Wales is set to be the first country in the UK to license game shoots, prompting concern about the impact excessive regulation could have on the rural economy.
A consultation, launched by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) on behalf of Welsh government, introduces proposals for a licensing system for the release of pheasants and red-legged partridge.
If the proposals are implemented, gamebird releasing will be banned and only allowed under licence.
Rural campaigners said this would have a 'devastating negative impact' on biodiversity and the livelihoods of those living in the Welsh countryside.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has described the plan as a 'significant threat' to the countryside.
Countryside Alliance Wales said it was concerned that the devolved government could push forward with "burdensome" legislation.
The proposals, published on 27 March alongside a 12-week consultation, will see gamebird release banned except under licence, subject to conditions and fees.
Shooting in Wales is worth £75 million annually to the local, rural economy.
But BASC Wales director Steve Griffiths said the proposals were "the next step towards the endgame of shutting down all shooting in Wales".
“This is the thin end of the wedge," he said, "The introduction of a ban and licensing regime in Wales presents future governments in Wales and across the UK with an open goal to introduce further restrictions.
“The proposals as they stand leave the future of shooting in Wales under significant threat, with hundreds of jobs and businesses, and hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of conservation projects at risk."
Rachel Evans, director of Countryside Alliance Wales, said it was vital the Welsh government awaited the evidence from the consultation.
“The consultation sadly seems to have a predetermined outcome, and that regardless of the evidence the Minister is determined to see all shoots in Wales licensed."
However, NRW's regulation chief Nadia DeLonghi told the BBC that the regulatory body wanted to create a new system that was "proportionate and workable".
"We've used the available evidence to consider how best to manage any ecological impacts of gamebird releases without disproportionately compromising the environmental, social, and economic benefits provided by game shooting.
"This is not about stopping gamebird release."
