Finland’s autumn cull nets 40 bears in opening weekend
Hunters in northern Karelia, eastern Finland bagged a total 41 bears during the weekend as part of this year’s autumn cull. Officials had given a total of 47 licenses for the season.
The autumn bear hunt began on Saturday and by Monday morning, hunters had killed 41 animals.
Hunters used up their full complement of bear licenses in areas such as Lieksa, central Karelia and Joensuu. Early Monday morning animals were still being brought down in Lieksa, Ilomantsi and Tuupovaara.
Bear hunt coordinator Matti Törrönen said that the high count at this early stage in the season indicates that the bear population is thriving.
“Bears in the northern Karelia region are well and evenly-distributed. That’s the reason for this,” Törrönen said.
“And the weather conditions have been good for hunting. Only on Saturday heavy rains disrupted the start in central Karelia. In the beginning we thought it [the hunt] would go even faster,” he added.
This year officials distributed a total of 47 licenses to hunt bears in the northern Karelia region.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Enough M’Clintock Channel polar bears to increase hunting quota?, Radio Canada International
Finland: Heritage hunting in Finnish forests, Yle News
Iceland: Feature Interview – Hunting culture under stress in Arctic, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Good grouse hunting season in Arctic Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: New rules proposed for Alaska predator hunting, Alaska Public Radio Network
