The federal framework and the cantonal systems
The Confederation sets the protection framework; the 26 cantons organise hunting in practice under three systems.
In Switzerland, hunting falls under cantonal jurisdiction: the Confederation sets the framework for protecting species and habitats, and each canton organises the practical exercise of hunting on its territory. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) confirms that the country has three distinct systems. Sixteen cantons operate a licence-based system (patente), where each hunter individually acquires an authorisation valid for a defined period and species: Bern, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Fribourg, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Graubünden, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel and Jura. Nine cantons operate a leasehold system, where territories are allocated by lease to hunting associations: Zurich, Lucerne, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Aargau and Thurgau. Geneva applies a special regime: private hunting has been banned there since a 1974 popular vote, and the necessary interventions on wildlife are carried out by cantonal game wardens. Precise rules — permits, periods, species, fees — must always be checked with the competent cantonal authority, whose directory is maintained by the Conference of Heads of Environmental Protection Services (KVU).