September 1 marked the start of the year’s holiday season for moose hunters in the northern parts of the country. Last year around 80,000 moose were killed in Sweden. This year, the allocation has decreased in several counties.
In Gävleborg, for example, nearly 4,200 moose may be felled.
“The inventory results show that the moose population is significantly lower in Gävleborg than previously estimated. We have reduced the total shooting by just over 1,000 moose,” says Elina Eriksson, wildlife officer at the county administrative board, in a press release.
And in Västerbotten, 11,700 moose may be shot, a decrease of 2,000 moose compared to last year.
— We have to adapt to it. We have a good dialogue with the county government and have agreed on this year’s allocation, says Calle Franklin, chairman of the Swedish Hunters’ Association in Västerbotten, to SVT News Västerbotten.
The moose population has declined significantly in Sweden in recent years, preliminary figures from the Swedish University of Agriculture show, reports TV4 News.
For the entire country, the moose density calculated per thousand hectares has decreased by 21.3 percent from 2013 until 2021/2022. For Norrland, the decline is roughly 28 percent, while Svealand and Götaland have a decline of 11 and 13.3 percent, respectively.