Wild reindeer hunting

Hunting ground

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

Qualifying area

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

Licences issued

The number of animals that the municipality has given each hunting ground permission to shoot.

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 wild reindeer areas

Name: Wild reindeer hunting
Topic: Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing

Division for Housing, Property, Spatial and Agricultural Statistics

Wild reindeer area.

Annual.

Data sets are stored at Statistics Norway.

The purpose of these statistics is to show the extent of wild reindeer hunting in Norway. Until 1951, the statistics covered all registered felling of wild reindeer, both those that were shot through legal hunting and those that were shot or died in other ways. After 1952, the statistics only cover wild reindeer 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 in the Statistics Release Calendar. This is one of Statistics Norway’s key principles for ensuring that all users are treated equally.

Statistics on the number of felled moose and red deer, as well as registered non-harvest morality of cervids are published.

The wildlife act.

The statistics include all legal hunting of wild reindeer in Norway.

The Wild Reindeer Councils

Total census

Statistics Norway obtains data on felling quotas and the hunting data from the individual Wild Reindeer Councils.

Sum checks and checks of the number of animals felled against the number of licences issued are performed. In the event of a lack of clarity in the submitted data, the Wild Reindeer Council is contacted for additional information.

Number of animals felled and number of hunting licenses issued are summarised and distributed on wild reindeer council.

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

The data capture is closely connected to the local wildlife management, and the data quality is regarded as very good. Some hunting grounds cross municipal borders. In some cases this makes it difficult to decide in which municipality some of the animals were felled. The distribution of these animals is determined by the Wild Reindeer Council and does not affect the total number of wild reindeer felled.

The level of non-response is negligible. Reporting to Statistics Norway is compulsory for all Wild Reindeer Councils. Statistics Norway reminds the councils that have not forwarded their reports within three weeks from the end of the hunting season. In that way, all councils are covered.