- A 31-year-old intoxicated hunter was arrested in Kissamos after firing a shotgun, with ricocheting pellets injuring a 52-year-old man’s legs.
- The victim had previously refused to join the hunt because the suspect appeared intoxicated; the suspect later returned with a hunted hare and a loaded firearm.
- The victim received immediate treatment at Chania General Hospital for non-life-threatening leg injuries.
- The incident coincides with the opening of Greece’s strictly regulated hare-hunting season, underscoring the country’s strict national laws against hunting under the influence.
A 52-year-old man was taken to Chania Hospital after being injured by ricocheting shotgun pellets during a hare-hunting incident in western Crete.
According to a complaint cited by local media, a 31-year-old man, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, asked the 52-year-old to go hunting with him. The older man refused after seeing that his acquaintance was intoxicated.
The younger man left but returned shortly afterward carrying a hare in one hand and a shotgun in the other.
With the firearm reportedly pointed toward the ground, a shot was heard. The pellets ricocheted and struck the 52-year-old in the legs, leaving him with injuries that required treatment at Chania Hospital.
The 31-year-old was arrested after the incident.
Hare Hunting Season and Legal Framework in Crete
The incident touches on one of Crete’s traditional rural pastimes. Hare hunting is strictly governed by annual decrees from the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy.
In Greece, the hare hunting season typically opens in mid-September and runs through mid-December. To prevent overhunting in vulnerable mountainous areas like the Lefka Ori and Kissamos hillsides, hunting is legal only on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Hunters are also bound by a strict daily bag limit, typically capped at four hares per hunting party or group outing.
Visitors who come to Crete for hunting should follow Greek firearms and hunting regulations and take care when handling weapons in unfamiliar terrain.
Zero Tolerance for Firearms and Alcohol
Greek hunting law explicitly mandates that all hunters hold a valid regional or national permit, carry civil liability insurance, and use smoothbore shotguns modified to hold no more than three cartridges. High-visibility fluorescent orange vests covering at least 1,000 square centimeters of the torso are mandatory during big game and hare hunts.
Greek law treats carrying or operating a firearm under the influence of alcohol or narcotics as a severe criminal offense, whether or not an accident occurs.
There is one very simple rule worth repeating anywhere in the world:
Don’t drink and hunt.
Beyond criminal charges for reckless endangerment and bodily harm, an intoxicated hunter faces confiscation of firearms, revocation of a hunting license, and administrative fines.