Hunting and small-game bag 2016

A total of 304 000 hunters paid the game management fee. However, the number of active hunters were 197 700. There has been a decline in the number of active hunters in the past five years.
The grouse bag was smaller than the previous year’s. The bag was 38 % smaller than in 2015. Black grouse bag totalled 56 500, capercaillie bag 19 400 and hazel grouse 17 300 individuals. Willow grouse bag, 36 000 individuals, did not change from the previous year.
Also the waterfowl bag was smaller than the previous year’s. The bag was 10 % smaller than in 2015. The mallard was clearly our most intensively hunted waterfowl. Teal (including garganeys) was the second biggest waterfowl catch. Mallard bag totalled 183700 and teal bag 86300 individuals.
Wood pigeon accounted for the biggest bag, 235 000 individuals. One wood pigeon hunter caught nine birds in average.
More small predators were hunted last year than in previous years. Non-native species such as raccoon dogs and American mink, in particular, were successfully hunted in large numbers. Raccoon dogs were hunted a total of 212 500 individuals and minks and foxes around 50 000 individuals.
Mountain hares were bagged to a total of 118 000 individuals. Last year's haul was just a quarter of those caught during the peak years of the 1990s.