"If luck is shooting, there isn't many fortune hunting days"

Mattias and Kajsa are based in Örnsköldsvik, two dedicated nature lovers who - despite city life - spend most of their time outdoors. Every chance given, they pack up their bags and head out, regardless if it’s about a fishing trip, picking mushrooms, or hunting. Why is this vibrant couple so deeply interested in outdoor living?

- Fishing has always been our primary basis, but nature has always been important, says Mattias. Nature has a special meaning; it gives energy whilst being the most relaxing thing on earth. It’s undemanding.

NATUREN AS HEALING PROCESS

Mattias explains that nature plays a high role in their life, probably because of the significant health improvement. Nature has been a huge part of the mental healing process and the progress of knowing themselves.

- You never feel as much as yourself as when being outdoors, Mattias says.

INSTAGRAM FEVER

Today, the couple runs an Instagram account that reaches many like-minded people, combined with their ordinary employment. However, the start of their career as content creators was shaky - Mattias had no idea that the camera he thought wasn’t an SLR wasn’t, and he crashed it after only three pictures. He laughs and explains that something must have been right since he bought a new one.

- For a period, we took a lot of pictures. This almost turned overwhelming, and there was this huge pressure to succeed with every photo and capture as many moments as possible. We had to remind ourselves why we’re doing this - sometimes, you don’t need to capture everything. You only need to experience it.

HUNTING EMERGED

Kajsa believes that their interest in nature and what it has to give has successively grown. Fishing has always been the primary reason for outdoor living, but different circumstances made the interest even bigger.

- With fishing, we got outdoor living. We began picking mushrooms, and hunting became a part of being outside over time. We were tempted to experience hunting and all it has to give.

Mattias agrees and points out the value of filling the whole tear with activities that the forest shares with us.

- It’s delightful to go outdoors with a goal. Hunting fills every empty spot - suddenly we could chase a purpose every time.

The mission with hunting - no matter if it's game or fish - has never been to trap. Mattias laughs and shares that he is not a great shotgun shooter and that the shooting itself has never been the purpose. He has been outdoors extremely much this fall without shooting one single bird.

- Hunting is an extra level of outdoor life, says Kajsa. Taking a hunting license gave me so much knowledge about animals and nature and a whole new perspective on all that happens in the woods.

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A WIDE ENTHUSIASM

The great attraction is to explore new places, learn how to find different games, and the adventure of the seeking. Mattias has been moose hunting but still likes the moving, the free, type of hunt. Cooking is also an interest that hunting complements;

- To hunt and bring home your own game and make something out of it is an extra dimension of cooking. It’s about respect for the meat, and at the same time, you know that you’ve hunted and trapped this yourself. It gives another presence to the animal and sympathy that this was something living before. The hunting makes you less distanced from how it should be.

What’s interesting about hunting is how much difference there is between experiences. Mattias believes that one hunter sees a ptarmigan as something to put in the backpack and that after a few years, you won’t feel the same devotion and gratitude. He believes it gets more casual over the years and wants to encourage others to never take animals for granted.

- Shooting one single ptarmigan might be a useless hunting day for someone, but for me, it can be one of the best days of my life. You need to show respect to the game, no matter the size.