Swiss Hunting Statistics 2023: 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 2023 they record 132’868 wild animals killed, 975 more in the “kill” category than in the previous year. This dossier is part of the annual analysis by Wild beim Wild; the method, background and demands are set out 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 2023 compared with 2022.
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.

132’868 wild animals killed: the 2023 balance sheet

In 2023 the federal statistics recorded 124’514 wild animals in the “kill” category (2022: 123’539) and 8’354 as “special kill” (2022: 8’725). A total of 40’316 animals were found dead as fallen game. The reported number of people hunting stood at 30’590.

Species	Kill 2023	Special kill 2023	Fallen game 2023	Kill 2022
Roe deer	43’545	395	16’966	42’722
Red fox	16’714	1’571	11’613	15’478
Red deer	13’208	268	1’886	13’543
Wild boar	8’574	1’402	605	7’974
Chamois	10’193	77	1’691	10’216
Marmot	5’093	834	61	3’826
Badger	2’997	857	4’039	2’965

Endangered species in the crosshairs

Species	CH status	Killed 2023	Main cantons	Killed 2022
European hare	vulnerable (VU)	1’645	GR 1’163, VS 316, TI 51	1’601
Woodcock	vulnerable (VU)	1’157	TI 913, NE 84, FR 67	1’805
Mountain hare	near threatened (NT)	837	GR 672, VS 77, TI 50	1’079
Black grouse	NT, national priority	350	VS 138, TI 130, GR 76	434
Rock ptarmigan	NT, national priority	244	GR 168, VS 58, UR 18	319
Eurasian teal	vulnerable (VU)	79	FR 46, TG 16, SG 15	76
Tufted duck	vulnerable (VU)	52	OW 16, BE 10, ZG 10	56
Great crested grebe	NT, national priority	33	NW 15, SG 13, OW 5	36
Common pochard	endangered (EN)	21	AG 9, BE 4, TG 4	17
Gadwall	vulnerable (VU)	5	TG 5	11

“Killed” comprises “kill” and “special kill”. For the woodcock, 913 of the 1’157 kills come from Ticino. For the brown hare, 1’163 of 1’645 are accounted for by Grisons. For birds, the classifications refer to Swiss breeding populations; the statistics do not allow us to determine what share of the kills involves migratory 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	1’862	314	36,5	3’259
Lucerne	2’054	44	140,5	514
Grisons	1’893	117	28,3	591
Aargau	1’713	0	122,0	1’237
Appenzell Outer Rhodes	339	10	143,6	92
Geneva	0	9	3,2	195
Ticino	84	81	5,9	80

The most foxes per area were killed in Appenzell Outer Rhodes (143.6 per 100 km²), roughly 24 times as many as in Ticino (5.9). Why Ticino hardly shoots any foxes is explained by the 2025 dossier. For the badger, Bern reported 1’063 animals as fallen game, while 484 were killed. Background: Fox dossier and Badger dossier.

Geneva: no recreational hunting since 1974

In Geneva, 195 foxes were found dead in 2023, 69.1 per 100 km². By comparison: Aargau 88.1, Bern 54.7, Thurgau 70.6, Zurich 73.3. Fallen game also depends on traffic; the reported figures do not substantiate a “fox plague” in Geneva.

For wild boar damage, Geneva reported 99’000 francs, Vaud 478’735 and Aargau 386’283. Per km² of cantonal area, Geneva topped the 17 cantons with reported damage at 351 francs. The comparisons describe reported figures and, on their own, prove no effect of hunting. More: Geneva and the hunting ban.

Bird hunting: crows, pigeons, ducks and jays

In 2023, 23’149 birds of huntable species were killed (2022: 26’013).

Species	Killed 2023	Cantons of note
Carrion crow	7’916	ZH 1’273, AG 1’192, BE 697
Feral pigeon	4’656	ZH 2’087, VD 650, AG 296
Mallard	3’642	BE 462, SG 441, FR 381
Cormorant	1’608	BE 188, ZH 181, SZ 153
Woodcock	1’157	TI 913, NE 84, FR 67
Wood pigeon	1’096	SG 356, ZH 148, JU 140
Jay	755	GR 216, TI 206, VS 79
Magpie	643	BE 119, GR 79, SZ 68

For the Eurasian jay, a bird that is not endangered but is important for the dispersal of tree seeds, 216 kills were recorded in the Grisons. More in the dossiers on Jay, on corvids and on the pigeons.

Shot and died

As the cause of death 'gunshot wounds', the 2023 statistics list 282 animals among the mammal species analysed: roe deer 132, red fox 57, red deer 43, wild boar 30, chamois 11, badger 8, brown hare 1. Only animals that were found are recorded.

Protected species in the special kill

In 2023, the cantons reported special kills of protected species, including 21 grey herons, 18 mute swans, 14 beavers, 1 greylag goose, 1 goosander. 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.
Basel-Landschaft and Jura: Zero feral pigeons killed (2022: 51 and 42).
Schwyz: Zero common ravens killed (2022: 35).

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 2023, 1’157 Eurasian woodcocks and 1’645 brown hares were killed; both species are considered vulnerable in Switzerland.

“Without fox hunting, there would be a fox plague.” In Geneva, where hunting has been banned since 1974, 69.1 foxes per 100 km² were found dead in 2023. In Aargau, Thurgau and Zurich, where hundreds to thousands of foxes are shot every year, the figures were higher.

“Wounded animals are isolated cases.” The animals with gunshot wounds found in 2023 alone add up to 282. Animals that die undiscovered are missing from every statistic.

Quick links

Editions of the hunting statistics:

Related dossiers:

sources

FOEN, Federal Hunting Statistics, 2022 and 2023 editions, 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 Federal Hunting Statistics in full every year and compares the annual editions against each other. Behind every figure stands a non-human animal that was killed, wounded by gunshot or run over. This dossier will be updated if the Confederation supplies or corrects figures for 2023.

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