Hunting

Hunting for getting food, furs and other necessities has been a part of human lifestyle for thousands of years. Today few depend on it, but hunting is often practised as a recreational activity giving variation to the cuisine, and for wildlife management. In some countries it is possible also for strangers to hunt together, the classical example being safaris in Africa (although modern safari are mostly about wildlife watching).

Equipment and methods

Most hunting is done with firearms. See Recreational shooting for regulations on bringing weapons into different countries and related issues. Regulations on allowed weapons often depend on the intended game. Hunting can also be done e.g. by trapping. Hunting with bow and arrows is allowed in some countries, e.g. the United States and Canada.

A dog is often used. Sometimes one is even required, to minimize risk of game suffering. See Travelling with pets for some issues and advice.

Knives might be needed to handle a carcass.

Pursuit of small animals such as insects and clams is described as foraging. While less challenging, it is still usually regulated.

At some locations, such as Svalbard, a gun is needed to defend against dangerous animals.

Licences

Usually you need three kinds of licences and permits. You need one for the area, time and intended game of your actual hunting trip, often paid to the landowner, park office or similar, or got by reciprocal arrangements between hunting clubs. There may be a general hunting licence, which should guarantee that you understand what you are doing. Then you probably need licences for any arms you are going to use. If you bring the arms to a foreign country, you also need paperwork for getting them over the border, possibly from both countries involved and any intermediate country. See recreational shooting for these latter concerns.

Where hunting tourism is big, there are probably established practices on how to make the paperwork smooth. In any case it is usually easier to get permits and licences if you have similar ones in your home country.

Ethics

Hunting trophies

In July 2015, an American dentist was excoriated by media for killing a collared lion named Cecil, a protected animal alleged to have been unlawfully lured out of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe at night using bait. Cecil was well-known locally and wore a GPS collar as part of an Oxford University wildlife study. The guides were charged, and ensuing publicity encouraged governments to propose stricter import restrictions and airlines to refuse to transport hunting trophies. Within a few months, dozens of airlines banned hunting trophies, and some countries' governments established limitations or bans on importing lion trophies.

Various restrictions apply to the import and transportation of hunting trophies for specific species; threatened or endangered species in particular are subject to import bans imposed by most national governments in response to the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Export permits may be required to ship polar bear skins; animals poached illegally may also be excluded from cargo by airlines and transportation companies. Hunting of elephants for their ivory, problematic to dwindling populations in the wild, has attracted increasing government attention. In general, the more exotic (or rare) the species, the greater the restrictions are likely to be on transport of parts or trophies.

Individual nations may apply their own Customs restrictions, often arbitrarily; anything from a Newfoundland sealskin purse (where seals are plentiful) to a set of antique Scottish bagpipes (made before the ban on commercial use of ivory pieces) can and has been taken from hapless voyagers by US authorities. Even if the item is lawful, there are often confusing requirements for documentation and limitations on what ports of entry will accept a shipment. Some airlines have restrictions or prohibitions on transporting hunting trophies as well.

Anyone planning to hunt abroad and bring back trophies needs to check this in advance.

Diseases

In some cases trophies, meat etc. – and equipment, including boots and clothes – can bring animal diseases. E.g. Finnish pig farmers (and authorities) fear that boar hunters might bring in pig plague from neighbouring countries. There may be formal checks or bans, but you should be careful regardless.

Africa

Asia

Europe

Finland

Hunting rights belong to the landowner. The usual arrangement to get to hunt as a foreigner is to be a guest of a hunting club (which has acquired rights to hunting grounds), possibly by reciprocal arrangements, or staying at a business with rights to hunting grounds. Hunting permits are also sold for some governmental grounds. Most game have specific hunting seasons in autumn or winter. In addition to the rights to hunt specific game at a specific time on certain land, one needs a general hunting licence, requiring an exam and a yearly payment, unless your foreign licence is accepted.

For big game a separate licence is needed, usually acquired by the hunting clubs. Thus hunting big game on your own or as part of a tour is hardly possible, while you might be able to participate in the hunt if you have friends or a host who does. Especially the elk hunt October–December is a social event, as the hunt traditionally is by driving.

