You learn something new everyday.......

In Finland, especially as you head north towards Lapland hunting is a way of life. Not the pointless shooting at anything for fun hunting but the lets stock up the freezer for the winter variaty. At this time of year it is mainly elk and bird hunting. 

Each hunting club is allocated a set number of elk each year that they are allowed to hunt. This varies dramatically year to year with the powers that be using a formula and doing counts in sample areas to estimate the elk population. The hunters then get together usually at weekend during the season keeping strictly to their allocation. For many it is the socialising rather than the hunting that appeals.

So now for the new part. It was only yesterday that I discovered that to gain a hunting licence each hunter must take a test every 3 years to ensure that they are skilled enough to carry a gun. The test involves shooting 3 moving targets. Many hunters take the test annually, I can only assume this is to reassure themselves and their hunting companions. 

At this point I am usually asked if they hunt reindeer and just to clear that up the answer no. The reindeer are semi domesticated animals that roam through northern Finland and Lapland grazing freely.