The bear hunting season opens in the Nizhny Novgorod region on August 1.

      This year, hunters are permitted to harvest no more than 399 individuals.

      Photo: Ministry of Forest Resources of Nizhny Novgorod Region

      The bear hunting season in Nizhny Novgorod Region begins on August 1 and will last until the end of the year. This was reported by the regional government’s press service.

      This season, hunters are allowed to harvest no more than 399 bears, with a strict prohibition on shooting bear cubs and females with their young. A special procedure applies for publicly accessible lands—here, quotas will be distributed through an online lottery on August 7 via the “Digital Forest” platform. According to monitoring data, there are 1,521 bears in the region, most numerous in the Varna, Voskresensk, Vetluzhsky districts, and the Sechenov urban district.

      The Ministry of Forest Resources warns that illegal bear hunting is punishable by criminal liability and hefty fines—180,000 rubles for a male and 300,000 rubles for a female. Particular attention is paid to fire safety: a special regime is in place in the forests, prohibiting campfires and trash burning. Violators face fines up to 1 million rubles for organizations, and criminal responsibility if a fire occurs. In case of fire, it is necessary to immediately call the forest patrol hotline.