The first Monday in September or the second monday in October are the two most important dates for Swedish hunters. This is when the moose hunt starts.

Nearly one-third of the approximately 350,000 moose in Sweden, that account for half of the global population of the large animals, are legally killed by hunters every year.

Moose are hunted from one hour before sunrise until sunset. Only rifles may be used to hunt moose (as well as red deer, beavers and bears while there are special ammunition restrictions that apply to hunting fallow deer and wild boar). Dogs are allowed and are a big part of the hunting team.

Swedes hunt moose in teams. Owners of hunting rights often pool their rights to create large hunting areas. The hunters in a team share both the costs and the meat regardless of which one of them actually shoots the animal. The collective nature of the Swedish moose hunt focuses on the meat, not the trophy. Special places to stand are built before the hunt begins. The shooting direction from the stand is restricted to protect other hunters. Guns are not loaded until the hunter reaches the stand and they are unloaded when the hunter leaves the stand. The hunters stay in touch using walkie-talkies. Moose sightings are reported to the dog handlers and when a moose is killed all are notified. Aimless wandering in the forest is not permitted as part of the hunt. What is ‘hunting” and what is “not hunting” are sharply defined. Any shot taken must be explained and accounted for. A wounded moose is seen as a serious ethical and economic problem. Shooting more than once is a concern because of the waste of meat.

Every landowner is allowed to hunt on his land regardless of its size. Moose hunting generates millions for the forest companies. Firstly they are glad to get rid of the moose as they feed mostly on the bark, leaves, and branches of birch and pine trees, causing more than 130 million dollars a year in damage to the forest industry. Roe deers also cause damage to the forest. On top of that the forest companies get about 80 million kronor annually from hunters. The millions roll in as moose are culled on land belonging to the forest companies even though they do not own the wild animals. But they own millions of hectares of land all over the country which they lease out to hunters.

Video:

1) Swedish adventures from Hunters video

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