Hunting in Norway

Autor: Martin Bie-Erichsen

Now that vaccinations are rolling out and borders are opening up, the interest of hunting abroad is back again on a lot of hunters mind. One destination that doesn’t get enough attention is my home country of Norway. I don’t know what it is that keeps Norway silent from most campfire conversation. It could be a lot of reasons, or maybe there’s just not enough hunting stories or articles about hunting in Norway like most destinations. Whatever it is, hopefully I can help bring some interest in this blog, because hunting here is a lot easier than you might think and it doesn’t have to be an expensive trip either.

Norway has a lot to offer for international hunters willing to do the research on hunting opportunities in this region of Scandinavian.

In this blog I will go through the process step by step on the requirements and rules for foreigners traveling to Norway to hunt. What you may have heard or read about may seem like a daunting or near impossible task to gain legal permission to hunt in Norway, but believe it or not there’s really not a lot of requirements or stringent restrictions as you would think.

This blog will have pertinent information that I think is important for you to know. I will also explain some basic requirements for you to understand and guide along the way to go get your Norwegian hunting license.

Let’s cover this blog as if you’re doing a DIY (do it yourself) hunt without the assistant of an outfitter or hunting agency. DIY hunts allows you do your own planning that makes it so rewarding, whether you go solo or with a small group of friends, DIY hunt offers the best opportunity to explore Norway the way you want to see it.

So, what are the requirements needed to hunt in Norway?

1. You will either have to pass the Norwegian hunting license course and test, or the equivalent conditions in your home country. Most E.U hunting license will be approved for a Norwegian hunting license due to its strict curriculum and testing. A State recognized Hunter’s Education Certificate and hunting license from U.S citizen will also be recognized.

2. You will need to pay for a Norwegian hunting license fee just like you would in your home country for your own license. After paying this fee it will register you in the Norwegian Register of Hunters. The fee is an annual fee payed by hunters to allow them to hunt that specific year. The income from the game fund and license fee will go to administration, statistics, research and local game management. For small-game license the fee is a little less than if you want to access big-game hunting. Big-game hunting include species like; roe deer, reindeer, red deer, moose, boar, wolf, lynx, wolverine and musk.

3a. For small-game hunting rules; 16 years of age or older to hunt by yourself. From the year you turn 14 until you turn 16, you can still participate in a youth educational hunts for small-games with an adult. Only approved as long as you have the consent of the parents / guardians and that you have proper supervision of an experienced hunter who is at least 20 years old or older. A hunting test is not required during youth educational hunting of small games.

A trained dog is a requirement for hunting big game to help locate lost games.

3b. For big-game hunting you will have to be at least 18 years of age or older to hunt by yourself. If you are between 16 and 18 years old, you can still participate in educational hunts for big-game with proper supervision of an experienced hunter who is at least 20 years old or older. In addition, you must have the consent of the parents / guardians, and in contrast to educational hunting of small-game, have passed the hunting test, and have passed the shooting test for big-game hunters. Both hunting parties and individuals hunting alone are required to have a trained dog available to locate animals that have been shot at and likely wounded, but not found. If such a dog is not present while the hunting is in progress, written agreement must be obtained ensuring the availability of such a dog within a reasonable time after the quarry has fallen. The local authority may require documentation showing compliance with these conditions to ensure regulations are enforced.

4. You will also need to pass the yearly shooting test required to hunt big-game with rifle, or shooting proficiency document from your home country. You need to have this document with you at all times during the hunt.

5. You will also need the landowners permission to hunt.

Now that you fulfilled the first five requirements, where can you hunt?

There are plenty of outfitters to choose from, but I do believe the experience would be better if you do your own planning, but if you are doing a solo hunt, an outfitter is ideal and can be valuable for you to know the lay of the land and games if you are not familiar with the country.

We have a website that is called Inatur.no (In nature). Inatur is Norway’s leading marketplace for hunting, fishing, and cabin rental in Norway. On the website you can access all kind of hunting opportunities in Norway. It’s simple to use and available in English as a translated page. It’s considered the ideal place to find a hunt in Norway. But, there is a certain amount of risk attached to such platforms like this, it’s that you wouldn’t know if these offers are any good or how well the hunt is coordinated and if there were any issues in the past and that’s the risk of such offers in these kind of website. I’ll list the website at the end of this blog for you to check out.

I mentioned earlier that I want to provide you some good advice and help guide you on where to start. Social media! It’s probably not what you would expect as a place to get valuable information about hunting, but  I cannot stress this enough. Social media is such a great tool for hunters if you use it right.

I have connected with a lot of great people from all over the world through social media. Friendships built over years of following each-other on our hunts and talking through messaging apps via instagram, facebook etc. Social media will open up a lot of opportunities with like-minded people. Reach out to hunters on Instagram and or facebook and start building your own network. It shouldn’t be hard to talk about hunting with another hunter. This goes for any hunter anywhere in the world. It’s a common ground we all share, and if you don’t use such platform to connect to other hunters from all over the world, then you are missing out on a big part of that social connection and maybe even opportunities.

Social-media can be a great platform to meet like-minded hunters from abroad and help build your network of interest from other countries.

Prime example of my social media experienced. I met a hunter from Italy through social media. I had never met him in person, but knew all of his family members by their first name. After 4 years of talking on Instagram, he flew to Norway for his dream hunt after black grouse. It was a great and successful experience for both of us. Soon I will be heading to Italy with my whole family to meet him and his family and of course do some pheasant hunting. And this is a prime example of the many opportunities social media could bring forth, and we would never have met otherwise. So don’t be shy to start building up your network of friends and you might never know where that friendship will lead you to in the near future if you don’t make an effort to be more open on social media.

For those who are more adventurous, don’t be afraid to reach out to hunters in Norway through social media and ask for advice. I have had many foreign hunters asking about hunts and where to go over the years, and most are like me, willing to help. So don’t be afraid to ask and hopefully I’ll see you in my home country and the beauty she has to offer.

Below are some useful links to help you start your journey to Norway.

Link 1.: General information in english and to pay the yearly hunting license fee – https://www.brreg.no/jegerregisteret/foreign-hunters/
Link 2.: Market place for hunting and fishing in Norway. In english. – www.inatur.no
Link 3.: Place to find tracking dogs in the area you hunt. –  https://www.nkk.no/ettersokshundregister/category1162.html

About the Author

Martin is a passionate hunter from Norway. He Is a member pro team and a contributing blogger for our website. He is married and a father, he represents our brand in his home country of Norway. You can reach him for any questions through his social media platform.

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