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Two weeks ago we partook in the 'Feldjagd' and now it was time for the annual 'Waldjagd' (woodland or forest shoot).

It's a great group of friends who all come together the Saturday before Christmas, and enjoy a day's rough shooting on a concession near Duesseldorf, Germany. We hunt the woodlands and thickets with standing guns positioned on woodland pathways and beaters and walking guns pushing through the woods and often very thick undergrowth and waist high brambles! Hare, rabbit, woodcock, pigeon, fox, magpie and jays are all open game (although you may only shoot a woodcock if you have not shot one on this shoot in the past - only one per gun and most guns will have mounted the one they shot; that's how highly woodcock are seen in Germany!) Pheasant were off the game list this year as there are not many in the woods and they were to be left alone.

This year, I left the shotgun at home, opting instead to work our new Springer bitch, Polly, and concentrate fully on her, this being her first big shoot. Anja took her 20 bore Browning.

We climbed into the Defender 90, at 08.30 h for the short drive to the meeting point, the Jagdhutte, at 09.00, where the guns, beaters and other helpers were already gathering. We enjoyed a wonderful sunrise with the promise of a dry, mild, sunny day.

I always enjoy seeing the various guns that are brought along and the many traditional hats that are worn. Merkels, Sauers, a Lebeau, various Brownings, Berettas and an Aya. And the hats - pin feathers from woodcock, blue feathers from Jays, mallard tail feathers and various pins and badges decorating the headgear! Very traditional.

At 09.00 h the horns played the 'Begrussung' and a safety briefing was given and the guns and beaters split into three groups - the seniors ( who would be standing most of the day ), a second group of guns that would be flanking and walking and then the beaters and dog handlers. There were 5 dogs in total - a yellow lab, a brown lab, two black labs and our Springer. The horns sounded 'Auf zur Jagd' and then we climbed aboard the shoot wagon and others in a box trailer and set off for the first drive.

We managed 4 drives before a break for lunch - sausages and Christmas cake - with soft drinks for the guns and beer for the beaters and non shooters! Four more drives in the afternoon before the sun started to set. Polly, on her first big shoot, was a star and a natural! She hunted hard and quickly and managed to put up a woodcock and then on the last drive a cock pheasant. Very very pleasing to see Anja's hard training work in action!

The day's bag was a roe buck (which bolting from the beaters ran head on into a wire fence and broke it's neck - great shame but 'shit happens'), 11 hares and 1 woodcock.
The horns signaled the various animals and then 'Jagd vorbei' bringing another wonderful 'Waldjagd' to an end.

We took a brace of hares home for the kitchen. Jugged hare on the 26th December!

That evening we met in the local pub for a shoot dinner and drinks with lots of laughters, smiles and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and 'see you at next years hunt!'

And here some photos ....







































































Merry Christmas to all on AR and the best for 2020 !


Charlie & Anja


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Charlie,
Thanks for another enjoyable hunt report. Nice to see how it's done in Germany. Perhaps I should write a report on a Swedish drevjakt sometime.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Anja!

Thanks for sharing! A tradition I must experience sometime.....


Ski+3
Whitefish, MT

Again, very cool and thanks for sharing.

Question: are those tags on the hares a gov't requirement, or just to ensure the hunters get the proper hare back after pictures? Other, maybe? Just curious.

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If you refering to the ties on the hares feet, bailing twine / cord used to hang the hares and game in the game cart.

Interestingly I took a hare with a good dose of number 6's to its front end / head. When I picked it, I cut the ear so that I could identify it later as one of mine to take home. No lead in the fillets and haunches of that one!

Game, whether ground game or large game, doesn't need to be tagged or licensed in Germany. All land comes under private or State management and its the concession holder's responsiblity to hunt only what is in season and shoot according to either agreed plans or based on what you think the concession can support. Pretty simple.

Cheers

Charlie

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quote:

Originally posted by Charlie64:
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If you refering to the ties on the hares feet, bailing twine / cord used to hang the hares and game in the game cart.

Interestingly I took a hare with a good dose of number 6's to its front end / head. When I picked it, I cut the ear so that I could identify it later as one of mine to take home. No lead in the fillets and haunches of that one!

Game, whether ground game or large game, doesn't need to be tagged or licensed in Germany. All land comes under private or State management and its the concession holder's responsiblity to hunt only what is in season and shoot according to either agreed plans or based on what you think the concession can support. Pretty simple.

Cheers

Charlie

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OK, thanks for the response.