Regulations front attachments
Here you will find state-specific information on whether the use of thermal imaging attachments is permitted.
On April 3, 2020, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Rural Areas and Consumer Protection (MLR) issued a letter which, in combination with the 3rd Weapons Amendment Act of February 20, 2020, cancels the ban of the use of dual-use night sights for killing wild boar.
In Bavaria, the use of night vision technology for hunting is generally prohibited. This prohibition can, however, be lifted by applying to the lower hunting authority from the area tenant. The technology used no longer needs to be specified, which is why both devices with thermal imaging technology and residual light amplifiers can be used, even if the "electronic amplification" is technically based with the help of an artificial light source. Hunters may also use devices that illuminate the target without a residual light amplifier (& quot; e.g. flashlights with a connection to the hunting rifle & quot;) when hunting wild boar.
In Berlin, according to the general decree on the restriction of bans in accordance with Section 22 (4) of the State Hunting Act of June 15, 2020, the use of night target devices to kill wild boar is permitted.
In the ordinance for the implementation of the Hunting Act for the State of Brandenburg (BbgJagdDV) of June 28th, 2019, the use of night target devices for hunting wild boar is permitted according to §3.
There has been no change to the hunting law in Bremen so far. The use of night vision devices is therefore still prohibited there.
In Hamburg, the use of night vision technology for hunting is not yet allowed - however, the ban can be lifted in individual cases by the highest hunting authority of the BWVI.
In Hesse, the law on the effective control of African swine fever will apply from March 27, 2020. The use of night vision techniques to hunt wild boar is expressly permitted.
The hunting season regulation of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania was changed on April 3rd, so that night sights for hunting wild boar are now allowed.
In Lower Saxony, with the amendment to the ordinance on the implementation of the Lower Saxony Hunting Act of August 28, 2019, night targeting technology may be used to kill wild boar in areas at risk of swine fever. Outside use is still prohibited.
With the change in the ASF hunting ordinance of North Rhine-Westphalia of January 28, 2021, night vision attachments can now also be used to prevent the spread of African swine fever when hunting wild boar. However, the shot must be fired from elevated positions and at a maximum of 100m.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the general decree on killing wild boar using night vision attachments and night vision attachments has been in effect since June 23, 2020.
In Saarland, the thirteenth ordinance amending the ordinance for the implementation of the Saarland Hunting Act has been in effect since March 17th, 2020. There, the use of night vision attachments and night vision attachments when catching or killing wild boar is exempt from the ban to combat ASF and to avoid significant agricultural damage.
With the GVOB of the Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture and Energy of the State of Saxony-Anhalt from May 3rd, 2020, the use of night target technology for hunting wild boar was allowed.
In Saxony, the hunting law was changed in 2018 to allow the use of night vision devices when hunting wild boar. With the amendment to the German Weapons Act in February 2020, nothing stands in the way of the use of the devices.
In Schleswig-Holstein, since August 27, 2020, the use of night vision attachments is permitted. However, the hunter must be of legal age and have had the hunting license for one year.
In Thuringia, bans under hunting law can be suspended by the Thuringian Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family for various reasons, e.g. to combat wild animals, to kill sick or caring game or to avoid excessive game damage.
< p> In addition, the prohibitions can also be lifted by individual orders.As of March 03, 2021 - All information without guarantee
First of all, the purchase of thermal imaging attachments is permitted throughout Germany without a permit. It is also allowed to carry it with you and use it as a handheld device. In some federal states, the mounting of an attachment with target optics for use during hunting is restricted or not permitted by the respective hunting law.
Looking at the legal situation on this topic in more detail, there are two essential laws for the hunter , namely the weapons law valid throughout Germany and the hunting law for each federal state. It is important that these two laws are completely independent of each other. This is important insofar as night vision attachments are generally permitted for hunters when the new Weapons Act according to Section 40 Paragraph 3 comes into force. However, hunting law prohibitions are not affected. This means that in federal states in which night vision technology is not approved as an attachment, its use is still prohibited. According to the current status, only Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein permit the use of night vision attachments only for hunting wild boar . Find out before use whether this corresponds to the respective legislation in your hunting area.
In summary: Legal bases that are permitted in the new German Weapons Act may not automatically be used for hunting on a nationwide level!