We hunted in areas with smaller herds of reindeer, where we could establish that there was respect between our dogs and the reindeer, writes the debater. Photo: Per Jonson
The reindeer herders in the mountain world have exclusive rights to fish with nets. The rest of us who are “land owners” are allowed to fish with a rod, have restrictions on how many fish we can catch and are excluded from certain lakes.
We also have restrictions on our hunting, both with regard to which area we can hunt in and how many birds we can take as prey each day.
Of course, no predatory hunting should be conducted, so that there is a bag limit is okay.
It is strange that areas closed for reindeer husbandry also happen to be the best grazing grounds.
When these closed lands become available for hunting at the same time as they are opened to foreign hunters in September, who are in need of guides, one becomes thoughtful.
I noted after a compilation in the fall of 2023 in Arjeplogsfjällen that attractive areas were closed due to reindeer husbandry, but that we could not see any reindeer. Neither with binoculars nor a drone.
We hunted in areas with smaller herds of reindeer, where we could establish that there was respect between our dogs and the reindeer.
It is argued that it is not the hunters who are the problem, but the hunters’ dogs that scare the reindeer, even if they are not hunting them. The requirement is that dogs show no interest in reindeer if you are going to hunt in the mountain world.
Then you see that reindeer are driven with helicopters and motor vehicles, a modern and efficient way. Then you think about what causes stress. What I know about reindeer is that they go where they are used to going in every season.
I finish with a question, and a picture. How many panicked reindeer do you see in the picture below?
Mats Lindström
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