Finland to end bear hunting permit exceptions

Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will introduce annual regional quotas for bear hunting outside reindeer herding areas, eliminating the need for individual exception permits, state broadcaster Yle reports.

The proposed regulation, currently under review, would allow the ministry to set quotas yearly by decree. Decisions would not be subject to appeal, streamlining a process that has seen frequent legal challenges over exception permits.

Bear hunting in Finland is currently restricted to exception permits or existing quotas in reindeer herding areas. This year, 379 exception permit applications were submitted for bear hunts outside those zones, with the application period closing at midsummer. Hunting under current permits begins on 20 August.

The Finnish Hunters’ Association welcomed the shift, calling quotas a clearer system. Executive Director Jaakko Silpola noted that exception permits have repeatedly faced legal disputes, complicating hunting. Under the quota system, hunters would no longer need to navigate legally valid permit paperwork.

A recent Supreme Administrative Court ruling confirmed the legality of exception permits issued last year for 15 bears in Joensuu and Eno, prompting the ministry to allow the Finnish Wildlife Agency to issue such permits without restrictions for 2026.