Wildlife Resources Act

The Wildlife Resources Act (viltressursloven) is Norway's law on hunting, trapping and culling of wildlife. It has applied since 1 July 2026 and replaced the Wildlife Act (viltloven) of 1981.

In short

  • The full Norwegian title is lov om jakt, fangst og felling av vilt mv. (viltressursloven), act of 20 June 2025 no. 102. The act falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
  • The Wildlife Act of 29 May 1981 is repealed. Regulations made under it still apply, including the hunting season regulations and the deer regulation (§ 61).
  • The purpose is that hunting, trapping, culling and other handling of wildlife is sustainable and responsible, in line with the Nature Diversity Act and the Animal Welfare Act (§ 1).
  • The act applies on land, in the territorial waters off mainland Norway and in Norway's economic zone, but not on Svalbard or Jan Mayen (§ 2).

When hunting is allowed

Hunting and trapping are only allowed where they have been opened in or under an act (§ 10). Which species may be hunted, and when, is set in the hunting season regulations.

  • There is no hunting or trapping from 24 December to 31 December inclusive, or on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday (§ 13).
  • Moose, red deer and roe deer may only be hunted where the municipality has opened it by regulation, and the hunt requires a felling permit from the municipality. Wild reindeer require a felling permit from the wild reindeer board (§ 42).

Requirements for the hunter

  • A passed hunter's exam (§ 14).
  • Registration in the Hunter Register (§ 15).
  • A paid hunting fee for the hunting year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. Proof of payment must be carried while hunting and shown when the landowner, someone acting for the landowner, or the hunting inspection asks for it (§ 16).

These requirements do not apply to participants who neither use a hunting weapon nor are responsible for traps, such as beaters (§ 18). Age limits are set by regulation (§ 17).

How the hunt must be conducted

  • Hunting must be done in a way that is responsible for animal welfare and no danger to people, livestock or property (§ 21).
  • Whoever shoots must make sure whether the animal was hit, and put a wounded animal down as soon as possible. If you cannot rule out a hit, you must start a search, and you must not hunt new animals while it is going on (§ 22). Read more in Wounded game tracking obligations.
  • If you wound big game, you may follow the animal onto land where others hold the hunting right, until the end of the day it entered that land (§ 23).
  • It is forbidden to shoot on or across a public road or railway, or from an aircraft or motor vehicle (§ 28).
  • While hunting, it is forbidden to use an aircraft or motor vehicle to pursue game, or off road to locate game, and to use a motor boat within two kilometres of land. A drone may be used when searching for wounded big game in season, but the landowner, the police and the municipality must be notified (§ 29).

The act also has rules on hunting weapons and ammunition (§ 24), trapping (§ 25), lights and special sights (§ 26), dogs (§ 27), bait (§ 30), chemicals and poison (§ 31) and banned hunting and trapping methods (§ 32).

The right to hunt

The landowner has the exclusive right to hunt and trap on their land (§ 33). The hunting right can be given to others, but not separated from the property for more than ten years at a time (§ 35). The rules on water, the sea, roads, joint ownership and state land are in Landowner Rights.

Who does what

  • The municipality opens hunting for moose, red deer and roe deer, sets the minimum area and gives felling permits (§ 42). It may charge a felling fee for each moose and red deer taken, which goes to the municipal wildlife fund (§ 9).
  • The county governor (statsforvalteren) handles appeals against the municipality's decisions under the act (§ 7).
  • The wild reindeer board gives felling permits for wild reindeer (§ 42).
  • The Norwegian Agriculture Agency (Landbruksdirektoratet) holds the directorate's tasks in the deer regulation.

Sanctions

  • Many of the rules can lead to an infringement fine (§ 58).
  • The penalty for breaches is a fine or up to one year in prison, and up to two years for serious breaches (§ 60).
  • Breaching the landowner's exclusive right is punished with a fine, and attempts are punishable too (§ 60).
  • Authorisations, for example as a hunter's exam instructor or taxidermist, can be withdrawn for up to two years (§ 59).

Where the rules were in the Wildlife Act

Many people still know the section numbers from the old act. This is where the same rules are now:

TopicWildlife Act (1981)Wildlife Resources Act
The landowner's exclusive right§ 27§ 33
Hunting right of the user, giving the right to others§ 28§ 35
Joint ownership§ 29§ 36
State land§ 31§ 37
Boundary towards water and sea§ 32§ 34
Hunting right on roads§ 33§ 34
Following wounded big game onto others' land§ 34§ 23
Hunter's exam§ 39§ 14
Duty to pay the hunting fee§ 40§ 16
Checking that the hunter has paid§ 41§ 35
Penalties§ 56§ 60

Sources

This page is an overview, not legal advice. Where in doubt, the text of the law applies. Checked against Lovdata on 3 November 2026.