Reindeer roundup in Finland: the erotus

When guests visit our reindeer in autumn, one word comes up again and again in the herders’ stories: erotus, the reindeer round-up. It is the moment in the year when reindeer that have roamed the forests all summer are gathered, counted and sorted, and it is one of the most important working events in Finnish reindeer husbandry.

We asked ourselves how to explain it properly, so this article leans on the Reindeer Herders’ Association (Paliskuntain yhdistys), the organisation of Finland’s reindeer herding cooperatives, for every figure. Our own part comes at the end: where you can meet reindeer with us and hear about the herding year first-hand.

A reindeer roundup in Finland (erotus or pykällys) is an event held in autumn or winter where herders gather reindeer into corrals, check each animal’s earmark to identify its owner, count and register them, and decide which reindeer stay alive in the herd and which go to slaughter. According to the Reindeer Herders’ Association, the autumn round-ups run from the end of September to January.

At a glance

From: 122 €
Experience type: Reindeer tour
Duration: 1 hour 30 min
Difficulty: Very easy
Book in Advance: 24 hours
Included: Transportation to the reindeer farm and back.; Guiding (English & Finnish) & information about the life of reindeer, our reindeer farm and reindeer herding in general.; An opportunity to feed our reindeer and to take pictures of them.; Warm berry juice and cookies.
Cancellation: We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 2 days or less before event We will charge a cancellation fee of 70% if booking is cancelled 7 days or less before event We will charge a cancellation fee of 5% if booking is cancelled 14 days or less before event

StayLapland · From 122 €

Visit of authentic reindeer farm in summer / autumn Available 30.4-13.11

1 hour 30 min · Very easy · 24 hours

What the erotus is

The Reindeer Herders’ Association defines erotus (also pykällys) as an activity held in the autumn or winter where the reindeer are counted and registered as live or slaughtered reindeer. Before that comes etto or ettoaminen: gathering the reindeer from the terrain for the round-up.

It helps to remember that Finnish reindeer are semi-domesticated. As our own reindeer information page explains, they spend most of their lives in the forests and fells in search of food, and every reindeer in Finland has an owner. The round-up is where ownership becomes visible again, animal by animal.

Reindeer at an authentic reindeer farm in Rovaniemi in autumn

Why round-ups happen in autumn

The herders’ working calendar follows the animals. The reindeer herding year starts on 1 June and ends on 31 May, and the Association names two peak periods of work: calf markings in June–July and the autumn round-ups from the end of September to January.

Autumn is when reindeer are in their best condition. Females that calved in spring can lose up to 20% of their weight over the summer while suckling, and they regain strength in autumn by eating green plants and mushrooms – bolete mushrooms are a favourite – to build fat for winter.

Autumn is also the rut. The male rutting season starts in September and the females follow a couple of weeks later; the peak is at the beginning of October and it lasts around a month. Herders use this behaviour: during the rut the males keep close to their groups of females, which makes the herds easier to gather.

How a round-up works

The method depends on where in the herding area you are. In the southern and central parts, reindeer are gathered in September–October, mainly on foot. In the north, gathering waits until the waterways have frozen, and herders use snowmobiles and occasionally helicopters.

Inside the round-up fence the work follows a clear order, as the Association describes it:

The males are caught first, with lassos.
Then a smaller group of females and calves is driven into a smaller corral, called kirnu, where the animals are separated into those that will stay in the herd and those that will be slaughtered.
Every reindeer is caught and its earmark is checked, and the owner is called out to the person recording the information.
Herders cut a small mark in the fur so the same animal is not counted twice. The mark disappears when the reindeer changes its coat in summer.

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Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure

3 hours · Very easy · Cut off: 12 hours before start time

Earmarks, owners and cooperatives

Earmarks are the herder’s signature. The different parts of an earmark are cut into the reindeer’s ears with a knife, and calves receive their marks in the calf marking that starts around midsummer. At the autumn round-up, those marks are how each animal is traced back to its owner.

The owners are organised in cooperatives. The Finnish reindeer husbandry area is divided into 54 cooperatives, each responsible for reindeer herding in its own area and headed by a Chief of District chosen by the cooperative’s general meeting. The whole herding area covers 122,936 square kilometres – 36% of Finland – across Lapland and the northern parts of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, and herding is governed by the Reindeer Husbandry Act (848/1990).

On our reindeer information page we also note a piece of history: in 1898 the Finnish government ordered reindeer herders to establish cooperatives with geographical boundaries. And unlike in Sweden and Norway, where reindeer herding is an exclusive right of the Sámi, in Finland it is also practised by Finnish settlers.

Guests meeting reindeer at a Lappish reindeer farm

What the round-up produces

The erotus is also where a year of herding turns into a livelihood. The Reindeer Herders’ Association puts Finland’s annual reindeer meat production at around two million kilograms, and herders use hides, leather and antlers too – all parts of the reindeer where possible. Meat for commercial sale has to be slaughtered in EU-approved facilities, while herders may process meat for their own use or sell it directly at the round-up site.

Not every reindeer leaves. As our own reindeer information page puts it, autumn is the time when the reindeer are rounded up and herders choose which animals are used for domestic purposes.

Watching reindeer respectfully in autumn

Round-ups are working events run by the cooperatives, not visitor attractions, and the rut makes autumn a season to keep your distance from free-roaming males. The Association warns that during the rut males may see people as a threat and attack. If you meet reindeer on a road or trail in autumn, give them space and let them move on.

The easy, safe way to see reindeer up close is with a herding family that has trained animals used to people, which is exactly what our tours are built around.

How this shows up on our tours

Until 13 November, our visit of an authentic reindeer farm in Sierijärvi Village is the autumn way to meet reindeer with us. From 122 €, 1 hour 30 min on site, you meet the sleigh-pulling reindeer during their summer holiday, can feed them, and hear about the life of reindeer herders and the yearly cycle of the reindeer from a family that has herded in Rovaniemi since at least the year 1800. Transport from within 10 km of the city centre is included, and the minimum is two paying adults.

In winter our reindeer work in Kuoksa. The founder of Kuoksa Reindeer Stories, Jouni Savukoski, comes from a herding family in Savukoski, and his grandfather was a Chief of District in the Kemin-Sompio Reindeer Herding Cooperative – the kind of cooperative that runs the round-ups described above. Most of the reindeer herd out in the forest throughout the year, while the trained working reindeer are at Kuoksajärvi.

The Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure (from 159 €, 3 hours) includes a 2–3 km reindeer safari, information about reindeer herding and winter clothing. You can also combine reindeer with a frozen lake on Ice Fishing with Reindeer (from 159 €, 3,5 hours) or with the night sky on the Northern Lights Tour Reindeer Safari (from 179 €, 3,5 hours). All our options are on the reindeer activities page, and our reindeer safari article explains how a sleigh ride works.

Frequently asked questions

What is a reindeer roundup called in Finnish?

It is called erotus or pykällys. The gathering of reindeer from the forest before the round-up is called etto or ettoaminen.

When are reindeer round-ups held in Finland?

According to the Reindeer Herders’ Association, the autumn round-ups run from the end of September to January. In the south and centre of the herding area gathering happens in September–October; in the north it waits until the waterways have frozen.

Why are reindeer rounded up in autumn?

Reindeer are in their best condition after a summer of green plants and mushrooms, and during the rut males stay close to their groups of females, which makes gathering easier. It is also when herders count, register and sort their animals.

How do herders know whose reindeer is whose?

By the earmark. Each owner has a mark cut into the reindeer’s ears, given at the calf marking in summer and checked at the round-up.

How many reindeer herding cooperatives are there in Finland?

The reindeer husbandry area is divided into 54 cooperatives, each responsible for herding in its own area and led by a Chief of District.

Can we see reindeer with StayLapland in autumn?

Yes. Our reindeer farm visit in Sierijärvi Village runs until 13 November, from 122 €, with transport from within 10 km of Rovaniemi city centre. Round-ups themselves are working events of the herding cooperatives and are not part of our tours.

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