Hunting concerns rise in Sotkamo, Finland amid increased wolf attacks on dogs

Juhani Voutilainen sends his dog, Huli, to track a hare as the dog rushes off, nose to the ground, wearing two tracking collars. Voutilainen lives in the “heart of the wilderness” in Sotkamo, but the hunting grounds for his dog are limited due to the wolf situation in the area, which he states has been problematic for over twenty years, with the worst concentration of wolves in Sotkamo.

“This autumn has been notably severe as the wolves have begun to kill dogs,” Voutilainen explains. In the past two weeks, four dogs have been killed in nearby areas of Sotkamo and Kajaani. Additionally, a young hunting dog was killed by a wolf in Rautavaara, a neighboring municipality.

As a precaution against wolves, Voutilainen’s hunting group will delay moose hunting until snow covers the ground, allowing them to assess the wolves’ locations through tracks. Some hunting groups have abandoned dog hunting entirely out of fear.

Hannu Tolonen, a local hunter, expressed concern: “There’s always that fear—will the dog come back alive?” He worries that the frustration among hunters could escalate to vigilante action against wolves.

Voutilainen, the regional director of the Finnish Hunters’ Association’s Kainuu branch, noted increased hunter complaints regarding the wolves. He reported that there have been calls for action on wolf management, as initiatives such as regulated hunting have not been implemented. The association is trying to keep hunters’ concerns prominent, including issuing statements about wolf attacks on dogs and advocating for wolf management at the EU level.

Frustration within the hunting community has also decreased participation in reporting wolf sightings, which could hinder proper wildlife management and hunting permit distribution.