General Terms and Conditions for Small Game Hunting 2025-2026

For the County Administrative Board to be able to apply adaptive management of the small game populations on Swedish Government land above the cultivation limit within the counties of Norrbotten, it is required that all hunters report game. The more hunters who report game, the better information to base our management on.

Remember valid hunting permit. Annual permit holders must activate their hunting permit before the hunt begins for it to be valid. Hunting can only be activated for a maximum of five days at a time. No later than 14 days after the hunt is completed, all hunters must report game to be able to purchase a new hunting card or activate their annual hunting permit again.

General conditions for small game hunting

1. In 2025/2026, hunting rights for small game on state land above the cultivation limit within Norrbotten County will be granted from 25 August 2025 under times and conditions that otherwise apply according to Swedish hunting legislation, however with the following clarifications and exceptions.

2. Small game hunting periods:

• 25 August–15 September 2025: Hunting only permitted for permanent residents in Sweden.
• 16 September 2025–15 March 2026: Hunting is permitted for anyone with a hunting permit.

3. Daily hunting permits may be purchased for 275 SEK per day in Norrbotten County. Daily hunting permits may be purchased a maximum of five days in advance and for a maximum of five consecutive days. Special dog training cards can be purchased for a fee of 100 SEK per day.

4. Persons permanently residing in a mountain municipality may purchase a municipal annual hunting permit for hunting small game within their own municipality for a fee of 800 SEK in Norrbotten County. Persons permanently residing in Norrbotten County may purchase a county annual hunting permit for small game within their own county for a fee of 1,500 SEK. Annual hunting permit holders must report via the point of sale or the web application in which area the hunt is assumed to be conducted for the right to hunt to exist (activation of annual permit).

5. The hunting permit is personal and must, together with the state hunting card, weapons license and identification, be carried during hunting. When purchased through a physical retailer, the hunting permit must be signed by the holder to be valid. Sold hunting permits will not be redeemed.

6. A game report must have been registered before a new permit can be issued. However, no later than two weeks after the activated hunt has ended. For more information: www.natureit.se

7. Hunting must be carried out in such a way that significant inconvenience does not arise for the reindeer husbandry. Examples of areas where significant inconvenience may arise are where the gathering, separation and slaughter of reindeer takes place during the autumn and sensitive sections of migration routes. The hunting right does not apply within 500 m of a gathering of at least 25 reindeer within an area of ​​100x100 meters or less. It is the hunter's responsibility to inform themselves about where the risk of disturbance to reindeer husbandry may occur and to refrain from hunting in such areas. The hunter should be observant to the possibility of disturbances occurring throughout the hunting area.

8. The hunting right does not apply within 1,000 meters of:

• a working enclosure for reindeer husbandry or a slaughterhouse during the time when the facility is in use
• an area where reindeer are gathered, moved or driven
• a fenced area for sheep or other grazing animals during the time when the animals are in the area
• a permanent residence, reindeer herder's cabin or holiday home.

The hunting right may only be exercised close to a residence if this is only used by the permit holder's own household and near a single building. However, the hunting right near a single building may not be exercised if someone is staying in or near the building. It is also the responsibility of the hunter to find out where buildings are located and to avoid hunting around buildings according to the above conditions.

9. The County Administrative Board only permits hunting for small game. Hunting refers to the game covered by the Hunting Ordinance (1987:905) Appendix 1, except for deer, roe deer, wild boar and ducks. Game that is classified as alien game species and covered by the Hunting Ordinance Appendix 4, paragraph 1 may be hunted.

The hunting permit does not apply to:

• trapping (special terms and conditions apply in the County of Norrbotten for trapping ptarmigan).
• the training of pointing and flushing gun dogs after 30 April.
• more than eight ptarmigan and three grouse (black grouse and capercaillie species) per hunting day.

10. Dogs that pursue reindeer may not be used during hunting. Dogs must be kept under immediate supervision when transporting across land that is not permitted.

In addition to the provisions of Section 93 of the Reindeer Husbandry Act (1971:437), the following applies when using dogs for hunting:

• pointing and flushing dogs may be used for hunting birds.
• all appropriate types of gun dog may be used for hunting in areas of coniferous forest.

11. Hunting for game to sell is not permitted.

12. When hunting ptarmigan in winter, only shotguns intended for cartridges in classes 3 and 4 may be used for safety reasons.

13. Land that is exempt from hunting, as well as any other local regulations, are shown on the map sent out with the hunting permit. It is the hunter's responsibility to inform themselves about the exact location of areas where hunting restrictions apply, and for safety reasons to consider that moose hunting may be in progress at the same area.

14. The County Administrative Board reserves the right to suspend a particular area from hunting to prevent disturbance to reindeer husbandry y and to restrict the number of hunters within certain areas with a view to adjusting hunting pressure, considering good hunting and game management, etc. Hunting is not permitted within suspended areas. When the maximum hunting pressure has been reached for a hunting area, only municipal annual permit holders can continue to hunt, and organized dog tests can be held. County annual permit holders are subject to the same suspensions as one-day permit holders.

15. According to Section 94 of the Reindeer Husbandry Act (Swedish Code of Statutes -SFS 1971:437), people will be sentenced to fines if they, willfully or by negligence:

• block an established or otherwise applicable reindeer migration route or take measures on or next to a route that significantly impairs its accessibility.
• scare or in some other way worry reindeer that are in an area where reindeer husbandry is permitted at that time.
• force reindeer away from an area without authorization where reindeer husbandry is permitted at that time or prevent reindeer from grazing in such an area.

16. Overnight stays in the field should take place in accordance with the right of public access. The approval of the County Administrative Board is required for the use of hunting camps, defined as one or more tents with a bottom surface larger than 18 m2 in aggregate. The right to hunt may be lost if a hunting camp is used without the required permit. The hunting right may be lost if you use a hunting camp that does not have the required permit.

17. Young people under the age of 18 who hunt under supervision do not need a hunting permit.

18. Hunters must be able to prove their identity, produce a valid hunting permit, government hunting permit, firearms license and, when applicable, import documentation, and the catch killed at the request of a police officer, customs officer, staff from the County Administrative Board and also authorized gamekeeper.

19. The hunting permit may be immediately revoked in the event of non-compliance with the ‘General Terms and Conditions’ or on other reasonable grounds. The possibility of purchasing a new hunting permit may also be lost for up to five years.