Wolf hunt in Sweden: Authorities approve culling of 72 wolves next winter
Swedish county administrative boards will allow a licensed hunt of up to 72 wolves in winter 2027 – around one in five wolves in the country. Hunters welcome the decision, while conservationists vow to fight it.
In Sweden, up to 72 wolves may be shot next winter as part of an officially approved licensed hunt. The responsible county administrative boards (länsstyrelser) announced this on 15 October. The hunt is due to start on 2 January 2027 and last until 15 February at the latest. Measured against the current population, that corresponds to roughly one in five wolves in the country.
What was decided
The culling is concentrated in areas of central and southern Sweden where there are particularly many wolf territories. According to the Värmland County Administrative Board, 66 animals fall to the central management area and six to the southern one. The largest number of wolves may be killed in Örebro County (36 animals in five territories), followed by Västmanland including a territory shared with Dalarna (18), as well as Västra Götaland (12) and Södermanland (6). According to the authorities, the aim is to empty affected territories and thus reduce the burden on people and livestock.
Värmland, long one of the regions with the most wolves, is not included this time. Following declines, the county is no longer among the areas with the highest wolf density, the board there said.
Background: Population and reference value
The count in winter 2025/26 recorded around 355 wolves in Sweden. The Värmland County Administrative Board expects the population to be around 362 animals by October 2027 despite the hunt – without a hunt it would be around 472.
How many wolves Sweden needs at a minimum has been disputed for years. The government had initially lowered the so-called reference value to 170 animals, which drew criticism from the EU, and raised it to 220 in summer 2026. The reduction is to take place gradually. For the 2027 hunt, according to The Local and the Swedish Carnivore Association (Svenska Rovdjursföreningen), the authorities are still guided by the older mark of 300 animals – partly to avoid renewed legal problems. Last winter, courts halted the planned wolf hunt following appeals.
Reactions: Approval and criticism
The Swedish Hunters’ Association welcomed the decision. Conservation organisations, by contrast, take a critical view: Beatrice Rindevall, chair of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), warned, according to SVT, that the already heavily inbred population could be weakened further. Svenska Rovdjursföreningen has announced that it will challenge the new reference value in court. Whether the hunt actually goes ahead as planned could therefore once again be decided in court.
What this means for visitors
For travellers, little changes in everyday terms: encounters with wolves are rare in Sweden, and the animals usually avoid people. However, anyone hiking or cross-country skiing in the affected regions in January and February should expect hunting to take place in some forest areas. What visitors are allowed to do in Swedish nature is explained in our article on the right of public access in Sweden.