Finnish MPs join bear hunt despite previous social media backlash

Six members of the Finnish Parliament’s hunting club will take part in the start of the bear hunt in Nurmes on Thursday, Yle reports. Five of them are MPs from the Finns Party, while the sixth is a parliamentary official.

The group was invited by the Finnish Hunters’ Association and will attend as guests of Ylikylän Erä, a hunting club in Nurmes. The participating MPs are Petri Huru, Ari Koponen, Jani Mäkelä, Jenna Simula and Jaana Strandman. Teemu Vuosio, secretary of the Parliament’s international affairs committee, will also attend.

The parliamentary hunting club has just under 50 members from several parties. It currently has no representatives from the Greens or the Left Alliance. Vuosio, who runs the club, said he did not know why only Finns Party MPs were joining the bear hunt this time.

“In previous years, representatives of other parties have also taken part in bear hunts,” Vuosio said.

Members of Parliament have also received invitations to the opening of the duck-hunting season, which begins on the same day.

Previous hunt sparked online controversy

The club’s previous bear hunt caused controversy in autumn 2023. Simula, who also took part in that hunt, posted a photograph on social media showing the hunting party posing with a young bear that had been killed. Critics said the group had shot a bear that was too young and small.

Simula said the controversy showed how unfamiliar bear hunting was to many people.

“It is good that hunting removes individuals that, for example, go into people’s yards. This individual was exactly that kind,” Simula said.

Simula has also faced strong criticism on social media this summer after announcing that she had passed a bear-hunting test. She said the angry feedback would not affect her actions.

“People must not start being afraid to say that they are hunters. I will continue to share hunting-related updates and photographs of my catches on social media,” she said.

Simula said it was important to explain the significance of hunting to people who do not hunt.

“The problems caused by bears have increased because bears have not been hunted,” she said.

Hunting club wants to discuss policy with MPs

Jari Nykänen, chair of Ylikylän Erä, said having the MPs join the hunt was an honour for the club. The visit would provide an opportunity to influence hunting policy and offer positive feedback, he said.

“Hunting issues have advanced considerably during this parliamentary term. Hopefully, the same direction will continue,” Nykänen said.

Simula also said that meeting hunters was the most important purpose of the parliamentary club’s activities. Messages from the hunters would be taken forward, including into legislation.

“In discussions with hunters, we hear about local situations, problems and ideas for developing hunting,” she said.

In Nurmes, the parliamentary club members will participate as ordinary members of the hunting party. They will wait at assigned shooting positions to see whether a bear comes within their range. Members of Ylikylän Erä who know the area will guide the visitors to their positions to ensure that the hunt is conducted safely.

Hunting clubs will begin the bear hunt before dawn on Thursday, with the first kills likely to take place as soon as it becomes light. Nykänen said the bears’ routes were fairly well known because they had been monitored throughout the summer.

Nurmes is in North Karelia, a region with a strong bear population. Nykänen said Ylikylän Erä’s hunt was not aimed at any particular bears.

“No specific individuals are being targeted. Cameras, roads and fields have shown many different kinds of bears,” Nykänen said.

North Karelia has been granted a significant share of the country’s bear hunting permits. A total of 118 bears may be killed in the region this autumn.

The second-highest number of permits, 24, was granted to Southeast Finland. The permitted numbers are 14 in Southern Savonia, nine in Kainuu, nine in Central Finland and eight in Northern Savonia.

No special permits were granted for Oulu, Ostrobothnia or Northern Häme.