View Full Version : Bow hunting in Finland
Abbe Osram
02-08-2005, 07:44
Now it will be possible to hunt with a bow deer in Finland.
The have found out that bow hunters kill faster and better than hunters with rifles. The modern bows are very effectiv and the hunters know how important it is to come quite near to the deer before shooting. Therefore Finland allows the hunting with a bow says Kristian Krogell from the finish ministery of forest and farming.
cheers
Abbe
Hey Abbe,
A hunter friend of mine claims that the Swedish Huntingassociation now also allows bowhunting licenses for Sweden. Though only for stationary hunt (ie. stands) and you have to take a special profiency test to do it. I've been looking through their webpages but not found much info. Heard anything about it?
/HuBBa
arctic hobo
02-08-2005, 09:17
Gerd (Tvividr) may be able to help you there - he bowhunts himself as well as making bows and all sorts - I haven't seen him on here since the new site, but if anyone knows how to contact him he's your man. :)
arctic hobo
02-08-2005, 09:18
Of course - his website is http://www.mamut.com/gjknives
Ah Arctic, i think you misunderstood me. I was wondering if it were now legal to hunt in Sweden aswell, not Norway. =) But good site anyway *cheers* =)
arctic hobo
02-08-2005, 09:35
Well he's well in with the bowhunting people, and since it isn't legal in Norway he may be able to at least give you the contacts of someone in Sweden ;)
Good point again. I blame me being at work and not having any more vacation :)
Abbe Osram
02-08-2005, 11:36
Hey Abbe,
A hunter friend of mine claims that the Swedish Huntingassociation now also allows bowhunting licenses for Sweden. Though only for stationary hunt (ie. stands) and you have to take a special profiency test to do it. I've been looking through their webpages but not found much info. Heard anything about it?
/HuBBa
Bow hunting is forbidden in Sweden. I havend heard anything new from my Huntingassociation either and I am in the biggest in sweden.
cheers
Abbe
Yeah thats what i thought. I know they have done successful trials though but didn't think they had gotten to a conclusion yet.
Abbe Osram
02-08-2005, 14:12
Yeah thats what i thought. I know they have done successful trials though but didn't think they had gotten to a conclusion yet.
No, there is such a strong lobby fighting any kind of hunting. As you maybe know I am hunting too with snares and traps and we are under constant attack have to make several different licences to be able to snare and trap. Bow hunting is not much liked even from hunters with a Rifle. So I believe it will not become free here, at least I would be surprised if it comes free.
cheers
Abbe
Now it will be possible to hunt with a bow deer in Finland.
The have found out that bow hunters kill faster and better than hunters with rifles. The modern bows are very effectiv and the hunters know how important it is to come quite near to the deer before shooting. Therefore Finland allows the hunting with a bow says Kristian Krogell from the finish ministery of forest and farming.
cheers
Abbe
Common sense from a government organisation, surely not? ;)
Seriously, good news. Just wondering if it is only modern bows that are allowed?
arctic hobo
08-08-2005, 21:14
Common sense from a government organisation, surely not? ;)
Seriously, good news. Just wondering if it is only modern bows that are allowed?
From my knowledge of the situation in Finland (which isn't great ;) ) the requirement is a broad tip, a 30 metre maximum, and a certain number of kg draw strength. I'm fairly sure any bow is allowed that meets those :)
RovingArcher
09-08-2005, 00:28
Great news. I've long known that a hunter with the bow and arrow, is a far better hunter than one that shoots from a couple hundred yards/meters away. That is, if the bowhunter is proficient with their chosen weapon and the style of hunting that goes along with it. If not, Finland will end up with a lot of wounded animals running around with arrows sticking out of them. Which concerns me some. There are courses and testing that can be done to insure that the hunter is actually ready to hunt with a bow.
Slowly but surely they are implementing bowhunter education courses in the USA that requires the hunter to take a test before he/she can hunt with the bow. Amoung other key issues, they are required to make killing shots on several life sized animal targets (miss and fail) at several different distances and shooting situations. They are also required to be able to blood trail a bow shot animal, because an arrow doesn't have any kinetic energy to knock the animal to the ground and instead bleed the animal to death, so odds are, the deer or whatever that has been dealt a killing shot with an arrow, is going to run a distance before dying on the run, or bedding down to die. So, if the hunter hasn't a clue as to how to trail the animal, they will never recover the animal.
Moonraker
09-08-2005, 11:09
As far as I understand it is LEGAL to bowhunt in the following European countries:
Spain, France, Russia, Turkey, Lithuania, Denmark and Finland
You need to check individual countries though as laws change fast!
There is a web site in French regarding bowhunting in France here:
Archasse (http://www.archasse.com)
There is a forum thread discussing this in more depth here:
Archery Talk.com- Why is Bowhunting illegal in much of Europe? ( http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=207711)
Regarding Sweden, there is a Swedish Bowhunting Association here:
Swedish Bowhunting Association. (http://home.swipnet.se/sbjf/)
Their aim is to "To achieve legalization of bowhunting in Sweden"
For more details of bowhunting in Finland checkout this link:
Bowhunt in Finland (http://www.saunalahti.fi/sjml/dcforum/DCForumID4/3.html)
General info for Europe check out:
European Bowhunting Association (http://www.europeanbowhunting.org/)
Abbe Osram
09-08-2005, 11:27
In Sweden it is forbidden to hunt with a bow but in Finland its not, that was the point of the thread. One was allowed to hunt a little with a bow before, I believe it was only sea birds and small game but now I was reading in my hunter association that hunting deer would be allowed too in Finland.
Moon, these are good links. Thanks!
cheers
Abbe
ilovemybed
09-08-2005, 11:28
In the mean time, one could always participate in 3D archery, shooting at rubber moose...
Then, if you did get the chance to try it for real you'll know you've got the skills.
RovingArcher
09-08-2005, 16:16
The 3D course really helps to sharpen the eye and with the more traditional equipment, roving tends to bring all the practice together, because of the unknown yardages, obstacles etc. But neither will get you ready for the hunt. Too much involved besides the actual shot.
Get permission to go into an area where the deer are hunted. Take one of those disposable cameras without zoom lense and get a closeup of a deer (within 20 paces). If the deer in your area are anything like our little Columbian Blacktails here in California, you will have a real time of it to get a good photo. This is the best way I know of, besides actually hunting them, to learn the art of stealth. Of course, if the deer just stand around and are used to people, it's not much of a challenge.
Learn to hunt the wind. This includes thermals, as they also carry the hunters scent. Beating the animals eyes, ears and nose takes practice. Lots of practice. A deer will not usually bolt if all they do is hear something out of place, but it will put them on alert and if they spot slight movement or catch your scent, you're all done. They have millions of years of being prey to rely on and they practice it every day of their lives. The modern hunter may have the instincts, but most have only practiced the skills on a part time basis for a comparably short time. The animal has a huge advantage when being hunted by the bowhunter, especially from the ground on the animals terms.
Way too much involved in bowhunting to try and cover it in a paragraph or two, so I'd suggest to those that want to learn the art of bowhunting, to read as much as possible, then put it into practice while carrying a camera. There are lots of good sites that have forums where you can ask those that practice it. One that I've found particularly interesting is The Stickbow (stickbow.com)
If you don't carry a camera carry a walking stick as a simulated bow and get used to moving it through the brush, thats what I do.