)). Salzburg’s government may grant them only to game wardens, when the circumstances of the case require it (Salzburg Hunting Act, § 70 (4)). In Vorarlberg the authority may allow exceptions for up to three years, where special circumstances require it and there is no other satisfactory solution (Vorarlberg Hunting Regulation, § 21a). None of these texts mentions the bow, and we found no exception granted for one.

The crossbow

Burgenland, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg and Vorarlberg name the crossbow among forbidden hunting means, and Vienna names it for furred game. Carinthia, Styria and Tyrol forbid crossbow bolts rather than naming the crossbow itself.

Open questions

• Vienna: the act requires a bullet for hoofed game and forbids the crossbow for furred game, but no text we read says whether a bow may be used for other game, such as hares, foxes or birds.
• Whether any of the exceptions in Burgenland, Upper Austria, Salzburg or Vorarlberg has ever been granted for a bow.
• Since when each state has named the bow or the arrow. We read the texts in force, not their earlier versions.
• Whether a bill on the bow is pending in any state parliament.

Before you go

This page describes the hunting laws of the nine Austrian states as they stood on the date below. Each state decides for itself, so a change in one does not change the others. If you hear that bowhunting has been allowed somewhere in Austria, ask which state, and for the amendment of its hunting act or regulation and its number in the state gazette (LGBl.). Until then, hunting with a bow in eight of the nine states is an administrative offence, and in Vienna the question is open. Confirm with the state government and with your host. The final check is yours.