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Experience with Bowhunting in Denmark

Denmark has been a pioneer of bowhunting in Europe. This paper reviews the history of bowhunting in Denmark.

Hunting with a bow and arrow began more than 10,000 years ago. In addition to being a hunting weapon, the bow was also considered modern military equipment for thousands of years. Bows continued to be used in warfare well into the eighteenth century.

Bowhunting was gradually displaced by firearms. It returned to Denmark in the 1920s and 1930s, when people from the upper social classes who owned sufficient land with healthy game populations began using bows again. The inspiration probably came from the United States.

During the Second World War, in 1941, the Danish archery federation (Dansk Bueskytteforbund/ Archery Denmark) was founded. It was probably established because firearms were unavailable and people were looking for an alternative. A hunting and field archery division was soon established within the federation. In the early 1960s, the two disciplines were separated into two different associations.

Bowhunting was initially permitted without specific restrictions. However, a new hunting act introduced numerous changes in 1967. After more than 10,000 years of use, bowhunting was suddenly prohibited. The reason was probably concern among the authorities about wounding game, hunting ethics in general, and poaching, which may have been a problem at the time because of poverty.

In 1977, the Association of Danish Bowhunters (Foreningen af Danske Buejægere, FADB) was founded and began working to reintroduce bowhunting, which had by then been illegal for ten years.

At that time, no statistical data on game shot with bows existed anywhere in the world. FADB therefore established a game reporting system to which all association members who harvested game with a bow and arrow were required to report. Between 1981 and 1997, the statistics covered a total of 759 game animals harvested by Danish bowhunters, both in Denmark and abroad. Until 1999, all bowhunters who harvested game were required to provide extensive information about every animal taken with a bow. The information was so comprehensive that FADB could answer almost any related question. If someone wanted to know how many roe deer had been shot from the left side in rainy weather and had travelled more than 20 metres after being hit, the association could provide an answer. The authorities cross-checked the information against Denmark’s register of tracking-dog handlers, known as the Schweiss Register. This comprises approximately 200 volunteer handlers whose specially trained dogs can track game—primarily deer—that has been injured in road collisions or wounded during hunting. The authorities found the bowhunting statistics to be valid.

In 1982, after bowhunting had been illegal for 15 years, an exemption was obtained allowing bowhunting in Denmark for all game species that could legally be hunted. Once the required test had been passed, there was, in principle, no difference between hunting with a bow and hunting with a rifle. The same rules applied.

When the legislation was revised in 1992, the first step towards formally legalising bowhunting was taken. It was decided that a study should be conducted to establish the effectiveness of bows and arrows. Pending the results, hunting the largest game species, such as fallow deer and red deer, with a bow and arrow was no longer permitted. A review of the available bowhunting literature was compiled in 1998. The review showed that bowhunting is a highly effective hunting method. In 1999, bowhunting was legalised and no longer depended on an exemption. For unclear reasons, however, hunting the largest game species remained prohibited.

In 2018, bowhunting was finally permitted for the larger game species, fallow deer and red deer. However, every arrow shot must be reported to the authorities. Today, bowhunting is therefore largely on an equal footing with hunting using shotguns and rifles, except in certain areas, such as wildlife control. Work is currently under way to achieve full parity and completely reverse the changes introduced in 1967.

To hunt with a bow in Denmark, a person must first obtain the standard hunting licence by passing a theoretical and a practical test. They must then pass a separate practical test for hunting with a shotgun, rifle or bow. The bowhunting qualification consists of a compulsory one-day course followed by a theoretical test, in which 18 out of 20 questions must be answered correctly, and a practical test, in which five out of six targets must be hit. The practical test must be repeated every five years. It is taken using either a longbow, a recurve bow or a compound bow. Requirements apply to the arrow’s energy, weight and other specifications. Hunters may only hunt with the type of bow for which they have passed the practical test.

Approximately 2,200 people hold a bowhunting licence in Denmark, out of a population of around six million. There are no known cases of poaching with bows in Denmark. Over the years, bowhunting in Denmark has attracted considerable attention from radio, television and print media. However, media coverage has always been positive. Approximately nine out of ten people in Denmark support hunting. There is no apparent opposition specifically to bowhunting.

Bowhunting is relatively discreet, as it produces no noise pollution. It can therefore also be used in places where hunting would normally be avoided to prevent disturbing or frightening those nearby. Bowhunting leaves no bullets or shotgun pellets in the environment after a shot. The arrow is taken home, cleaned and prepared for reuse.

In Denmark, bows and arrows are classified as sporting equipment, like fishing rods, and are therefore not legally considered weapons. Consequently, there is no legal requirement to store them in an approved gun cabinet. Archery practice does not have to take place at an approved shooting range either. Any undisturbed location where an arrow can be shot responsibly may be used, such as a private, enclosed garden.

FADB – the Association of Danish Bowhunters – is happy to assist other countries by sharing Denmark’s experience with bowhunting.

References:

Niels Kanstrup, Thorsten Johannes Skovbjerg Balsby og Christian Sonne Institution: Aarhus Universitet, Institut for Ecoscience. Effektiviteten af buejagt – opfølgende undersøgelser. Teknisk rapport fra DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi nr. 257

Kanstrup, N., Balsby, T. J. S. og Thomas, V. G. (2016). Efficacy of non-lead rifle ammunition for hunting in Denmark. European Journal of Wildlife Research 62:333-340 doi:10.1007/s10344-016-1006-0

Kanstrup, N. & Sonne, C. (2021). Effektiviteten af buejagt på de store arter af hjortevildt – viden, erfaringer og skitser til kontrollerede forsøg. Aarhus Universitet, DCE – Nationalt Center for Miljø og Energi, 34 s. – Teknisk rapport nr. 218 http://dce2.au.dk/pub/TR218.pdf

Smith, S. D. G., & Ryeng, K. A. (2022). Developments in the Quantitative Assessment of Welfare Outcomes in Hunted Mammals Subject to Shooting. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 12. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.5914

Stokke, S., Arnemo, J. M., Brainerd, S., Söderberg, A., Kraabøl, M. og Ytrehus, B. (2018). Defining animal welfare standards in hunting: body mass determines thresholds for incapacitation time and flight distance. Scientific Reports 8:13786 doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32102-0