Ptarmigan Shooting in Njardarheim, Norway

Early in May 2017 I was lucky to get my hands on a shooting license for one ptarmigan on the Norwegian State`s property in Njardarheim, Southern Norway. On September the 17th 2017, I was ready for my one and only walked-up shooting day for ptarmigan this season. Few other forms of shooting can compare to the search for ptarmigan on Norway’s highest mountaintops.

Sunday the 17th of September at 4 am

What makes a full-grown man in his best years get up at 4 am in the morning, in order to go ptarmigan shooting? For that was exactly what I did. At 04.15 I filled my thermos with coffee, and at 04.15 I was in my car. It was still dark, but the air was relatively mild and humid when I drove from Kristiansand and headed up the beautiful valley named Setesdalen. The drive from Kristiansand to Njardarheim takes approximately three hours, and around 7.30 I was in the terrain and ready for action.

Bag limit – one ptarmigan or grouse per day

The bag limit for ptarmigan and grouse shooting in Njardarheim in 2017 was one ptarmigan or grouse per day. It may be a ptarmigan or a willow grouse, but one bird only! Unfortunately, the grouse and ptarmigan population in Norway has decreased dramatically for the last 30 years, making a stricter wildlife management necessary. However, reports have been coming in from all over Southern Norway that 2017 was in fact a good year for grouse, especially for the willow grouse. Sadly, EU regulations protecting birds of prey feeding on grouse has greatly contributed to the decline of these species during the last decades!

Finally, a covey of ptarmigans!

After having walked the beautiful, but rather barren terrain in Njardarheim for about 5 hours, I finally came across a covey of ptarmigans, residing by a mountain stream. For this type of shooting I use a light, easily-to-handle and easy-to-carry Franchi Affinity 20 bore. When the covey of eight birds flushed, I shot at the bird to the extreme left and hit my bird. A follow-up shot prevented the bird from escaping. Whey you do what we in Norway call “støkkjakt”, that is, shooting without a dog, you must not take any chances of losing your birds!

Finally, when I got home around 10 pm in the evening, my back was acing and my legs and feet were swollen and sore. Nevertheless, it was all worth it! Walking in this beautiful nature makes you feel closer to God. The hard-earned ptarmigan, truly a gift, served as a delicious meal which my wife prepared for our family a few days later.

#njardarheim #norway #Ptarmiganshooting