Autumn is the best time of year in Swedish forests, and it is also hunting season. The two share the same land. Here is how to spot a hunt, what to wear, what to do with your dog, and which weeks are busiest in 2026.
When you need this
You are hiking, running or picking berries or mushrooms in a Swedish forest between September and January. You pass a sign reading Jakt pågår (“hunt in progress”) at a trailhead, hear a dog barking somewhere ahead, or find a row of cars on a gravel forest road. Or you are planning an October trip and want to know which weeks to expect company.
The forest stays open
Hunting is not part of allemansrätten, Sweden’s right of public access, but the right keeps running while a hunt is on. Naturvårdsverket, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, says you may walk and pick berries and mushrooms during a hunt as long as you do not disturb it to any great extent.
A Jakt pågår sign is information, not a closure. Hunters may put these signs up during a hunt, but a sign that bans the public from land open under allemansrätten needs the municipality’s permission. Naturvårdsverket’s simplest advice is to choose another spot for the day when you see one. You do not have to.
Two limits apply to you. Deliberately obstructing or disturbing a hunt is prohibited, and intentionally scaring game off someone else’s hunting ground is punishable by a fine under the Hunting Act. Hunters, for their part, are bound by law to hunt without putting people at risk.
How to recognize an active hunt
Most hunts announce themselves if you know what to look for.
| Sign | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Jakt pågår sign at a road or trailhead | A hunt is on somewhere in the area | Carry on with care, or pick another route |
| Many cars parked together on a forest road | A hunting team is out nearby | Consider another spot, as a county wildlife officer advises |
| Steady barking from one place | A moose dog holding a moose at bay (ståndskall), with a handler creeping in | Turn away from the sound |
| A line of people calling to each other | A drive (drevjakt) pushing game toward shooters at fixed stands | Turn away; the shooters stay put until the drive ends |
| People in orange caps or vests | Hunters at a stand or on the move | Make yourself known |
| Shots | Hunting nearby | Stay visible and move away calmly |
The most common way to hunt moose in Sweden is with a loose dog that finds the moose and holds it with steady barking, usually combined with shooters waiting at stands (pass). On a drive, beaters walk in a line through the forest, sometimes calling out to keep the line, while shooters wait at stands and may not leave until the drive is over. Walking into either puts you where the hunters expect game.
The large driven hunts mostly take place at weekends. Hunters stalking alone are mostly out at dawn and dusk, according to the outdoor organization Friluftsfrämjandet.
What to wear
Wear something bright that stands out against the autumn forest. The county boards for Stockholm and Örebro advise clothing that makes you easy to see, preferably a reflective vest (reflexväst). The police give the same advice to berry and mushroom pickers.
Orange is a good choice because it is what hunters wear themselves. Svenska Jägareförbundet, the hunters’ association, has long campaigned for signal colors, and most hunters now wear orange caps, hatbands or vests.
Worth knowing: orange is custom, not law, in Sweden. Neither the Hunting Act nor the Hunting Ordinance contains a clothing rule for hunters or the public, and a 2024 piece in the hunters’ own magazine asked Sweden to copy Finland’s legal requirement. Many advice pages written for North America assume blaze-orange laws that do not exist here. Do not count on every hunter being in orange, and do not count on being seen in brown.
Dogs during the hunt
Keep your dog on a leash. The Dog and Cat Supervision Act requires dogs to be kept from running loose where there is wildlife from 1 March to 20 August. The rest of the year, a dog must still be kept from hunting or chasing game. Naturvårdsverket’s reading is that this almost always means a leash in practice, unless the dog is exceptionally well trained and stays within about a meter of you.
The risk is real. Where a dog runs loose among wildlife, the holder of the hunting rights may take it, and the county board may decide to have it put down if it cannot be caught. In bear country, loose dogs are the most common trigger: a dog was involved in 12 of the 18 bear attacks recorded in Sweden in 1995–2007, most of them during the moose hunt.
You will still meet loose dogs. Working hunting dogs are exempt from the chasing ban while in use, and hunters release them during the season. A leashed dog of your own keeps that meeting simple.
When the hunt is busiest
The moose hunt (älgjakt) is the one that fills the forest. It opens on 1 September in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland and parts of Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg, and on 8 October in the rest of the country. It runs to 31 January everywhere. The southern start is a fixed date, not “the second Monday of October”.
