Bowhunters warned not to travel through Amsterdam
Bow hunters traveling through Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on their way to destinations in Africa and other parts of Europe are being warned that Netherlands police are actively searching bow cases and luggage for broadheads and folding knives.
Travelers who bring such equipment through that airport risk fines and jail time for possessing “contraband,” according to the online edition of “The Hunting Report” newsletter (www.huntingreport.com).
Police recently told three hunters that broadheads were considered illegal contraband, according to the report.
Consequently, $2,500 worth of custom broadheads were confiscated from one of the hunter’s luggage, the report stated.
The hunters said police told them it did not matter that they weren’t clearing customs and only transitioning through the country.
Currently, there is no way to acquire a transit permit, unlike permits that are available for guns and ammo, according to the report
The European Bowhunting Federation issued a warning stating it, “cannot recommend any hunter using bow and arrow to arrange a flight with a stopover in Holland at this point until this policy has been changed.”
The report recommended immediately changing any flight plans that stopped in the Netherlands, as authorities are taking a hard-nosed approach to the issue.
