By Carl Von Eckermann, CEO Natlink (FACE Gold Patron)

Hunting is a deeply ingrained tradition in Europe, with seven million hunters participating in various forms of game pursuit across the continent. However, concerns about hunting safety have escalated in parts of Europe following some tragic accidents.

The good news is that hunting-related death accidents have decreased in many countries thanks to awareness-raising campaigns and safety measures pushed by the hunting community. While regulatory changes such as mandatory safety training and high-visibility gear in place across Europe, one area remains under-utilised: technology.

The Nordic countries have effectively minimised hunting accidents, with Sweden, Norway, and Finland reporting significantly fewer incidents than most other nations. A key factor is the type of hunting; for example, more accidents happen during driven hunts than other hunting methods. However, driven hunts occur frequently in the Nordic countries, but with few accidents.

One key factor in this achievement has been the widespread adoption of WeHunt, a digital hunting application that provides real-time tracking of all participants in a hunt. By ensuring that hunters are constantly aware of each other’s locations and warning users when they are in unsafe shooting positions, WeHunt has contributed to a significant reduction in hunting-related accidents in the Nordics. Given its demonstrated effectiveness, other countries have an opportunity to adopt WeHunt as a cost-effective and swift solution to enhance hunting safety and align its accident rates more closely with those of Northern Europe.

One of the most notable safety innovations in the Nordic hunting scene is WeHunt, a smartphone application that has become ubiquitous among Scandinavian hunting teams, provided by the hunting tech company Natlink (Natlink – products). WeHunt is designed to make group hunts easier and safer by offering real-time GPS tracking of all participants and dogs on a digital map (Features – Wehunt). In practice, this technology has contributed to accident reduction in several ways:

Learn how Real-Time Tracking Tech such as WeHunt Reduces Accidents: