Swedish hunting seasons are national law, set species by species in the Hunting Ordinance. Here are the dates in force for the 2026/27 hunting year, by region, what county boards actually decide, and what changes in July 2027.
When you need this
You have been invited on a hunt and want to know what may be shot, where and in which month. You are choosing between a September hunt in the north and an October hunt in the south. You have read that the seasons are changing and want to know when. Or you are not hunting at all, but hiking or picking berries in autumn and want to know what is going on in the forest around you.
How Swedish seasons work
The jaktförordningen (Hunting Ordinance, 1987:905) lists a general season (allmän jakttid) for each species in annex 1, the moose season in annex 2 and the red deer season in annex 3. All of them sit inside the hunting year, which runs from 1 July to 30 June. The dates are binding law, not club custom.
A season is the legal outer window, not a right to hunt. You still hunt only where the holder of the hunting rights invites you, and with the 400 kr state hunting card; our guide to hunting in Sweden as a visitor covers both. A county board may also shorten a season for a species when snow, ice or temperature call for it.
The moose hunt
The moose hunt (älgjakt) starts on two fixed dates:
| Area | Season |
|---|---|
| Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland; Torsby (Värmland); Malung-Sälen, Orsa, Rättvik, Älvdalen and northern Mora (Dalarna); Ljusdal, Ovanåker, Hudiksvall and Nordanstig (Gävleborg) | 1 September–31 January |
| The rest of the country | 8 October–31 January |
These are dates, not a weekday rule. In 2026, 8 October is a Thursday. Pages that say “the second Monday of October” are out of date.
What county boards decide. The dates themselves are national. County boards set up moose management areas (älgförvaltningsområden), each with a management group and plan. Where one area spans both start dates, the county board picks a single start for the whole area. The county boards of Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg may move more of their county to 1 September.
Pauses. Where the hunt opens on 1 September, the county board may pause it for up to 14 days during the rut (brunst). Jämtland has decided a pause from 26 September to 9 October for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons. In the reindeer-herding mountains, county boards may also pause the hunt for herding or snow. Outside licence and moose-management areas, a calf-only hunt lasts five days, starting with the surrounding area’s hunt.
For a visitor, the practical upshot is simple: ask your host for the management area’s actual start and any pause before you book flights. Watching moose explains the rut behind those pauses.
Seasons by region
General seasons for the main game in the 2026/27 hunting year. “North” means Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland and Västernorrland unless noted; “south” the rest of the country unless noted; “mountains” the reindeer-herding high country.
| Species | South | North | Mountains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moose | 8 Oct–31 Jan | 1 Sep–31 Jan (also Torsby, northern Dalarna, western and northern Gävleborg) | 1 Sep–31 Jan; herding or snow pauses possible |
| Roe deer | All 1 Oct–31 Jan; bucks 1 May–15 Jun and 16 Aug–30 Sep, kids 1–30 Sep (stalk/stand) | Same | Same |
| Wild boar | 1 Apr–31 Jan (not sows with small piglets); young of the year all year | Same | Same |
| Red deer | Skåne outside red-deer areas 8 Oct–31 Jan; calves elsewhere 16 Aug–31 Jan | Calves 16 Aug–31 Jan | Calves 16 Aug–31 Jan |
| Mountain hare | 1 Sep–15 Feb in Götaland (not Blekinge) and Södermanland; elsewhere to end Feb | 1 Sep–end Feb | 1 Sep–end Feb |
| Red fox | 1 Aug–end Feb (Skåne, Halland, Blekinge) or 15 Mar | 1 Aug–15 Apr | 1 Aug–15 Apr |
| Black grouse, capercaillie | 25 Aug–30 Sep in Götaland, cocks also 1–31 Jan; Skåne cocks only; none on Gotland; Svealand 25 Aug–15 Nov | 25 Aug–15 Nov; cocks also 16 Nov–15 Feb | Same as north |
| Willow and rock ptarmigan | No season (Värmland, Gävleborg: 25 Aug–15 Nov) | 25 Aug–15 Nov (Västernorrland); 25 Aug–15 Feb (Västerbotten, Norrbotten below the lappmark border) | 25 Aug–end Feb (Jämtland, Älvdalen) or 15 Mar (above the lappmark border) |
| Mallard | 21 Aug–31 Dec (Dalarna, Gävleborg: 25 Aug–30 Nov) | 25 Aug–30 Nov | 25 Aug–30 Nov |
| Greylag and Canada goose | 11 Aug–31 Jan | 11 Aug–31 Jan | 11 Aug–31 Jan |
Middle Sweden (Värmland, Dalarna, Gävleborg, Örebro) often sits between the columns, with longer fox and ptarmigan seasons than the south. Skåne is the only county with a general season for adult red deer outside registered areas; elsewhere adult red deer are hunted only inside county-registered red-deer management areas. The Torne valley border rivers in Norrbotten open to geese and several ducks at 11:00 on 20 August.
