Q262 :Is it permissible to hunt pigeons to eat?
Which birds are forbidden to eat? What if the bird dies as a result of
the shot and before the hunter is able to slaughter it?
A262 : It is perfectly permissible to hunt and
shoot birds to eat. There is no restriction except that we do not do
that when we are in the state of consecration, i.e. ihram, when we go
for pilgrimage or Umrah. Nor do we hunt within the Haram area, which
surrounds the Kaaba. Birds of pray, generally, are forbidden for us to
eat. Otherwise all birds are permissible to eat. You slaughter it if
you catch it alive in order to relieve its pain. Your shot might have
injured the bird and incapacitated it from flying, but it could live
with that injury for a long time. Rather than do that, it is more
merciful to slaughter it. If it dies as a result of the shot, it is
still permissible to eat.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )