Recreational hunting begins at the desk

Recreational hunting is not just about the forest; it is about administration. Since 1 January 2026, the updated version of the Hunting Ordinance (JSV) has been published on Fedlex and is thus a citable reference for all objections, appeals and political initiatives. At the same time, the annual recruitment rounds are starting in the cantons: in the canton of Zurich, the examination dates for 2027 are already set, with registration forms to follow from January 2027. In the canton of Schwyz, registration for the 2026/2027 hunting course is under way, requiring a criminal record extract, proof of liability insurance and a passport photo.

These dates are not footnotes. They are the administrative starting signals of a year in which recreational hunting is once again offered as a qualification pathway, while questions about animal suffering, ecological impact and social legitimacy are left to be dealt with later, at the enforcement stage. Anyone who wants to control recreational hunting effectively must start before the kill: with rules, training, rulings, file access and deadlines. This dossier provides the tools to do so.

What awaits you here

Hunting 2026 as administrative routine: How the updated JSV, registration deadlines and training courses renew the system every year, and why this is politically relevant.
What the JSV 2026 changes: The most important changes taking effect on 1 January 2026, and what they mean for hunting practice and oversight.
Training as a normalisation machine: How hunting training works as an administrative process, and what it says about animal welfare, animal suffering and responsibility: very little.
Transparency Protocol 2026, Step 1: Making hunting decisions visible early: Why formal notification is crucial and how to demand it.
Transparency Protocol 2026, Step 2: Securing file access and deadlines immediately: Which steps are needed within which deadlines, and what irreversible interventions require.
Transparency Protocol 2026, Step 3: A uniform questionnaire for the cantons: The complete instrument for organisations and media professionals, with a ready-to-copy template.
Transparency Protocol 2026, Step 4: Publication under the principle «We asked»: How public enquiries turn into political pressure.
Comparing cantonal training logic: How Zurich, Schwyz and other cantons organise hunting training, and what is missing.
Argumentation guide: Answers to the most common objections to greater transparency in hunting administration.
Quick links: All relevant articles, ordinances and resources.

Hunting in 2026 as administrative routine

“Soft news” such as the status of ordinances and registration deadlines seems harmless. In reality, these are the maintenance cycles of a system that organises the killing of wild animals as a qualification and normalises it socially. Anyone who criticises recreational hunting must make this normalisation visible before the next intervention takes place.

With the publication of the JSV as at 1 January 2026, an up-to-date, citable reference is available. It defines terms, responsibilities and thresholds that make interventions in wildlife populations appear as regular enforcement. In the canton of Zurich, the theory exam for candidates takes place on 28 January 2027, and the hunting examination on 9 and 10 September 2027; the canton will make the registration forms for the 2027 hunting and hunting supervision examinations available from January 2027 (Canton of Zurich: hunting training). In the canton of Schwyz, registration for the 2026/2027 hunting course requires an extract from the criminal record, proof of liability insurance and a passport photo: all administrative normality for an activity that leads to the death of tens of thousands of wild animals every year. Authorities present recreational hunting as a training programme handled like an administrative process: registration start, deadlines, submission requirements. It is precisely this language that can be documented and is therefore usable both journalistically and politically.

More on this: Hunting laws and oversight: why self-supervision is not enough and Hunter lobby in Switzerland: how influence works

What the JSV 2026 newly regulates

The JSV revision, which entered into force on 1 February 2025 and can be cited in its current version of 1 January 2026, brought several relevant changes. Civilian drones are banned as aids, except for fawn rescue by qualified persons. The minimum barrel length of hunting firearms was shortened from 45 cm to 40 cm so that weapons fitted with a silencer remain easy to handle; the previous ban on silencers when hunting was lifted. Subsonic ammunition and lead-containing bullet ammunition from calibre 6 mm are newly prohibited. In forests a night hunting ban applies, with the exception of wait hunting; the cantons may provide for exceptions to prevent wildlife damage (Art. 3^ter JSV), which in practice continues to permit night-time kills. The killing of wild animals is permitted only to persons with the relevant expertise (Art. 1b JSV). The reference to the Animal Welfare Act in the introductory paragraph, by contrast, is not new: it has been in the ordinance since 2012 and did not prevent the exemption of hunting from the stunning requirement (Art. 178a TSchV).

For organisations and political actors, the crucial point is this: the updated JSV is the legal basis on which kill orders, population regulation and exemption permits rely. Anyone wishing to challenge a ruling needs the current version, not last year's.

More on this: Wait Hunting: Waiting, Technology and Risks and Hunting and weapons: why «hobby» and firearms are politically linked

Training as a normalisation machine

Hunting training in Switzerland is regulated differently from canton to canton, but follows a common logic: it is structured in two phases. In the canton of Zurich, the theory examination and shooting test are followed by a 'candidate period' of at least two years in a Zurich hunting ground before the practical hunting examination can be taken. In the canton of Schwyz, registration for the hunting course includes a data protection declaration, an extract from the criminal record and proof of insurance.

What does not appear prominently in any of the publicly accessible training forms and communications: how many training hours are actually devoted to wildlife ecology, animal behaviour and animal welfare, compared with weapon handling and shooting practice? What role does animal suffering play as a subject of learning, rather than merely as a case of handling mistakes? How is decision-making competence assessed, that is, the ability to decide when a shot is ethically unjustifiable, and not just marksmanship? These questions are not answered in the publicly available training documentation. That is itself political information.

More on this: The hunting licence and Hunting and children: what it means to sell killing as an experience of nature

Transparency Protocol 2026

The following protocol is aimed at organisations with party status and at political actors who want not merely to comment on hunting decisions but to scrutinise them verifiably. Legal foundations and a list of eligible organisations are documented by the FOEN. Anyone who criticises recreational hunting only once kills are taking place is always running behind enforcement. The more effective approach lies earlier: in the transparency of decision-making bases, deadlines, access to files and the question of how recreational hunting is organised as a qualification.

Step 1: Make hunting decisions visible early

Many hunting-related measures are communicated informally: via websites, press releases or official gazettes. For legal protection, what matters is that a decision is formally notified and exists as a challengeable act with reasons, conditions and information on legal remedies. If no formal notification has been made, it must be actively requested. Administrative authorities are obliged to issue a formal notification as soon as an organisation with party status makes such a request. This turns official communication into an administrative act that can be legally reviewed.

Step 2: Secure access to files and deadlines immediately

The right of access to files is a component of the right to be heard and is well established in Swiss administrative law practice. It applies in principle to pending proceedings and can be exercised informally, including by email. As soon as a decision becomes known, four steps are necessary:

Request access to the files: In particular the data foundations, proportionality assessments and alternatives that were examined.
Note the appeal deadline: Document when it starts to run, usually from formal notification, not from the press release.
Examine suspensive effect: In the case of irreversible interventions such as the removal of entire packs or complete population regulation, check immediately whether an application for suspensive effect or interim measures is necessary.
Document silence: If an authority fails to respond within the deadline or delays issuing a decision, this must be documented: an appeal against unjustified denial or delay of a challengeable decision (Rechtsverzögerungsbeschwerde) is available (in federal proceedings Art. 46a VwVG, in the cantons under cantonal procedural law).

Step 3: A standardised catalogue of questions for the cantons

So that criticism remains verifiable, every enquiry is structured in the same way and publicly documented. This makes silence measurable and allows comparison between cantons.

A. Legal basis and objective
Which specific legal basis supports the decision, citing articles of the JSG and JSV? What objective does the measure pursue, and how is its success measured?

B. Proportionality and animal suffering
How is animal suffering taken into account in the weighing of interests? Which non-lethal alternatives were examined, and for what specific reasons were they rejected?

C. Data foundations and oversight
What monitoring data, damage reports or estimates form the basis? Who collected them? How are mistaken kills, follow-up searches and wounded animals recorded and published?

D. Training and decision-making competence
How many hours of the cantonal hunting training are devoted to weapon handling and shooting practice, and how many to wildlife ecology, animal behaviour and animal welfare aspects? How is decision-making competence assessed?

E. Transparency and legal protection
Where is the full justification published? Which body is responsible for objections? From what date does the appeal period run?

Step 4: Publication under the principle 'We asked'

Every enquiry is publicly documented, with date and addressee, subject of the decision, status of deadlines, list of questions, response status and next step. This makes visible which cantons work transparently and which evade scrutiny. Systematic silence is politically usable: it shows that oversight is not working, and it gives the right to say so publicly.

