Bow hunting

You can purchase a bow hunting permit for waterfowl and hare hunting by first selecting your preferred waterfowl and hare area. Choose the seasonal permit for bow hunting, and you can pay immediately using most common payment methods. With the waterfowl and hare seasonal permit, you may hunt all small game except for grouse and beaver. These permits go on sale around mid-June and are sold within quota limits throughout the season. The price for a bow hunter’s seasonal permit is €50.

If you wish to hunt grouse with a bow, you must apply for a seasonal permit during the application period in April. The grouse seasonal permit allows you to hunt all small game, typically excluding beaver. The bow hunter’s seasonal permit for grouse costs €80.

There are no separate seasonal permits available specifically for beaver, small predators, or short-term small game permits for bow hunting. However, with day permits (for grouse, waterfowl, and hare) and seasonal permits for beaver and small predators, you can also hunt with a bow in addition to a shotgun or rifle.

Roe deer is not included in Metsähallitus small game permits. On lands leased to hunting clubs, roe deer may be hunted if included in the lease agreement. White-tailed deer may be hunted on Metsähallitus moose hunting permit areas and leased hunting lands with a hunting license granted by the Finnish Wildlife Agency.

Requirements for Bow Hunting

To hunt with a bow, you must:

• Complete the hunter examination (known as the hunting card)
• Pay the game management fee
• Acquire the relevant hunting permit for your chosen area (for example, a Metsähallitus small game permit on state land)

For hoofed game, the bow shooting test must be completed. No separate license is required for the bow itself, but it must comply with the requirements set in Section 20 of the Hunting Decree (666/1993).

A bow is suitable for hunting all game. According to Finnish legislation, bow-hunting is allowed for all small game and for ungulates smaller than moose—including deer, roe deer, wild boar, and mouflon.

On Metsähallitus lands, the same permit and area-specific conditions apply for bow hunting as for hunting with a shotgun or rifle.

More information about bow hunting is available at riista.fi.