Following an Online Hunter Engagement Meeting held on 4th February 2022, Coillte have confirmed a timeline for the roll-out and onboarding of HAMS, the new Hunting Area Management System covering all hunting activities (game and deer) on Coillte forest property. All existing licensees will, on or before 11th February 2022, receive an email with detailed instructions on how to set up an account with HAMS, providing for an activation period running from 11th February 2022 to 11th March 2022, with online tendering, including renewal of existing licences, to open around the middle of April 2022.
Nominated hunters will receive instructions from licence holders in due course – all nominated hunters must have their own HAMS account and HAMS itself will be fully operational from the beginning of the 2022-2023 hunting season.
HAMS YouTube Tutorials, “How To” guides and designated email support will be available during the account activation period.
A key feature of the revised package is that the payment of an individual HAMS membership fee of €72.00 p.a. for each participating hunter has been dropped in favour of an annual service contract between Coillte and the HAMS operating company.
Tendering charges will have a baseline licence fee for all licensed areas, incremental based on the number of hunters per licence. Proposals for a revised tendering scoring system are being looked at and will be incorporated in tender offers in April.
Deer Alliance HCAP, Irish Deer Society, Irish Deer Commission, NARGC, Wild Deer Association of Ireland and other deer and shooting representative bodies were represented on the online meeting. Future engagements between Coillte, hunters and their representative bodies will include a regular review stage, with bi-monthly meetings proposed. Further meetings will take place before and after the Account Activation Period, the first of which will take place on 25th February 2022.
Click on the link below for slides:
