Swiss Hunting Statistics 2021: What the Federal Figures Show

The Swiss Federal Hunting Statistics document the reported kills and animals found dead of numerous wild mammal and bird species in Switzerland. For 2021 they record 149’062 wild animals killed, 4’857 more in the "kill" category than the previous year. This dossier is part of Wild beim Wild's annual analysis; the method, background and demands are set out in detail in the 2025 hunting statistics dossier.

Those who want to dig deeper will find the most comprehensive body of material in our dossier overview.

What awaits you here

The balance sheet: Wild animals killed in 2021 compared with 2020.
Endangered species: Which Red List species were shot.
Fox and badger: The differences between the cantons.
Geneva: Animals found dead and wild boar damage in the canton without recreational hunting.
Bird hunting: Crows, pigeons, ducks and jays.
Wounded and perished: Animals with gunshot injuries.
Protected species: Special kills of protected species.
Data gaps: What the federal statistics do not explain.
What would need to change: The key demands.
Arguments and quick links: Answers to common claims, further articles and the other years.

149’062 wild animals killed: the 2021 balance sheet

In 2021 the federal statistics recorded 139’651 wild animals in the "kill" category (2020: 134’794) and 9’411 as "special kill" (2020: 7’575). A total of 41’800 animals were found dead as casualties. The reported number of people hunting stood at 30’164.

Species	Kill 2021	Special kill 2021	Found dead 2021	Kill 2020
Roe deer	43’166	252	15’732	42’969
Red fox	21’284	1’664	13’793	20’953
Red deer	12’851	196	1’597	14’002
Wild boar	12’974	1’650	909	8’313
Chamois	10’405	69	1’907	10’694
Marmot	5’814	864	79	4’637
Badger	2’918	929	4’180	2’797

Endangered species in the crosshairs

Species	CH status	Killed 2021	Main cantons	Killed 2020
Woodcock	vulnerable (VU)	1’587	TI 1’256, NE 125, VD 87	1’424
European hare	vulnerable (VU)	1’479	GR 971, VS 304, VD 94	1’892
Mountain hare	near threatened (NT)	836	GR 629, VS 102, TI 46	1’218
Black grouse	NT, national priority	387	TI 161, VS 145, GR 81	527
Rock ptarmigan	NT, national priority	324	GR 229, VS 73, UR 22	523
Tufted duck	vulnerable (VU)	164	OW 45, BE 43, TG 19	90
Eurasian teal	vulnerable (VU)	132	FR 57, SG 32, TG 29	75
Common pochard	endangered (EN)	49	BE 17, OW 8, ZG 7	53
Great crested grebe	NT, national priority	48	VS 24, NW 10, OW 7	85
Gadwall	vulnerable (VU)	11	TG 9, VS 2	9
Wild rabbit	endangered (EN)	2	VS 2	2

“Killed” covers “kill” and “special kill”. For the woodcock, 1’256 of the 1’587 kills come from Ticino. For the brown hare, 971 of 1’479 come from the Grisons. For birds, the classifications refer to Swiss breeding populations; the statistics do not allow us to determine what share of the kills involves migrant or wintering birds. Background: dossiers on Woodcock, on the European hare, on the mountain hare, on the Rock ptarmigan and on the waterfowl.

Fox and badger: large differences between the cantons

Canton	Foxes killed	Special kill	Total per 100 km²	Fallen game
Bern	3’538	524	68,2	3’986
Lucerne	2’456	18	165,7	609
Aargau	2’199	0	156,6	1’208
Grisons	2’086	35	29,9	489
Appenzell Outer Rhodes	339	4	141,2	174
Geneva	0	0	0,0	167
Ticino	31	93	4,4	61

The most foxes per area were killed in Lucerne (165.7 per 100 km²), around 37 times as many as in Ticino (4.4). Why Ticino hardly shoots any foxes is explained in the 2025 dossier. For badgers, Bern reported 1’083 animals as found dead, while 560 were killed. Background: Fox dossier and Badger dossier.

Geneva: no recreational hunting since 1974

In Geneva, 167 foxes were found dead in 2021, or 59.2 per 100 km². By comparison: Aargau 86.0, Bern 66.9, Thurgau 92.5, Zurich 121.2. Animals found dead also depend on traffic; the reported figures do not prove a “fox plague” in Geneva.

