A new Wildlife Resources Act, drones allowed for tracking wounded game, new rules for dogs, and a reporting duty for everyone who pays the hunting fee.
Note: Checked against Lovdata on 20 September 2026. The changes below took effect on 1 July 2026. Rules change — always check the current regulation and the municipality where you hunt.
A new act from 1 July
- The Wildlife Resources Act (LOV-2025-06-20-102) replaced the 1981 game act.
- All the wildlife regulations were amended at the same time (FOR-2026-06-26-1380) — most changes align them with the new act.
- The hunting practice regulation still applies, now under the new act.
Drones are allowed for tracking wounded game
- The main rule stands: aircraft may not be used to pursue game, distract the animal, or locate game off-road.
- The exception is tracking wounded large game THAT HAS A HUNTING SEASON. Wolf, bear and wolverine have none, so drones do not apply to them.
- You must notify the landowner, the police and the municipality. For lynx, the county governor as well.
- The hunter bears the burden of proof that the shot was lawful.
Thermal and night-vision sights
- When tracking wounded deer, wild boar and red fox: allowed, with notice to landowner, police and municipality BEFORE the search starts.
- In ordinary hunting: wild boar and red fox, in open terrain or at a bait site.
- Deer: only where the municipality has given permission to prevent grazing damage, and only in open terrain.
New rules for dogs
- Driving dogs are permitted only for moose, red deer, roe deer, lynx, red fox and hare, with limits on the size of the dog and the time of year.
- No more than two loose dogs may pursue the same animal at once.
- A dog that bites, injures or kills game while hunting is prohibited. Retrieving shot small game is the exception.
Reporting for everyone who pays the hunting fee
- New § 35a: you must report by 1 May in the year after the hunting year, to Statistics Norway.
- The duty applies whether you hunted or not.
- If you do not report, a surcharge is added the following year.
Papers in the field
- Proof of a paid hunting fee AND your weapon permit must be available during the hunt.
- The digital weapon permit from the National Weapons Register has replaced the laminated card. Old paper cards remain valid for a transitional period.
- Traps must be visibly marked with the user's hunter number, and must not be set where there is heavy traffic.
Hunting seasons
- Moose opens on 1 September in ALL of Finnmark. Previously this applied only to Kautokeino and Karasjok.
- Seasons for several waterfowl species have changed — see the season table.
Not new in 2026, but often misremembered
- Lead shot has been banned in and within 100 metres of wetlands since 15 February 2023. The ban covers both shooting with and CARRYING lead shot there.
- Wetland is defined broadly: bog, peat or water — natural or artificial, permanent or temporary. In Norwegian terrain that leaves little.
- The energy requirement for big game ammunition was simplified in 2021. The 2,700 joule class for bullets between 9 and 10 grams no longer exists: the requirement is 2,200 joules, a bullet weight of 9 grams (7.8 grams for lead-free) and a calibre of at least 6.5.
Read more
- The Wildlife Resources Act on Lovdata
- The 2026 amendments (FOR-2026-06-26-1380)
- Regulations on the exercise of hunting, culling and trapping
- The Norwegian Agriculture Agency: hunting
In Veida
Veida keeps the hunting seasons current in the app, and warns you when you set up a session on a date the species has no season — or on one of the days the act closes entirely.