Greylag Goose harvest reaches 120 in Finland with regions Kainuu and Lapland leading

The total harvest of Greylag Geese amounted to 120 birds. Of this total, 45 were taken from Kainuu, 38 from Lapland, and 37 from the North Ostrobothnia region. The harvest numbers and their regional distribution aligned with the preliminary estimates from the Finnish Wildlife Agency, as stated in their press release.

Hunting was restricted both temporally and through individual seasonal quotas, which allowed for the hunting of one Greylag Goose per hunter, along with a prohibition on hunting from fields or using bait to attract the birds. The hunting of Greylag Geese holds significant cultural value within the hunting community. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s regulation has enabled restricted hunting in the breeding areas of Northern Finland without jeopardizing the development of the breeding population.

Thanks to mandatory reporting, harvest numbers for Greylag Geese are well-documented. Hunters are still encouraged to send a photograph of the harvested goose’s head to the Finnish Wildlife Agency for species identification. Images can be sent to [email protected].

The distribution of breeding Greylag Geese will continue to be mapped in the coming summers. These assessments are an essential source of information for evaluating the extent of the breeding population and the regional hunting opportunities. Hunters are requested to submit observations of breeding or molting sites to the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which will handle the information confidentially. Additional observations are particularly needed from Kainuu, North Karelia, and Upper Lapland, according to Game Manager Mikael Luoma from the Finnish Wildlife Agency.