Two kinds of people list here: professional guides who run paid stalking and wingshooting days, and experienced stalkers happy to take a newcomer out for an accompanied first hunt. Every listing on this page is reviewed before it goes live. Browsing for a guided trip with an established outfitter instead? See the outfitters directory.
One enquiry, matched to the right person — no account, no fee to you.
A paid guided day, or an accompanied stalk to learn the ropes. Your county, species and experience level.
We only list guides and mentors we've reviewed for certification, insurance and permission. We put you in touch with the best fit.
Rate, dates and meeting point are agreed between you and the guide. We're the introduction, not the middle-man.
Vetted listings appear here as guides register. We're onboarding our first cohort now.
We're vetting our first guides and mentors right now. In the meantime, you have three solid routes to get out:
Experienced stalker, guide or club member willing to take people out — for a day rate or to mentor a newcomer? List here and we'll send matched enquiries your way. Free to register; every listing is reviewed before it goes live.
Knowing which you want makes the match faster.
A professional outfitter or guide runs the stalk on their permission or lodge ground, sets a day or package rate, and handles logistics. Best if you're visiting, short on time, or want a trophy animal and full service. This is what the outfitters directory covers.
Many experienced Irish stalkers take newcomers out, or carry out deer management on a landowner's ground — often with no cash changing hands, just a contribution to the freezer and a hand with the heavy lifting. Best if you're learning, building toward your own permission, or a landowner who needs deer controlled.
A practical, honest summary drawn from the Irish stalking community and the recognised course providers. None of this is legal advice — confirm current rules with the Gardaí, NPWS and your course provider.
To stalk deer in Ireland you generally need four things: a Firearms Certificate from An Garda Síochána for a suitable rifle; an NPWS Deer Hunting Licence; insurance (membership of NARGC, Country Sports Ireland or IFA Countryside typically provides this, and it's effectively required for the deer licence); and an NPWS-approved deer stalking course. The three courses accepted by NPWS are the HCAP (Deer Alliance), the NARGC course, and the Country Sports Ireland course. A separate game-meat handling course lets you sell carcasses to an approved game dealer.
Indicative figures shared by Irish stalkers and providers — treat as a guide, not a quote:
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| 2-day deer stalking course (e.g. Country Sports Ireland) | ~€175 |
| Optional practice shooting day before the test | ~€70 |
| Rifle hire for the shooting test (if you don't own one) | ~€75 |
| Annual membership + insurance (e.g. Country Sports Ireland) | ~€60/yr (often a course discount) |
| Decent second-hand rifle + moderator | ~€600 |
| Decent second-hand scope | ~€400–600 |
A capable second-hand rifle, moderator and scope set-up can come in under €1,000 if you buy carefully.
Experienced stalkers tend to steer beginners toward proven European makers — Tikka, Sauer, Mauser, Bergara — over the cheapest options. For calibre, .308 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5×55 are widely available and well suited to Irish deer. Some stalkers are now cautious about the .243 given a possible future move to a higher minimum bullet weight and lead-ammunition changes. Get advice from your course provider and a good RFD before buying, and practise from field positions before the shooting test — the targets are smaller than people expect.
Permission is the real bottleneck, not kit. Most people get their first ground through a club, a mentor, or by offering deer management to a landowner who needs the herd controlled. The busiest open channel is the Boards.ie shooting community, which runs a moderated thread pairing insured, licensed stalkers with landowners — typically with no fee, just a share of the meat.
Tell us your county, the species you're after and whether you want a paid day or an accompanied stalk. We'll match you to the right guide or mentor.