Ready-to-copy template for NGO enquiries

Betreff: Transparenzanfrage zu Jagdentscheid: Rechtsgrundlage, 
Datengrundlagen, Verhältnismässigkeit, Kontrolle

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren

Wir ersuchen um Auskunft und Akteneinsicht zum folgenden 
Jagdentscheid: [Titel, Datum, Publikation, Link].

Bitte bestätigen Sie uns die laufenden Fristen, insbesondere 
ab welcher Eröffnung die Rechtsmittelfrist zu laufen beginnt.

Wir stellen folgende Fragen und bitten um Beantwortung mit 
Verweisen auf Rechtsgrundlagen und Datengrundlagen, soweit 
möglich mit Aktenstellen oder Dokumenten:

[Fragenkatalog A bis E einfügen]

Bitte senden Sie uns die Antwort bis [Datum], damit eine 
sachgerechte Prüfung innerhalb der Fristen möglich ist.

Freundliche Grüsse
[Organisation, Kontakt]

More on this: Independent Hunting Oversight: External Control Instead of Self-Regulation (template text) and Transparent hunting statistics (template motion)

What needs to change

Duty to publish training weightings: Cantons publish annually how many training hours are devoted to weapon handling, shooting practice, wildlife ecology, animal behaviour and animal welfare. Without this data, no independent assessment of hunting training is possible.
Duty of formal notification for all kill orders: Every ruling that orders or authorises the killing of wild animals is formally notified and made publicly accessible, including the full justification, the data basis and information on legal remedies. Template motion: Transparent hunting statistics
Animal welfare as a compulsory examination subject in hunting training: Animal suffering, behavioural biology and decision-making competence (when a shot is ethically unjustifiable) are included as a separate examination subject in the cantonal hunting examination, with its own pass mark. Template motion: Reform of recreational hunter training
Independent hunting oversight: Oversight of hunting practice is carried out by a body that is not organisationally entangled with hunting associations or cantonal hunting administrations. Template motion: Independent Hunting Oversight: External Control Instead of Self-Regulation
Standardised duty to respond to transparency requests: Cantons are obliged to respond fully to transparency requests from organisations with party status within a defined deadline (e.g. 30 days). Failure to respond is documented as a breach of the duty to provide information and may be challenged by appeal.
A public hunting register at federal level: The Confederation creates a digital, publicly accessible register of all cantonal kill orders, exemption permits and regulation decisions, including the legal basis, the underlying data and the outcome.

Talking points

“Hunting administration is technical and inaccessible to outsiders.” That is the aim of the system, not a feature of it. Administrative law, deadlines and the right to inspect files are publicly accessible and clearly regulated in Switzerland. Organisations with party status have a guaranteed right of access. Technical complexity is no excuse for a lack of transparency; it is an argument for why independent support is needed.

“Hunting training is already rigorous and comprehensive.” In the canton of Zurich, the registration form for the 2026 hunting examination listed the examination fee precisely: CHF 250. How many hours are devoted to animal welfare and animal suffering is not apparent from any public document. Rigour is not the same as transparency. As long as the weighting of training content is not published, no independent assessment can take place.

“Objections slow down necessary wildlife management measures.” Suspensive effect and objections are rights that the legislator deliberately introduced, precisely for irreversible interventions. If authorities classify measures as so urgent that they wish to rule out legal protection, that is itself a legal problem. Proportionality and animal welfare are not obstacles to wildlife management. They are its legal prerequisite.

“Organisations abuse procedures for political purposes.” Legal remedies and transparency requests are not manipulation but democracy. Anyone who implements official decisions with public funds must withstand public scrutiny. This applies to every administrative activity. Recreational hunting is no exception.

Quick links

Articles on Wild beim Wild:

Related dossiers:

Our Standard

Recreational hunting does not begin in the forest. It begins at the desk: with ordinances, registration deadlines, examination fees and administrative orders that organise the killing of wild animals as routine bureaucracy. Anyone who wants to scrutinise this system must start before the kill, not after it. This dossier provides the operational tools to do so: legal foundations, deadlines, a standardised list of questions and a ready-to-copy template for transparency requests.

IG Wild beim Wild documents not only what happens in the forest, but also what is decided in government offices, so that the public can judge whether hunting administration serves animal welfare or merely manages it. This dossier is updated annually whenever new JSV versions, cantonal regulations or court rulings make it necessary.

Call to Action: Have you submitted a transparency request to a cantonal hunting administration and received an answer, or a revealing silence? Share either with us: wildbeimwild.com/kontakt

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