In the mountains, small game on state land has its own permit system. In Jämtland, residents of Sweden have priority above the cultivation limit until 15 September; from 16 September anyone with a hunting permit may hunt there.
Restricted windows and daylight
Some windows allow only smyg- eller vaktjakt, stalking or hunting from a stand, with no drive by dogs or beaters. That covers roe bucks in May–June and August–September, roe kids in September, and several deer windows. An animal taken by the wrong method in those weeks is taken outside the season.
The ordinance also limits the hours:
| Game | Allowed hours |
|---|---|
| Moose, deer, roe deer, wolf, lynx, wolverine | 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset; last hour stalking or stand only |
| Bear | 1 hour before sunrise to 2 hours before sunset |
| Ducks and geese | 1 hour before sunrise to 1 hour after sunset |
Hunting dogs have their own windows too: they may pursue moose from 21 August to 31 January, and bear from 21 August to 15 October (to 30 September in Norrbotten west of the cultivation limit).
Bears, wolves and lynx
The large carnivores have no general season. A licence hunt (licensjakt) for bear, wolf, wolverine or lynx may be allowed only if it does not hinder a favourable conservation status and is selective and strictly controlled. Naturvårdsverket may hand the decision to the county boards of a carnivore management area where the population is above the set minimum.
In 2026, seven county boards decided a licence hunt of 394 bears in total, from 21 August to at most 15 October; see our bears in Sweden guide. Lynx licence hunts, where decided, ran from 1 March to at most 31 March 2026. The winter wolf licence hunt planned from 2 January 2026 never happened: the administrative court in Luleå annulled it on 15 December 2025, and the appeal court refused to change that. Never book travel around a carnivore hunt before the decision is final.
What changes on 1 July 2027
On 20 August 2026 the government adopted new seasons, in force from the start of the 2027/28 hunting year. The 2026/27 year still follows the table above.
| Change from 1 July 2027 | Detail |
|---|---|
| Moose | Dates unchanged; a proposed February moose-calf hunt was rejected |
| Brown hare | Opens 21 August outside the four northern counties |
| Roe kid | Adds a 1 February–end of February stalking or stand window |
| Mallard | One season, 21 August–31 January, outside the Torne border rivers |
| Goldeneye, goosander | To 20 February |
| Ptarmigan | To 15 March in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Dalarna, Värmland and Gävleborg |
| Gadwall, herring gull | Gadwall gets a season in southern and central counties; herring gull loses its general season |
Some season charts already print these dates as current. Using them this season means a brown hare shot in the south in late August 2026, or a roe kid in February 2027, is shot out of season.
Mistakes to avoid
- “The moose hunt starts on the second Monday of October.” It starts on fixed dates: 1 September in the north, 8 October elsewhere.
- Treating the moose hunt as one national date. Parts of Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg follow the northern start.
