When one thinks of hunting, the mental image that comes to mind does not tend to be that of an urbanite staring down the sights of a rifle. In Copenhagen, this perception is seemingly changing, as the city is now home to the most residents with hunting licences in Denmark.

In recent years there has been a clear trend in the rise in interest in hunting among residents in the Capital Region. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of Copenhageners with hunting licenses rose by 552, according to data from the Ministry of Environment. During the same period, no other region in the country had an increase of more than 199 new licenses.

Escaping the city
Torsten Lind Søndergaard, the head of the Danish Hunters’ Association, told DR this rise was due to people wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

“We are always ‘on’ in our work and private lives. Hunting is the opposite,” he said. “It’s about being turned off technologically, but with your senses turned on.”

Søndergaard also credits the DR program ‘Nak og Æd’, which features its presenters hunting and eating their own food, with boosting interest in hunting licenses.

Straying from tradition?
Hunting is traditionally associated with rural populations and areas, with many inheriting their interest in the activity from their families. But recent years have seen city residents with no experience in hunting picking it up.

The demand for hunting licences has reached a point when one of the country’s largest providers of courses has sold out for the second straight year.