This might be fun, just as a small insight in what's going on around the world. Maybe even a thread for similar lists from other countries and geographical locations outside the realm of the US?It would interest many of us to know what huntable species you have in Finland. Maybe you could post a list in a new thread?
A "tag" system is in effect, without actual tags rather than license documents that must be presented to game warden if requested anytime during the hunt, even if you haven't shot anything yet. The game animals that don't require a tag don't have a set bag limit either, except when noted otherwise.
This is probably not a comprehensive list. I may have missed something, but these are mainly the game animals I've hunted or tried to hunt myself, with varying success.
Big/medium game:
Moose (common, #1 in terms of importance and hunting as a social event, "tag" required)
Roe deer (common, no tags or limits but all kills have to be reported to game officials for statistics)
Whitetail deer (introduced species from northeastern US, very common in southern and central Finland, "tag" required)
Fallow deer (fairly rare, huntable population exists, "tag" required)
Muflon (introduced species from Denmark, rare)
Brown bear, "grizzly" (common throughout Finland, "tag" required)
Finnish forest reindeer (very rare, not to be confused with domesticated reindeer, "tag" required)
Wild boar (somewhat rare, season 12 months a year, sometimes considered as a pest)
Grey seal (fairly common, regional "tag" required)
Ringed seal (common, "tag" required)
European beaver (somewhat common, "tag" required)
North American beaver (introduced species, fairly common)
Wolf (special permit required)
Lynx (special permit required)
European otter (special permit required)
Small game:
Brown hare (very common)
Mountain hare (very common)
Rabbit (introduced, very common in urban areas)
Red squirrel (very, very, very common, "squirrel skins" is an old slang term for money)
Predators/pests:
Fox (common)
Raccoon dog (very common, invasive introduced species, trapped, shot, to be eliminated in every which way possible)
Arctic fox (both native and introduced, fairly common)
Polecat (common, usually trapped)
Ermine/weasel (common)
Pine marten (common, usually trapped)
Badger (common)
Mink (introduced, shoot to kill, trap them, do anything to get rid of every last one of them)
Muskrat (common)
Upland fowl:
Capercaillie (common in rural northern regions, the "king" of upland fowl)
Black grouse (common, another great trophy bird)
Willow grouse / willow ptarmigan (common in northern Finland)
Rock ptarmigan (rare, legal to hunt only in a few northern counties)
Hazel grouse (common)
Grey partridge (common)
Pheasant (common in southern Finland)
Woodcock / common snipe (common)
Jack snipe (rare, can't be hunted anymore)
Wood pigeon (very common)
Waterfowl:
Mallard (very common, the usual catch when you go fowling)
Northern pintail (common)
Teal (common)
Oldsquaw (very common, 5 birds/day bag limit)
Wigeon (very common)
Garganey (very common)
Goosander (fairly common)
Northern shoveler (fairly rare)
Bean goose (common but difficult to hunt, the "king" of waterfowl)
Canada goose (very common, not to be confused with barnacle goose which isn't legal to hunt)
Eurasian coot (fairly common)
Goldeneye / whistler (fairly common)
Tufted duck (fairly common)
Phew! It took a while to compile this list, I had to take a few peeks in my diaries as well as the public hunting season documents to remember it all. Hunting is already very popular around here and on the rise (!!), especially among women in their late teens to 40's.
Finland has an incredibly long history of hunting as a common man's sport - and means to survive - dating continuously, uninterrupted over 7500 years. While in central Europe hunting has been mostly restricted to noblemen, a right to hunt has been an anomaly, an exception, as an incentive to keep the arid, northern territory populated. All the way to when Finland was a part of Sweden from 1300's to 1808, and surprisingly enough, between 1808 and 1917 when Finland was a Grand Duchy of imperial Russia.
Ever since the declaration of independence in 1917 hunting has been a civil right, albeit tied to land ownership and restricted with some requirements like passing a hunters' exam.
It's safe to say that hunting is still BIG in Finland, and there's no shortage of game animals to hunt. My personal favorite is the whitetail season, whole 5.5 months every year, from September 1st to February 15th. Upland fowling is great too, but the season is relatively short, just seven weeks from September 10th to October 31st, with the exception of an extended season in some northern counties to January 31st.