So, what is Fennoscandia? To put it simple, that is the countries located on the Scandinavian Peninsula – Sweden and Norway – plus Finland. Sometimes, when the area is defined in political and cultural terms, Denmark is also included. There are also the Åland Islands, an archipelago in the Baltic Sea that de-jure belongs to Finland, but is an independent state in all but the name.

Geographically, Fennoscandia differs from the adjacent areas of Europe in that it lies on a solid basalt foundation, with very little limestone. That means a lot of conifer woods, lakes and fjords, and in general an inimitable environment that offers unique hunting opportunities. 

Hunting and fishing are an inalienable part of culture in all Fennoscandian countries. Norway can boast of the highest numbers of hunters per capita in Europe, Sweden and Finland are not too far behind. Guests are also welcome – local hunters are only proud to share their nature and heritage with hunters from other countries. So, let’s go through the basics of what you can hunt in Fennoscandia, what are the open seasons and best times for hunting, what legal formalities you should observe, and more.

Big-Game Hunting 

Sweden, Finland, and Norway have a healthy population of several big game species. In the south of Fennoscandia, the roe deer is common. The northern forest-tundra ranges hold wild reindeer. Population of these animals are unfortunately declining, and hunting opportunities are limited. In addition, Norway has quite a few red deer. Wild boar is viewed as an agricultural pest and is legal to hunt all year. Brown bears are numerous enough, but sport hunting opportunities are rather limited, and are not immediately accessible to a traveling hunter. Big-game hunting opportunities in Fennoscandia are usually focused on three animals. One of them is moose, and two others will probably surprise you. 

Moose

According to Scandinavian folklore, it’s the moose, not the brown bear, who is the king of the wood. Indeed, the significance of “älg”, “elg”, or “hirvi”, as the biggest extant deer is called in Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish respectively, is hard to overestimate. The European moose in the western end of its range is smaller than the Alaska-Yukon moose, or the moose of Kamchatka and the Pacific Coast of Siberia. Its antlers are also much less impressive, and are usually not palmatet. But that doesn’t put off Fennoscandian hunters: 100,000 moose per year are killed in Sweden alone.

Among the local hunters the most popular way to hunt moose are driven hunts. Those are done by some twenty hunters, that take turns acting as beaters and shooters. Shooting is taken very seriously, by the way, with hunters required to pass a shooting test. The test is designed to imitate actual hunting scenarios; you fire at a life-sized moose target at 80 meters. You have a few seconds to hit a stationary target, after your first shot it begins moving, and you need to put another bullet in before the “moose” disappears on the other side of the range, then repeat as the target goes in the opposite direction. In three such series, you need to put twelve bullet into the vitals, or no moose hunting for you this season. Many clubs require their guests from abroad to pass the test, too, so be sure to practice for it before the hunt.  

Some hunters look down on driven hunts, because it’s hard to be selective in their course. For those hunters, Fennoscandian outfitters offer calling and spot-and-stalk hunting during the rut, as well as another traditional local hunt with dogs. The “elkhund” spitz-type dogs, which look a little like Siberian huskies, do not chase the moose, but endeavor to hold the animal in place, blocking its escape routes. Their barking betrays the location of the bull to the hunter, who can quietly approach and take the shot. 

White-Tailed Deer

Wait a moment, white-tailed deer in Europe? Yes, sir, yes, ma’m.  About a hundred years ago, some Finnish hunters came to visit their friends and family who had moved to the USA and Canada, and got a chance to hunt the whitetail. They were impressed with the animal and decided it would be nice to have it back home, too. A few deer were released, multiplied, and spread across most of southern Finland. Europeans who don’t want to cross the Atlantic but still want to harvest a white-tailed deer, North American expats who miss the old quarry, and in general every hunting enthusiast can book a hunt after a free-range white-tailed deer in Finland. Both bow and rifle hunts are available.

Seal 

Finland and Sweden are one of the few countries where seal hunting is still legal. The hunts take place in the Gulf of Bothnia, especially in its northernmost part, the Bothnia Bay. With its almost fresh water, it freezes over for the winter. As the seal season starts in spring, hunters cruise among the remaining floating ice on motor boats, looking for a field where the seals rest. Having located the animals, they make a detour, land on the ice fields, and crawl into range. They often use unique local tools, including harpoons and a white shield mounted on a small sleigh, that also serves as a rest for a rifle. During the stalk, the hunters push these sleighs in front of them, so that the shield hides the human from the view of the seals. 

Another good locations for seal hunting are the Åland Islands, located at the entry to the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden. Here the sea doesn’t usually freeze, and even when it does, it melts by the time the seal season opens on May 15th. The seals use small granite islets to rest, and the hunters stalk them there. Wherever you do seal hunting, though, accuracy is paramount, as anything but an instant kill will result in the seal escaping into water. There it will likely be lost to the hunter, even if mortally wounded. All in all, seal hunting makes for a unique, exciting experience.

Small-Game Hunting

From furbearers such as marten, fox, and beavers to hares and invasive raccoon dogs, Sweden, Norway, and Finland are great grounds for small game hunters. What about birds? Fennoscandia has them, too, and aplenty. In fact, it’s the upland bird hunters who are looking for a diverse experience that should put their countries on their travel list.  

Upland Birds

Norway, Sweden, and Finland are inhabited by several European species of grouse: the ptarmigan, the willow grouse, the black grouse, and the biggest grouse in the world, the capercaillie. The ptarmigan is especially treasured by enthusiasts of hunting over pointing dogs. The bird inhabits relatively open spaces of tundra and forest tundra, and holds well to the point both in September, when the season starts, and even in November and December, when the first snow falls. Pointers and setters traversing the snow and pointing birds that hide under the white, fluffy cover are a unique and unforgettable sight. 