Hunting arms are restricted to certain types (small magazine), with requirements varying by game (powerful enough). For hunting big game an easy shooting proficiency test is needed, unless you have documentation on a similar test or right to hunt similar game abroad. Similarly you need firearm and hunting licences from your home country, as getting one here is too time consuming for a visitor. Check details. Without the licence, you are still allowed to use a weapon under close supervision by somebody who has one.

In the countryside it is common to belong to a hunting club, while hunting is quite controversial among city-dwellers. Hunting large carnivores is an especially touchy issue, as on one hand the Finnish populations of wolves and wolverines have been close to extinction (whether regulations now are strict enough depends on whom you talk with), while on the other they are seen as a threat.

Iceland

Hunting is allowed in the commons. The largest continuous area in the commons is the entire interior of Iceland. Hunting in other regions require a permit from the landowner and payment fees regularly apply in that case. Hunters are required to return a hunting report each year to the environment agency of Iceland. Also a general hunting permit is required.

Quotas apply to hunting reindeer and the hunter needs to apply for a quota to the environmental agency. Reindeer may only be hunted during the summer. Hunting periods apply to most bird species.

Sweden

Hunting is popular in Sweden, but regulated by strict laws and local regulations. Foreign citizens are allowed to hunt if accompanied by a local tracker.

United Kingdom

A small number of professional shoots for game birds (such as Pheasant and Grouse) are organised, but these are considered by many to be an establishment perk with a price tag to match.

Hunting of wildlife, is subject to extensive regulation, and as such is not open to the tourist under any circumstances.

North America

Canada

Hunting and fishing are big business in Canada and they attract many tourists, especially from the US and Japan. Typically the companies that provide services to hunters can also help customers comply with Canadian laws. You need a hunting or fishing license and may also need a gun license. Hunting licences are provincially issued.

While weapons laws are strict, the typical hunter's rifle or shotgun should be relatively easy to import, or to rent. Many Americans who live in the bordering states regularly bring their hunting rifles into Canada, but it must be declared to customs when you enter.

United States

Anyone who wishes to hunt must first purchase a hunting license valid for the state they will hunt in, and will usually need a more specific license (colloquially a "tag") for the intended game. Licenses are available at many rural stores or by mail/internet directly from the state. They are usually valid for a set period of time, or a set number of kills.

Note that for certain high-demand game such as elk, moose, and bison, one must usually apply in advance (typically via the internet) for a tag for that species, with no guarantee of drawing one. In some states, especially in the west, you may have to apply for a tag in a specific region where you want to hunt. Some states allow individuals to purchase "preference points" (usually only one per species per year) that will give the buyers a better chance at drawing a tag in a later year. Applicants for a draw, or those buying preference points, will be required to buy a hunting license for that state, even if they do not plan to hunt in that state during that year.

Also keep in mind that states restrict hunting of most game to specific times of the year, and also restrict the use of certain weapons to specific subsets of that season. Using white-tailed deer, the most popular medium-to-large game animal in the US, as an example, states will have separate seasons for archery, muzzle-loading weapons, and modern guns, and many states have crossbow seasons separate from those for other archery equipment. Archery and crossbow seasons for that species tend to last several months in the fall and early winter; gun seasons are much shorter, typically lasting little more than a week. However, archery seasons often overlap all firearms seasons.

In short: Research the game laws for the state you plan to hunt in, and for any species you want to take. Note also that in some states, bag limits (the number of a species you can legally take), hunting seasons, and even allowable hunting equipment can vary from one part of a state to another.

Oceania

Australia

This country has no native terrestrial ungulates, so the hunting of wild and feral populations finds favour with conservationists. Many introduced animals have caused huge damage to the native ecology, such as rabbits, foxes, feral cats, and feral dogs. Hunting of rabbits is especially encouraged. Depending on the state or territory, animals eligible for hunting can be classified as game animals, pests, or both. Larger species hunted in Australia include introduced deer; feral goats, pigs, donkeys and horses; feral camels in desert regions; and feral cattle and water buffalo in the tropical north.

New Zealand

Like Australia, this country has no native terrestrial ungulates; in fact, before the arrival of the Māori in the 13th century AD, the only native land mammals of any type were three species of bat. Conservationists here support the hunting of non-native species every bit as much as those across the Tasman Sea. Game animals include several species of deer, pigs, chamois, tahr and goats.