At 7 o'clock in the morning, a hunter contacted the County Administrative Board (Länsstyrelsen) to report that the county's first bear had been shot in the Sorsele area.
– It was pretty much 7 o'clock, Peter Näslund, wildlife officer for the Länsstyrelsen of Västerbotten, tells VK (Västerbottens-Kuriren).
The hunter reported that a large bear had been shot in Gråberget.
– A preliminary report is that it is at least a large male bear. We haven't had an inspector there yet, but that's the report we got from the hunter.
At 9:30 in the morning, another hunter called with the news that another bear had been shot. This time in Gulltjärn, in the Robertsfors area.
– According to the hunter, it was a smaller male bear, says Näslund.
Länsstyrelsen has not inspected the bear or verified the information at the time of writing.
A total of 81 bears may be hunted in the county during the licensed hunting period between August 21 and October 15.
40 bears may be shot in the western hunting area, which includes parts of the municipalities of Sorsele, Storuman, Vilhelmina and Dorotea west of the E45 road.
In the eastern area, 41 bears may be shot during the same period. This includes the part of the county east of road E45. It was also in the eastern area where the first bears of the season were shot.
– It is quite common for a bear to be shot in the early hours of the morning. It usually happens on the first day of the season, says Näslund and continues:
– The most hunters are usually out during the first few days, and then it tapers off.
There are still 79 bears left to be shot in the county during the licensed hunting period, 40 in the western area and 39 in the eastern area.