Big game hunters in Norway are set to gain even more advantage over their prey as the country’s largest land owner, Statskog, starts using the Internet to cut red tape during hunting season.
A concept called papirløs storviltjakt (paperless big game hunting) will be available to hunting parties on government-owned land, drastically reducing the paperwork needed to obtain hunting permits and report results of the autumn hunt.
Until now, hunting party leaders have received a thick folder of documents, which they had to pass on to fellow hunters for review and signatures. Teams were then required to carry with them all documentation of their members’ skills and licenses.
But starting this year, hunters can use a self-service portal to input their data and pay hunting fees, and receive response and receipts to their mobile phones. If a member of a hunting party has not paid required fees, for example, the team leader will be automatically notified. Teams may also download maps and GPS data for their assigned area from the Internet.
The portal covers all of Statskog’s area, which includes about a fifth of Norway’s total landmass. The system handles the hunt for moose, deer and wild reindeer.
According to an official at Statskog, Kjell Bratlien, the idea is to simplify what used to be slow and bureaucratic procedures and speed up reporting of how the hunt progresses.
“Communication between us and the hunters wil be much more efficient,” Bratlien told hunting magazine Jakt og Fiske.
Bratlien said he is not worried about any lack of computer skills among hunters, since 99 per cent of those on Statskog land already use the web to apply for their hunting license.
Views and News staff
