The Lepel Inter-district Inspectorate for the Protection of Fauna and Flora is receiving questions on the topic: Is it permissible to sight in a hunting rifle in a ravine if it is remote from a settlement and not part of hunting grounds? Is it necessary to pay state duty if one is going not for hunting, but only for sighting in?
In accordance with clause 71 of the Hunting Rules, sighting in of hunting weapons must be carried out in hunting grounds in places specifically designated for this purpose and determined by local regulatory legal acts of the hunting user, or during hunting (if all necessary documents for hunting are available). Consequently, sighting in of hunting weapons outside of hunting grounds is not permitted.
Sighting in of hunting weapons in specially designated places can be carried out by hunters year-round, provided they have the documents stipulated in the second, third, and fifth paragraphs of the first part of clause 51 of the Hunting Rules, namely – a state certificate for the right to hunt, a document confirming the payment of state duty for the provision of the right to hunt, as well as a permit for the storage and carrying of hunting weapons.