Red deer hunting

Hunting ground

The basic territorial unit sanctioned for hunting cervids and allotted felling licences.

Qualifying area

The area forming the basis for hunting licences allotted by the municipalities. For moose and red deer, the area includes mainly woodland and bogs.

Cervids

Cervids includes moose (Alces alces), red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

Issued licences

The number of licences allotted to a hunting ground by a municipalitiy.

Cervids felled

The number of cervids felled in regular hunting.

Selective shooting

Licences issued with an obligation for a certain distribution of animals felled, by calf, 1½ year-old animals, adult males and adult females.

Per cent felled

Shot animals as a percentage of licences issued.

The hunting year

One hunting year lasts as from 1 April as to 31 March the following year.

Classification of cervids after age and sex

Name: Red deer hunting
Topic: Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing

Division for Housing, Property, Spatial and Agricultural Statistics

County and municipality. For the hunting years 2007/08 and 2008/09 figures on municipality level were based on the hunting area where the municipality was responsible for the administration. This area may include area in several municipalities. Previous years, figures on municipality level were based on hunting taking place within the municipality borders. See also 6.1. Since the municipality figures for these two years are not comparable from one year to another, the statistics from the hunting year 2008/09 was published at county level. As from the hunting year 2009/10, the data will be collected and published on municipality level.

Annual.

Data sets are stored at Statistics Norway.

The purpose of these statistics is to show the extent of red deer hunting in Norway. Statistics on felled animals date back to 1892. Until 1951, the reports were collected from the police and covered all red deer killed, both those that were shot through legal hunting and those that died in other ways, to the extent this was reported. After 1952, the statistics only cover red deer legally killed through ordinary hunting.

The most important users of these statistics are The Norwegian Environment Agency, the County Departments of Environmental Affairs, professional bodies, the media, research and educational institutions and the local wildlife authorities.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given inthe Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.

The difference between preliminary and final figures is minimal.

Statistics Act §§ 2-2

The statistics include all legal hunting of red deer in Norway.

The responsible person for each hunting ground.

Total census.

The municipal authorities send forms for reporting to the responsible persons in each hunting ground together with the licence. These responsible persons have a duty to report back to the municipality within 10 days after the end of the hunting period. The municipality then has a duty to send reports to Statistics Norway within 3 weeks.

Sum checks and checks of the number of animals felled compared with licences issued are undertaken. Where necessary, the municipal authorities are contacted to clarify cases of doubt.

The number of felled animals and number of hunting licences are summarised and distributed by country, county and municipality level.

The statistics are comparable back to 1952 (see chapter 2.1.).

For the hunting years 2007/08 and 2008/09 figures on municipality level were based on the hunting area where the municipality was responsible for the administration. This area may include hunting area in several municipalities. Previous years, figures on municipality level were based on the hunting area within the municipality. This results in a break in time series for the statistics. Municipalities not managing any hunting area themselves will lack in the statistics for these two years. This change was due to more cooperation between municipalities because of expanding hunting grounds. In the hunting year 2007/08 more than thirty municipalities were affected by this change, and in 2008/09 the municipal figures were not published. As from the hunting year 2009/10, the statistics are collected and published at municipality level.

The report work is closely connected to the municipality's management of the stock of red deer and the data quality is regarded as very good. Some big hunting grounds cross municipal borders. In some cases, this makes it difficult to tell in which municipality some of the animals were felled. The distribution of these animals is determined by the local wildlife authorities. This does not affect the total number of red deer shot.

The level of non-response is negligible. Reporting to Statistics Norway is compulsory for all municipalities. Statistics Norway and the county management remind municipalities that have not forwarded the reports within three weeks after the end of the hunting season. In that way all municipalities are covered.