– Nobody wants to shoot the last bird in the mountain. This year the shotgun will be at home, says Liv Turtum. On the east side of Jotunheimen, the Vågå mountain council has opened for hunting, despite the small number of birds in the mountains. Local hunters and the tourism industry think it is completely unjustified. – It looks like a competition to shoot the last bird in the mountain, says tourist host Peter Brag. He says he knows of many hunters who are laying down their weapons in protest this year. Liv Turtum is one of the many hunters who have now advocated for a charity to restore the grouse population in the region. – Hunting is one of the important factors for the grouse population, and when there are as few birds as this year, Vågå mountain management should also protect the grouse, says Turtum. Neighboring municipalities drop hunting In Øystre Slidre, the mountain council has decided not to open hunting for grouse or grouse. It is also not allowed to hunt grouse in municipalities such as Lom, Gausdal or the Frons municipalities. LAW/NOT LAW: In parts of Vågå, grouse hunting is open this year, while several neighboring municipalities (the blue ones) have said no to hunting due to low numbers. In Dovre they say that hunters can shoot a maximum of one grouse per day, and a maximum of five in the whole season. Lesja and Ringebu prohibit hunting in parts of the municipalities. Vestre Slidre municipality has a quota of two birds a day. Erlend Birkeland Nilsen is a senior researcher at NINA and says that Nord-Gudbrandsdalen is one of the areas that has had few grouse in recent years. THE STOCK: Senior researcher at NINA, Erlend Birkeland Nilsen, says there are clear differences in the stock in areas with and without hunting. Photo: NINA How big an impact hunting has on the stock has been much debated, but that hunting is a factor is beyond doubt. – When we do experiments and compare areas without hunting with areas with high hunting pressure, we see clear differences, says Erlend Birkeland Nilsen in NINA. I think it is justifiable Leader of the Vågå mountain board, Pål Grev, is aware of the criticism, but says they have made the decision on the same basis as always. Three teams did grouse assessments at six sites and several times at each site. The crew reported success with grouse and large birds, he says. – The assessment is reasonable, and as we assessed it, it was okay to open for hunting. But he emphasizes that the hunt is limited and that the mountain supervisor is following developments closely and has good contact with the hunters. – We may well stop the hunt from 30 September, as we did last year, says Pål Grev. – Are the scared dives helping to weaken the grouse population? – No more than last year. ASSESSMENT: A grouse assessment has been carried out as usual in advance of the hunt, and Vågå mountain management believes that limited hunting is fine. Photo: Kjartan Trana / news Receives reports of concern Behind the counter at Randsverk camping, Peter Brag has sold hunting licenses and accommodation to hunters for 25 years. Now he sees that many locals do not want to hunt. – They send us reports of concern about the bird population, says Brag. Brag believes that it is not reasonable to allow hunting. He wonders what investigations the mountain council in Vågå has done to be able to justify hunting, when several others report low numbers. He believes the decision is based on far too flimsy a basis. – The signal we send out to society when you continue hunting in an area where there are no birds, here you just drive on. Then something is wrong. He is afraid the bird will become extinct, and says those who hunt in autumn must take care of their own conscience. – If the hunter can buy a hunting license, it is legitimate for him to go hunting. Everyone must be closest to their conscience. Does it need to be a human who shoots the last bird, he asks. This is what Vågå mountain council wrote about this year’s grouse hunt: This year’s grouse assessment has been completed. Observations from the assessment, feedback from use of the training field and hunting test last weekend under the auspices of the Gudbrandsdal bird dog club show local variations. Where litters have been observed, these are generally of good size and with good-sized chicks. The small game hunt starts as usual on 15 September. For this year’s hunt, a daily quota of 1 grouse per I am. The hunters are encouraged not to shoot single birds or single pairs. After approx. a week into the hunt, when we know more about the year’s production, especially the grouse, a decision will be made whether to limit the hunt after the “regulated” period, i.e. after the first 15 days. It may be relevant to end the hunt for grouse as it was done last year, when grouse were allowed to hunt from 30 September and for the rest of the season. Any decision on conservation or any other regulations will be made by 25 September at the latest.
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