Wildlife in the Garden: Hobby Hunters Are Not Permitted to Trespass

During the hunting season, such scenes are not uncommon. Deer, wild boar or foxes that have been shot seek refuge on private properties in their panic.

Many homeowners then experience the discomfort of suddenly becoming part of a hunting scene. But what does the law say – and what about the ethics behind this behaviour?

The Law on Your Side

No one is permitted to hunt on another person’s land without the owner’s consent.

This means: your garden, your house, your yard – they are not an open-air shooting range. Hobbyhunters may not simply enter your property, not even on the grounds of wanting to “quickly put an animal out of its misery.”wildlife “quickly put out of its misery.”

Only in one narrow exceptional case – the so-called right of pursuit – are they permitted to follow an already fatally wounded animal. But even this is strictly limited: the animal must genuinely be close to death, not merely injured. In all other cases, hobby hunting ends at your property boundary.

Hobby-Jagd und Menschenrechte in der Schweiz

Ethics versus Hunting Tradition

Proponents of hobby hunting argue that the right of pursuit serves “humanity” – that the animal should not suffer unnecessarily. In practice, however, this argument often functions as a fig leaf. Many animals do not flee because they “must die,” but simply because they want to survive.

The fact that they then seek refuge in a private garden at the last moment is no coincidence: such places usually offer calm, safety and an absence of rifles.

The question therefore is: how humane is a system that drives wildlife to the brink of exhaustion – and then contests their last place of refuge?

The Limits of the Hobby Hunter’s Privilege

Hunting law recognises longstanding privileges, but also clear limits. Fenced properties, areas close to residential buildings and inhabited gardens are expressly excluded from hobby hunting.

Anyone who trespasses regardless risks prosecution.

Morally, too, the case is clear: property rights and compassion for an injured living being outweigh the pleasure of hunting.

If you are affected

• Deny access.
• Document the incident (photos, date, time).
• Inform the police

A sign reading «Private property – hunting prohibited» can help avoid misunderstandings.

A symbol of wilderness in retreat

The scene of an injured animal in the garden is emblematic of a deeper crisis: wildlife is losing ever more habitat while simultaneously being chased, controlled and killed – often under the guise of «tradition» and «population management».

Perhaps it is time to question these traditions – and to grant animals peace at least where we ourselves are safe: at home.

An injured wild animal fleeing into your garden is seeking refuge – not death. The law protects your property, and ethics demand compassion. The hunt ends at the garden gate. And that is precisely where human responsibility begins.