The hunters' federation said it could not rule out that some of its members could cause trouble if there is no spring hunting season this year.
Accusing the European Commission of making a U-turn on Malta's 'special' agreement on hunting, FKNK general secretary Lino Farrugia told The Sunday Times: "God forbid the hunting season doesn't open this spring!"
Asked if the hunters' federation was fearing trouble if spring hunting is stopped, Mr Farrugia said: "I do not rule out anything. Everybody is stunned by what is going on. Nobody can understand our love for hunting."
The European Commission has formally asked the ECJ to declare spring hunting illegal and issue an urgent decision, or interim measures barring the Maltese authorities from allowing any hunting to take place during spring until a final decision by the court.
The decision is expected in the first few days of April. The Ornis Committee decided not to pronounce itself in light of the pending court proceedings.
In the meantime, messages posted on the hunters' federation forum clearly show they are angry at the prospect of having to leave their shotguns at home in the coming weeks.
One message posted yesterday said: "On March 25, I will ignore (Gonzi) and I will be in my hunter's hide. And I declare that if I see a birdwatcher in my area, especially if he is a foreigner, he is in trouble. Don't touch hunting or you'll regret it."
Some said it was high time for hunters to hold street protests, while others called for boycotts.
In the meantime, the hunters' federation is organising a nationwide petition in a last ditch bid to stop the European Commission halting spring hunting.
The federation said that although a special arrangement exists between the Commission and Malta over hunting in spring - which already restricts hunting to turtle dove and quail - Brussels had started legal proceedings against Malta and was pressing for a ban.
Mr Farrugia said that though the Ornis Committee was meant to recommend the dates of the hunting season four weeks before the implementation date, the minister concerned may actually give the go-ahead himself. Since the new Cabinet was sworn in, the Prime Minister is directly responsible for the environment portfolio.
Mr Farrugia said Maltese hunters were being discriminated against, claiming that Slovakia (another EU state) was being permitted to hunt a particular species (woodcock) between March 15 and April 15.
When contacted, Birdlife executive director Tolga Temuge said it was evident that the different authorities were conveniently blaming Brussels.
He said the only agreement reached by Malta during the accession negotiations was a five-year transition period to phase out trapping of seven finch species by the end of 2008.
He said Malta was facing a court case not because the Commission had "changed its mind", but due to the lack of scientific evidence to substantiate the Government's claim that there were not enough Turtle Dove and Quail to hunt in both spring and autumn.
"This is not village politics - you don't get into the EU and then expect to do as you please," Mr Temuge said.
Mr Temuge claimed that Birdlife had received some 180 reports of illegal trapping and hunting since polling day on March 8.
"The FKNK has a responsibility to tell its members to abide by the law or else we're going to have anarchy... Once there is a declaration that spring hunting is banned, then anybody with a shotgun in the countryside should be considered as an armed criminal," he warned.
Mr Temuge said it would be political suicide for the Government to forge ahead with opening the spring hunting season, once the Commission had now made clear it was illegal. Besides, he said, the electorate was evidently against it.