The bear hunting is in earnest - and already on the second afternoon, a third of the year's quota had been dropped, writes Svensk Jakt.

At 15 o'clock on Thursday, 100 of the total 300 bears to be dropped at this year's license hunt had been shot. Most had been dropped in Gävleborg and Dalarna counties with 33 bears each, followed by Jämtland with 17.

Interest in bear hunting has increased, which is why police and county boards have tightened the control of illegal aids. In Västerbotten, where the hunt ended on Thursday with ten fallen bears, the police have found a total of five illegal eels, ie bait used to attract the animals. In addition, a suspected serious hunting crime has been reported.

- These are eels that have not been reported to the county administrative board. In some cases, things have not been added there, such as bread, says Joacim Lundqvist, game coordinator at the police in Västerbotten.

Common

Attorneys are not illegal unless they have been approved by the county administrative board in advance. Then it is also important to follow the rules that, among other things, keep sufficient distance from buildings and roads so that the bear is not attracted to people.

It is also not a problem to get an eel approved if you meet the criteria. Nevertheless, the use of illegal eels is widespread across all parts of the country where hunting for a bear, says Lundqvist.

- It is very common, I would say. You take some shortcuts.

The police have not encountered any negative reactions from the hunters when they have been out and inspected, and on the whole the efforts have gone well, says Lundqvist.

Good response

- We have met many hunters in the forest, and basically they are positive that we are out looking. It has been very nice and good meetings with the hunting team. I would also like to say that 98 percent of the hunters are doing very well.

On Friday, hunting of the year in western Gävleborg also ended with a total of 40 bears felled, reports Sweden's Radio Gävleborg. In the eastern part of the county five have been shot and five remain of the total quota of 50 bears, which is the second highest in the country. The largest allocation is in Jämtland County, where 100 bears may be shot by the total quota in the country of 300.