Hunting regulations were changed in spring. Since April, bears can only be hunted with a special permit from the Environmental Board. As of today, three special permits have been issued.
Hunters say the number of bears is high. Bears often come close to people. For example, in Harju County and Tartu and Põlva counties, they have been breaking into beehives.
Tanel Türna, head of the Environmental Board, says bears have attacked beehives 25-30 times. Sometimes the hives were near houses, sometimes large beekeeping complexes.
Hunters say a regular bear hunt is not possible. Although scientists recommended hunting up to 150 bears, this is not feasible. If time and resources are needed to issue permits, only a few bears can be hunted.
The number of bears is high. There is not enough food and habitat in the forests. Encounters between people and bears are increasing.
Eleri Lopp, head of MTÜ Eesti Suurkiskjad, has a different opinion. He says it is not known how many bears there are in Estonia. The Supreme Court said the state is violating laws because the bear population is not sufficiently monitored.
The Environmental Board has dealt with bears that came into people's yards. Some bears were young, others were 1.5 years old. They are not dangerous, but it is a serious problem.
Because bears got food from people, they no longer feared them. Smaller bears were returned to the wild. But bears that killed chickens may be hunted.
According to 2025 data, there are at least 1,000 bears in Estonia. The bear population has doubled in the last 20 years.