Black grouse and capercaillie are also targeted with the help of pointing dogs early in the season. Later they stop holding a point, but develop a habit of perching up tall trees on the edges of the forest. Here you can stalk them and shoot with a powerful small-caliber rifle. The local spitz-type hunting dog breeds are a great assistance in capercaillie and black grouse hunting. They tree the birds, and disrupt their attention by barking, which gives away the location of the prey, and makes it easy for the hunter to approach. 

The willow grouse are usually too shy to be hunted with either pointing or “treeing” dogs, but you can get them by calling. Like some other grouse species, willow grouse engages in false reproduction ritual behavior in the autumn. The cocks become territorial and attack other cocks if they dare cross the borders of their mating grounds. Hunters can imitate these calls, and so lure the local champion into coming in range.

Waterfowl

With so much water around, one expects to see a lot of ducks and geese. The best place to hunt waterfowl in Fennoscandia is the South of Sweden, where millions of greylag, bean, and barnacle geese spend their winter months. They move constantly from the seaside where they rest to the fields where they feed, and you can have a second-to-none hunt if the weather is good, or bad, depending on your point of view. As is usually the case for waterfowl hunts, rain, wind, and snow mean action, warm air and clear skies dull times. So winter is the best time for a Scandinavian waterfowling adventure. 

When Is the Best Time to Hunt in Fennoscandia?

The hunting seasons in Fennoscandia are mostly open in the autumn and winter. Exceptions are seal hunting, which takes place from April 20 to mid-May (Finland) or end of June (Sweden) in Bothnia Bay, mid-May to mid-September on the Ålands, and roe deer in Finland, with early buck seasons in May-June and July-August. 

In Norway, waterfowl seasons can vary by species, and open as early as August 10, whereas in Finland the start dates are somewhere in late August. The opening days for upland birds come later, on September 10 or so. In Sweden, all bird hunting opens on August 25. Grouse seasons usually continue to the end of the winter. Duck and geese seasons in Finland and Norway are closed by Christmas, whereas hunters in Sweden can pursue waterfowl until spring. 

Moose season starts early in northern Sweden, September 25 in Norway, late September to early October in Finland, and October in southern and central Sweden. The best time for an international hunter is the rut, which takes place in October. Driven hunts take place later in the season. Most seasons close just before Christmas, but some may run to the end of December or even early January. Other big game seasons fall roughly within the same time frame, and wild boar is open year round.

How Much Does it Cost? 

Hunting offers in Fennoscandia are not easy to define in terms of “expensive” versus “affordable”. For one thing, they are often unique. Finland belongs to the Euro zone, while Norway and Sweden maintain their own currencies. Counterintuitively, that makes Norway and Sweden a bit more pricey, as they are rich countries with strong economies.  Note that the prices below are only rough guidelines, the actual costs of the hunt may vary, depending on what is included in the price, trophy fees, and general fluctuations.

Small game hunting starts at about 550 Euro a hunter a day, and goose hunting in Sweden will cost you about 1,300 a day. Seal hunting in Bothnia Bay is priced at about 850 Euro a hunter a day, on the Åland Islands a bit more. You can book a moose hunt in Finland for about 4,500 Euro. Perhaps the most expensive animal to hunt in Fennoscandia is the forest reindeer. With very limited hunting quotas and the need to travel to remote wilderness, the hunt can cost up to 12,500 Euro.

There’s Fishing, Too!

If you are one of the hunters to whom a trip is not complete without some fishing, Fennoscandia is your destination. Both Norway, Sweden, and Finland have great fishing opportunities. The run of the Atlantic salmon is usually over by the time most hunting seasons open, but in the backcountry of the region you can count on brown trout, lake trout, and grayling. There are northern pike, perch, and zander, not only in the rivers and lakes but also in the bracken Baltic Sea. You can also go trolling or bottom fishing for cod off Norway’s coast, so pack your spinning rod if you come early in the season, and ice fishing gear for late autumn and winter hunts. Check out our sister website, BaitYourHook.com, for more information.

Go to Fennoscandia! 

All countries in the region are easily accessible. From Europe, you can even take a train or drive to Norway and Sweden, through the famous bridge across the Oresund Strait, or use a network of ferries. With Finland, unless you fancy a wide detour around the Gulf of Bothnia or through Russia, you’re limited to the ferries. And of course there are direct flights from all over the world to all major cities in the region.

Both Finland, Sweden, and Norway belong to the Schengen visa agreement. Citizens of the USA, the UK, Canada, and many other nations can enjoy a tourist stay of up to 90 days without a visa. To import their firearms, you would need to obtain a temporary firearms permit, prior to the journey, from the local police. Residents of other Schengen countries can simplify matters by getting a so-called European firearms pass, but would still have to declare their weapons at the border. You would need a local hunting license, too, but your outfitter will help you with that, as well as with the firearms permit. 

To simplify matters, you may want to consider renting a gun from your outfitter, but inquire about this option in advance, as not all outfitters in the region offer gun rental. Another thing to make sure of in advance is, if you’re flying with your gun, to get in touch with your airline about their inner rules and regulations. This is especially important if you have to change your flight in a different country, which is often the case for intercontinental flights that typically go through a major hub like London’s Heathrow or Amsterdam’s Skiphal.

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