20 hunters warned, 8 fined as bear, waterfowl hunting season begins

The police issued 20 warnings, eight petty fine and four reports of an offence during an intensified controls on August 20 and 21 at the opening of the waterfowl and bear hunting seasons, said the National Police Board in a press release on Thursday.

The focus of controls was on locally and regionally relevant themes, mainly the hunting of waterfowl. Focusing controls was aimed at reaching as many hunters as possible across the country and informing them about police operations.

The police used around 650 working hours, or around 90 person-days, in nationwide controls. In addition, the controls were actively communicated. The authorities carrying out controls reached around 750 hunters in person, which is around 150 more contacts than in 2022.

Resources available in some police departments have been moved to seabird hunting controls, which during the weekend starting on September 1 will focus on islets and archipelagos.

The most common criminal offence was a hunting violation, but there were also incidents of driving while intoxicated.

At the national level, hunters were found to comply very well by hunting regulations and the violations found in the controls were minor and of slight significance.

The police recorded slightly fewer sanctions than last year and there were no reports of serious negligence or offences.