DBW...
FINLAND
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Six per cent of the entire Finnish
population hold a hunting card –
more than anywhere else in Europe.
In order to obtain a Finnish hunting card,
a foreign hunter must present a hunting card
valid in his native country or some other
certifi cate of his right to hunt in his own
country. Th ese documents are presented
to personnel at the Game Management
Association where the documents are
checked and a bank deposit slip for that
person will be ordered from the hunter’s
register, which, when paid, will serve as
a hunting card. If he is unable to present
reliable documents showing his right to
hunt, he must pass a Finnish hunting
examination. Hunting examinations
are arranged by Game Management
Associations and are subject to a fee. In
practice it is best to let the Finnish host
for the hunting party to take care of the
matters involved in getting a hunting card
beforehand.
Th e hunting card is valid for one hunting
year, which begins August 1 and ends July
31 of the following calendar year. Th e game
management fee includes hunting insurance,
which covers personal damages caused by
a fi rearm during hunting. Th e insurance is
valid for one hunting year in Finland as well
as in Nordic countries and EU countries
during hunting trips that last no longer than
60 days.
HUNTING RIGHTS
In Finland, hunting rights belong to the land
owner, who may lease the hunting rights in
his domain to another party. Private persons
own 65 per cent of Finland’s forest, fi eld and
freshwater areas. Privately-owned real estate
generally consists of land and water from
5 to 200 hectares. Hunters have founded
hunting clubs (hunting associations)
and leased areas for hunting and game
management. Th e aim is to form suffi ciently
large and uniform hunting areas, particularly
for moose and deer hunting. Today there are
over 4,000 hunting clubs in Finland who
have hunting grounds ranging in size from
2 000 to 10,000 hectares. Th e clubs take care
of arrangements related to hunting, game
management and supervision in their areas.
Th e state owns about 25 per cent of
Finland’s land, mainly in the east and north.
Metsähallitus (State forest enterprise) is
responsible for most of the use of hunting
rights and game management on state lands.
DOING BUSINESS WITH... FINLAND
Geographical location: Lying
approximately between
latitudes 60° and 70° N, and
longitudes 20° and 32° E,
Finland is one of the world’s
northernmost countries. Of
world capitals, only Reykjavík
lies more to the north than
Helsinki. The distance from
the southernmost point –
Hanko in Uusimaa – to the
northernmost – Nuorgam in
Lapland – is 1,160 kilometres
(720 mi).
Finland has about 168,000
lakes (of area larger than 500
m2 or 0.12 acres) and 179,000
islands. Its largest lake, Saimaa,
is the fourth largest in Europe.
The Finnish Lakeland is the
area with the most lakes in
the country. The greatest
concentration of islands is
found in the southwest, in
the Archipelago Sea between
continental Finland and the
main island of Åland.
HUNTING PERMITS
Hunting is also allowed without hunting
rights based on the ownership or leasing of
land. In this case, the hunter must obtain a
hunting permit from the land owner or game
tenant (holder of hunting rights). Land
owners and hunting clubs often grant or sell
hunting permits for land or water areas in
their possession.
For hunting small game on state lands,
Metsähallitus sells seasonal hunting permits
and short-term small game permits for
one to seven days. Small game permits are
sold either for all small game species or
for small game species excluding grouses.
Th e small game permits are personal. Th e
hunting permit includes a hunting quota,
which is indicated as the permit’s hunting
score. Metsähallitus also sells moose hunting
permits for hunting parties, and personal
bear hunting permits. Hunting permits for
state lands are sold from late spring onwards.
Th e sale of short-term small game hunting
permits occurs in two stages, in June and
in August. Please verify the exact dates by
visiting the Metsähallitus online service.
A foreigner intending to hunt in Finland
should fi nd out while still in his native
country how and for what game he can
obtain a hunting permit. Th is can be done
conveniently through Finnish acquaintances.
Hunting permit fees are decided by the
holder of hunting rights. Permits usually
include a game quota which must not be
exceeded. Th e fees vary widely depending on
the game animal species and the area.
IMPORT OF FIREARMS
A foreign hunter may use his own fi rearms
or he may also borrow a hunting weapon
from his Finnish hunting host. Th e
regulations for importing fi rearms vary
depending on which country the foreign
hunting guest is arriving from.
IMPORTING YOUR OWN FIREARMS AND
CARTRIDGES
A fi rearms license granted in Norway,
Sweden or Denmark permits its holder
to import the fi rearm in question and a
suffi cient number of cartridges, as well as to
hold them in his possession for a maximum
of three months. Proof of participation
in a shooting or hunting event must be
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