For wild boar damage, Geneva reported 60’300 francs, Vaud 577’721 and Aargau 533’400. Per km² of cantonal area, Geneva, at 214 francs, ranked 7th of 18 cantons reporting damage; Basel-Landschaft topped the list with 619 francs. These comparisons describe reported figures and do not, on their own, prove any effect of hunting. More: Geneva and the hunting ban.

Bird hunting: crows, pigeons, ducks and jays

In 2021, 29’851 birds of huntable species were killed (2020: 29’068).

Species	Killed 2021	Cantons of note
Carrion crow	11’145	ZH 2’409, BE 2’014, AG 1’051
Feral pigeon	4’866	ZH 2’285, BS 348, TI 308
Mallard	4’854	BE 791, VD 546, FR 519
Woodcock	1’587	TI 1’256, NE 125, VD 87
Jay	1’570	TI 450, GR 415, BE 169
Cormorant	1’495	BE 376, SG 133, VS 133
Wood pigeon	1’179	VD 281, SG 216, ZH 151
Magpie	866	BE 185, GR 100, SZ 80

For the Eurasian jay, a bird that is not endangered but is important for the dispersal of tree seeds, 450 kills were in Ticino. More in the dossiers on Jay, on corvids and on the pigeons.

Shot and died

In 2021, the statistics list “gunshot wounds” as the cause of death for 292 animals among the mammal species analysed: roe deer 121, red fox 93, wild boar 44, red deer 23, chamois 6, badger 3, brown hare 2. Only animals that were found are recorded.

Protected species in the special kill

In 2021, the cantons reported special kills of protected species, including 23 grey herons, 15 mute swans, 9 beavers, 5 greylag geese and 2 yellow-legged gulls. For wolf, lynx and bear, the public query returns no results. Wolf kills are documented by the wolf counter.

Data gaps: what the federal statistics do not explain

Whether a zero conceals a missing report cannot be determined from the query alone. The following need explaining:

Valais: The federal statistics record no fallen game for the fox, as in every year since 2016.
Vaud: No figure given for the number of hunters.
Lucerne: For the stone marten, fallen game is recorded as zero (2020: 40).

The method of the analysis is described in the 2025 dossier.

What needs to change

No recreational hunting of endangered species: Woodcock, brown hare, mountain hare, black grouse, rock ptarmigan and endangered duck species must be removed from the list of huntable species.
Complete and uniform reporting: All cantons must report kills, special kills and fallen game without gaps, and publicly explain any gaps.
Professional wildlife management: Where interventions are necessary, trained game wardens should carry them out. The full demands can be found in the 2025 dossier.

Talking points

“Endangered species are only hunted in moderation.” In 2021, 1,587 woodcock and 1,479 brown hares were killed; both species are classed as vulnerable in Switzerland.

“Without fox hunting, there would be a fox plague.” In Geneva, where hunting has been banned since 1974, 59.2 foxes per 100 km² were found dead in 2021. In Aargau, Bern, Thurgau and Zurich, where hundreds to thousands of foxes are shot every year, the figures were higher.

“Wounded animals are isolated cases.” The animals found with gunshot wounds in 2021 alone add up to 292. Animals that die undiscovered appear in no statistics.

Quick links

Editions of the hunting statistics:

Related dossiers:

sources

FOEN, Federal Hunting Statistics, editions 2020 and 2021, queried on 21.10.2026 (jagdstatistik.ch)
FOEN/info fauna: Red List of Mammals, 2022 (bafu.admin.ch)
FOEN/Swiss Ornithological Institute: Red List of Breeding Birds, 2021 (bafu.admin.ch)
Federal Statistical Office: Areas of the cantons

Our Standard

IG Wild beim Wild analyses the Swiss Federal Hunting Statistics in full every year and compares the years against one another. Behind every figure stands a nonhuman animal that was killed, wounded by gunshot or run over. This dossier will be updated whenever the federal government supplies or corrects figures for 2021.

More on the topic of recreational hunting: in our hunting dossier we bring together fact checks, analyses and background reports.