- Assuming the county board chooses the season. It adjusts the start, pauses and allocations; the dates are national law.
- Reading bear, wolf or lynx off a season chart. Each licence hunt is a yearly decision.
- Grouse in Skåne or on Gotland. Gotland has no general season for black grouse or capercaillie; Skåne has one only for cocks.
If you are hiking in September and October, several hunts overlap, including the moose hunt and, in bear counties, the bear hunt with dogs. The forest stays open: Jakt pågår (“hunting in progress”) signs do not ban anyone. Wear visible clothing, for example a reflective vest, or simply choose another place; see hiking during hunting season.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hunting year | 1 July–30 June |
| State hunting card | 400 kr per hunting year |
| Moose, north | 1 September–31 January (Jämtland rut pause 26 September–9 October) |
| Moose, south | 8 October–31 January (Thursday 8 October 2026) |
| Roe deer, all animals | 1 October–31 January |
| Bear licence hunt 2026 | 21 August to at most 15 October, 394 bears, seven counties |
| Next season change | 1 July 2027 |
| Where local decisions appear | Your county board’s hunting and wildlife pages |
| Hunt and guide prices | Set by the rights holder or outfitter; not published here |
FAQ
When is hunting season in Sweden?
There is no single season. The hunting year runs from 1 July to 30 June, and each species has its own window in the Hunting Ordinance. Most big-game hunting happens from August to January: roe bucks from 16 August, moose from 1 September in the north and 8 October in the south, and nearly everything closes by the end of January or February.
When does the moose hunt start in Sweden?
On 1 September in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland and listed municipalities in Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg, and on 8 October everywhere else. Both run to 31 January. These are fixed dates, not a weekday rule: 8 October 2026 is a Thursday. County boards may pause the northern hunt for up to 14 days during the rut.
Do county boards set the moose season?
Not the dates themselves. The government’s Hunting Ordinance fixes the 1 September and 8 October starts and the 31 January end. County boards set up moose management areas, choose one start where an area spans both dates, may move more of Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg to 1 September, and may pause the hunt during the rut or for reindeer herding.
When is roe deer season in Sweden?
All roe deer may be hunted from 1 October to 31 January across the whole country. Before that, antlered bucks may be taken from 16 August to 30 September, and kids from 1 to 30 September, but only by stalking or from a stand. Bucks also have a spring window from 1 May to 15 June, again stalking or stand only.
Can you hunt wild boar all year in Sweden?
Almost. Young of the year may be hunted all year round, and other wild boar from 1 April to 31 January. The exception protects a sow followed by small striped or brown piglets. So from February to March only young of the year are open, and from April a sow with small piglets stays protected.
Is bear hunting allowed in Sweden?
Only in licence hunts decided each year. In 2026 seven county boards decided a hunt of 394 bears in total, starting on 21 August and running at most until 15 October. There is no general season for bears, wolves, lynx or wolverines, and a planned licence hunt can be stopped, as the 2026 wolf hunt was, by the courts.
Are Sweden’s hunting seasons changing?
Yes, from 1 July 2027. The government adopted new seasons on 20 August 2026: longer windows for brown hare, roe kid, mallard, goldeneye, goosander and ptarmigan, and a new season for gadwall. Moose dates are unchanged, and a proposed February hunt on moose calves was rejected. The 2026/27 hunting year still follows the current tables.
Related guides
- Hunting in Sweden as a visitor: hunting rights, the state hunting card and how a foreigner gets in
- Bringing firearms to Sweden: the import permit to sort out before the season opens
- Guided hunts in Sweden: booking a hunt in the right window
- Hiking during hunting season: staying visible while the hunts run
- Bears in Sweden: the autumn licence hunt and what it means in the forest
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: the Hunting Ordinance (Sveriges Riksdag), Regeringskansliet, Naturvårdsverket and the county boards (Länsstyrelsen) — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.