New record year for red deer hunting

In 1997, a record 21,200 red deer were felled in Norway, 3,200 more than the year before. The biggest change was seen in Møre og Romsdal, where the increase on 1996 was 1,400 animals.

21,200 is the highest number felled during the red deer hunt. There has been a strong increase in red deer hunting in Norway since 1976, when 4,200 animals were felled. The biggest increase has occurred in recent years, and since 1991 the cull has nearly doubled.

Most felled in Sogn og Fjordane and Møre og Romsdal

Sogn og Fjordane is still the largest red deer county, with 7,450 animals felled in 1997, an increase of 17 per cent from the year before. The biggest increase, 26 per cent, was reported by Møre og Romsdal county, where 7,100 animals were felled. In the third largest red deer county, Hordaland, 3,600 animals were felled. This is an increase of nine per cent. More red deer were felled in the three western counties in 1997 than were felled in the entire country in 1996.

Kvinnherad municipality in Hordaland was the largest red deer municipality, with 630 animals felled. In Sogn og Fjordane, Stryn, Bremanger, Flora and Gloppen municipalities all reported over 500 animals felled. In Møre og Romsdal, only Ørsta had more than 500 animals felled.

Higher felling ratio

The national felling ratio, i.e. the number of animals felled as percentage of the permitted hunt, was 67 in 1997, against 63 in 1996. In the major red deer counties in Western Norway the ratio varied from 70 to 75 per cent of the permitted quota.

New Statistics

Red deer hunting, 1997.
Statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics and Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Hunting Statistics and Regional Statistics. For more information, contact: Madli Judin, tel. +47 62 88 52 55, e-mail: mij@ssb.no, or Kristian Birkeland, tel. +47 62 88 52 56, e-mail: kbi@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 9, 1998