We will update the 2025 details during July–August.
Outside the reindeer herding area, bear hunting always requires a separate exceptional license granted by the Finnish Wildlife Agency. These licenses are typically issued for joint permit areas, where multiple holders of hunting rights jointly apply for a hunting or exceptional license.
If you wish to participate in hunting, you must first register with the holder of the joint permit. If the joint permit area includes state-owned land, you will generally need a personal bear hunting permit from Metsähallitus for those areas. In regions where state lands are small and fragmented, hunting rights may also be granted as an area-based permit calculated by land area. In such cases, a separate personal permit may not be required. You can confirm this with the joint permit holder.
Hunting arrangements for joint permits are always agreed between the joint permit representative and a Metsähallitus specialist.
There is no separate personal quota for Metsähallitus bear permits outside the reindeer herding area. A hunter may harvest more than one bear, provided the exceptional license issued by the Wildlife Agency and the joint permit rules allow it.
The bear hunting season begins on August 20 at 00:00 and ends when the quota defined by the exceptional license is reached, but no later than October 31 at 24:00. The number of bears harvested can be monitored on the Finnish Wildlife Agency’s Karhusaaliit page (Bear harvest, riista.fi).
Bear hunting is generally prohibited in the border zone. To track an injured bear that has fled into the zone or to retrieve a bear that has been killed there, a separate permit must be obtained from the Border Guard.
You can purchase a personal bear permit after the Wildlife Agency has granted an exceptional license and you have registered with the license holder. The permit is available via the Eräluvat.fi service or by calling Metsähallitus customer service at 020 69 2424.
Exceptional licenses have commonly been granted for areas outside the reindeer herding area in Kainuu (Kuhmo, Sotkamo, Kajaani, Ristijärvi, Paltamo) and North Karelia. Exceptional licenses and joint permit arrangements may also exist in other regions. Information about bear permit sales is published on this website whenever an exceptional license has been granted and hunting arrangements are confirmed.
You can buy a personal bear hunting permit either for a single day (€30) or for the entire hunting season (€60).
If bear hunting rights are granted via an area permit based on land area, the price is €0.02 per hectare (+ VAT). These permit applications are handled by the regional Metsähallitus hunting specialist (see contact information).
Before purchasing a bear permit, you must read Metsähallitus' terms of purchase and cancellation.
Once the Finnish Wildlife Agency has granted an exceptional license, you can obtain a personal hunting permit for the relevant area. Permits will be visible in the system only after the exceptional license is confirmed and arrangements have been finalized. Permit area updates will take place during summer 2025.
Call cost €0.00/min + local network rate/mobile charge