County boards say most moose hunters go out in the first two weeks. Several northern counties also pause the hunt during the rut, which gives the north a second opening.
| Area | 2026/27 moose hunt | Expect most hunters |
|---|---|---|
| Jämtland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland | 1–25 September; pause 26 September–9 October; resumes 10 October | First weeks of September, and again from 10 October |
| Gävleborg (listed northern areas) | From 1 September; pause 24 September–7 October | Early September, and again from 8 October |
| Norrbotten | From 1 September, no pause; mountain areas close early (Kiruna above the cultivation limit 11 October) | Early September |
| South and centre | From Thursday 8 October 2026 | 8–21 October 2026 |
As of 25 September 2026, the northern hunt has been running since 1 September, and the rut pauses are starting. The southern opening on 8 October and the northern restart on 10 October mean much of Sweden’s forest is busy from 8 October onward, with the first weekend on 10–11 October.
Bears are hunted under licence in seven counties from Värmland north to Norrbotten, from 21 August until 15 October 2026 at the latest. Other species are hunted through the year, and protective hunts happen outside the normal seasons. Dates for every species are in our guide to hunting seasons in Sweden.
If you meet hunters
- Make yourself known. Say hello or wave rather than slipping past quietly. The county boards ask exactly this.
- Ask where they are hunting. Hunters are encouraged by their association to point out areas where no hunt is on today.
- Leave calmly. Go the way that suits both of you.
- Expect the team to know. Hunting teams talk by radio, so once one hunter has seen you, the rest soon know.
Hunters may politely ask you to move if you are disturbing the hunt. They cannot close the forest to you: that takes the municipality’s permission. A county wildlife officer put it this way in 2019: hunters should not evict people, and both sides should respect each other. If you want to plan around a hunt in advance, the county board’s site lists the local moose-management areas, which are the route to the hunting teams.
If you get lost or hurt, call 112 and stay somewhere open where you are easy to see.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Walking and picking during a hunt | Free and legal under allemansrätten |
| Moose hunt, north | From 1 September; rut pause in parts, e.g. 26 September–9 October 2026 in Jämtland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland |
| Moose hunt, south and centre | From Thursday 8 October 2026 to 31 January 2027 |
| Bear licence hunt 2026 | 21 August to 15 October at the latest, seven counties |
| Busiest weeks | First two weeks of the moose hunt; driven hunts mostly at weekends |
| What to wear | Bright colors or a reflective vest; orange matches hunters |
| Dogs | Leash; the chasing ban applies all year |
| Emergency | 112 |
| Check locally | Your county board’s Älgjakt page |
FAQ
Is it safe to hike in Sweden during hunting season?
Yes, and it is legal. Allemansrätten keeps applying while hunts run, and hunters must not put people at risk. You make it safer by being easy to see: wear bright colors or a reflective vest, keep your dog on a leash, and speak up when you meet hunters. The busiest time is the first two weeks of the moose hunt.
Do I have to leave if I see a “Jakt pågår” sign?
No. A Jakt pågår (“hunt in progress”) sign informs you; it does not close the area. A sign that bans the public from land open under allemansrätten needs the municipality’s permission. Naturvårdsverket says the simplest choice is to walk somewhere else that day, but you may continue as long as you do not deliberately disturb the hunt.
What should I wear in the forest during hunting season?
Something bright that stands out against autumn forest: county boards and the police advise bright clothing or a reflective vest. Orange works well because it is the color most hunters wear themselves. No law requires it, for hunters or hikers, so any bright top layer will do.
When is the moose hunt busiest in Sweden?
In its first two weeks, say county boards. The hunt opens on 1 September in the north and on 8 October in the rest of the country; in 2026 that is Thursday 8 October. Several northern counties pause for the rut, with Jämtland, Västerbotten and Västernorrland resuming on 10 October. Large driven hunts cluster at weekends.
Should my dog be on a leash during hunting season?
Yes. From 21 August the law only requires that your dog cannot chase game, but Naturvårdsverket says that in practice almost always means a leash. A dog loose among wildlife may be taken by the holder of the hunting rights. In bear country, loose dogs are the most common trigger of attacks.
What should I do if I meet hunters in the forest?
Make yourself known: say hello or wave, rather than slipping past. Ask where they are hunting and which way is best for you, then leave calmly. Hunters may politely ask you to move if you are disturbing the hunt, and many will point out where no hunt is on today. The whole team usually hears about you by radio.
Related guides
- Hunting seasons in Sweden: dates for every species, not just moose
- Hunting in Sweden: the hunter’s side, from hunting rights to the state hunting card
- Sweden’s leash law: the 1 March–20 August rule and the year-round chasing ban
- Bears in Sweden: where they live and what to do if you meet one
- Allemansrätten: the right of public access in full
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: the Hunting Act and Hunting Ordinance and the Dog and Cat Supervision Act (Sveriges Riksdag), Naturvårdsverket, the county boards (Länsstyrelsen) of Stockholm, Örebro, Jämtland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland, Gävleborg and Norrbotten, Polismyndigheten, Svenska Jägareförbundet and Friluftsfrämjandet — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.