Hunting in Estonia: law, wildlife and a debate growing louder

With wolves and bears flourishing in Estonia’s forests, the question of how to manage large predators has become increasingly urgent.

Estonia is among the most forested countries in Europe, and its vast woodlands support robust populations of wolves, bears, lynx and other species that have vanished or become rare elsewhere on the continent. Hunting has long been woven into rural life, serving not only as a tradition and means of subsistence but also as a practical tool of wildlife management. In recent years, however, growing predator numbers and a series of court cases have pushed hunting to the centre of public debate, exposing tensions between conservation goals, public safety and the rights of local communities.

How hunting is regulated

To understand the current controversy, it is essential to grasp how hunting is regulated in Estonia. The country operates under a clearly defined legal framework that sets out when and how hunting may take place. Each year, the Environmental Board establishes quotas for species such as wolves and bears, drawing on population monitoring and scientific research. Hunting seasons are fixed in advance, with specific rules for each species. Large carnivores can be hunted only during designated periods – typically late autumn and winter for wolves, and late summer for bears – and any exceptions require formal approval.

The system is designed to maintain healthy wildlife populations while limiting damage to farms, beehives and other property. Most hunting is carried out by licensed local hunting districts, although foreign hunters may also participate with the appropriate permits. On paper, the arrangement seeks to balance ecological sustainability with the realities of living alongside large predators. In practice, that balance has proved increasingly difficult to maintain.

Wolves: a court ruling and a growing population

The debate intensified in late 2024, when the Tallinn Administrative Court was asked to suspend the wolf-hunting quota for the 2025–26 season. The Environmental Board had authorised the hunting of 84 wolves after monitoring showed that the population continued to exceed the targets set in Estonia’s national management plan.

The official aim is to maintain between 20 and 25 wolf litters on the mainland by autumn 2026. Yet monitoring recorded 39 litters in 2023 and 31 in 2024. Shortly before the quota was issued, at least 25 litters had already been confirmed, with further increases expected once snow conditions allowed more accurate tracking. Scientific assessments presented to the court indicated that, without hunting, Estonia’s wolf population could grow by 30 to 50 per cent annually. In previous seasons, the number of wolves taken had also exceeded the newly authorised quota.

The court therefore declined to suspend the hunting order issued on 31 October 2025. Judges ruled that the situation did not warrant urgent intervention and that the potential damage caused by wolves – economic, and in rare cases related to human safety – outweighed arguments for immediate protection. They also noted that delaying proceedings could allow the hunting season to conclude before a final judgment, effectively achieving the suspension sought by opponents without a substantive legal decision.

The ruling has not yet entered into force and remains open to appeal.

Bears: a legal pause and a record-high population

The debate over bears has been particularly fluid, with court decisions reshaping the situation within the space of weeks. Earlier in the summer, the Tallinn Administrative Court temporarily halted the start of the bear-hunting season while considering a legal challenge brought by a conservation organisation. That pause was later lifted, however, when the court reversed its preliminary ruling and allowed the hunt to resume from 14 August.

The Environmental Board welcomed the decision, pointing to what it describes as an unprecedented bear population. Current estimates suggest that at least 1,000 bears now live in Estonia. Monitoring conducted by the Environmental Agency in autumn 2024 identified at least 112 bear dens with cubs – well above the minimum threshold of 70 dens set out in the national management plan.

According to Leelo Kukk, the board’s deputy director general for wildlife, non-lethal preventive measures such as scare devices and physical barriers have proved insufficient. Bears continue to raid beehives, damage silage bales and are increasingly seen in villages. In these circumstances, the Board argues, limited and targeted hunting is necessary both to prevent serious economic damage and to reduce the risk of dangerous encounters between bears and people.

The broader debate: two visions for the future

Taken together, these developments point to a deeper divide in Estonia over how humans and large carnivores should coexist. Supporters of hunting argue that when predator populations grow beyond a certain threshold, conflict with people becomes unavoidable. They point to rising agricultural losses, the increasing presence of bears near settlements and the risk that frustration in rural communities could lead to illegal killing if official quotas are perceived as too restrictive. For many hunters and residents of the countryside, regulated hunting is seen as a pragmatic tool to protect both wildlife and human livelihoods.

Opponents, including conservation organisations, take a different view. They question the precision of population estimates and warn that hunting can disrupt the social structure of animals, particularly wolves. When packs are broken up, younger wolves may disperse into new areas and attack livestock more frequently, potentially creating the very problems hunting is meant to solve.

Environmental groups also emphasise Estonia’s obligations under European Union law to ensure that protected species retain a favourable conservation status. From this perspective, hunting should remain a last resort, used only after non-lethal measures – such as improved fencing, better waste management and financial support for farmers – have been properly implemented and tested.

A question of balance

The debate unfolding in Estonia echoes discussions across Europe, where large carnivores have returned in force after decades of decline. Estonia’s situation, however, is distinctive. Its wolf and bear populations are among the healthiest on the continent – a conservation success that also heightens the risk of conflict. As court challenges continue and new data emerge, the country is being forced to navigate an increasingly narrow path between protecting wildlife, supporting rural communities and safeguarding public safety.

What is clear is that the question extends beyond whether hunting should take place at all. At its core lies a more complex challenge: how to strike a durable balance between ecological realities and human needs. It is a balance that Estonia, like much of Europe, has yet to fully define – and one that will shape the future of its forests, its wildlife and the people who live among them.