Hey everyone! Haven't posted anything on this forum in a long time! I was wondering what kind of hunting I might encounter in Germany, because my brother has recently gotten engaged to a German girl, and he leaves at the end of the month to go live with her, so I might just get a chance to go over there and do some hunting at some point. I was just wondering when the seasons were, and what kind of animals they hunted there (if any)? I'm mostly interested in big game hunting, but if they have some waterfowling there, I'd like to try that, too! Thanks in advance.

Justin,

i hunted in Germany a couple years ago and I found it to be very restricted. Too many people and too little hunting land in the areas I hunted. You will have a difficult time finding a place to hunt that isn't expensive, unless your brother's wife has connections. The fellow I hunted with had connections through his family and he was a licensed Jaeger.

roe deer, red deer, wild boar, fallow deer, geese ducks, pheasants, hare, rabbits, foxes, etc. The seasons are generally longer than those in the US.

However....isn't there always an "however"...hunting is lease-only, you'll need to get invited, and your host will need to get you a day-license....resident Germans on the list can no-doubt be more specific...and things depend on which Bundesland (state) you're in.

And with big game, they are pretty particular which animal you can shoot and which you can't...quality of antlers vs. age, in relation to the "harvest plan" of the area for that year.

Frans

Frans

Hallo Justin,

Frans told you the most of the animals you can hunt.
Roe and Fox is available everywhere. Boar also very wide available and very often problems with the Farmers. Red deer and Fallow are rare and expensive. Waterfowl dependend on the area, but ducks nearly on all lakes and rivers. Goose mainly in the north. Hare, rabbits, pheasants, grouse are very dependend on the area.

Before I try to explain please read more on this site:
http://www.face-europe.org/Handbook.internet/English/germany.en.pdf

I do actually not know a agency which arranges hunting possibilities here. But your relatives shall contact the next forrest office. At least for resident hunters which have not leased an estate they offer hunts.
Very helpfull are always contacts to the local hunters or forrest rangers.

Best regards

Justin,

your brother is in fact lucky because he can hunt many different species basically all year round. It is not difficult to get access to a private lease, most lease holders have difficulties to control the growing populations of boar as well as roe deer. And no, it is not expensive at all. If you are willing to help a little to maintain the lease, buld high stands and do other chores, the fee is most likely symbolic.

Just tell your brother to join one of the local hunter�s associations (J�gervereinigungen) and he will get easily in contact with other people. One condition is of course that he has to study and practice a little for the hunter�s exam (J�gerpr�fung). This might be annoying but it helps to keep the number of people hunting in such a small country a little lower and it is in fact very interesting and rewarding what you learn, also in regard of safety.

The charm of hunting on a lease and not on public land is that you have much more possibility to watch certain animals, for instance a young trophy buck you decide to spare for next year. Besides, the risk to get shot by an orange clad moron is extremely small.

Ah, before I forget, there are the fall social hunts as well, with their nice ceremonies, the horns, barking dogs and drivers.

I do miss the charm of the huge amounts of virgin space I encountered and hunted in N. America. However, balancing the pros and cons, I am a much happier hunter here.

DUK

I assume he wants to be in Germany for holiday. So the possibilty to be a helpful guest is not the case. Also he has not to make the hunting test if he has a confirmation that he has hunted in US.
Your suggestions are interesting for his brother because it sounds like he would stay for a while. If he is then a established hunter here, it will be possible to invite others.
But for a foreigner to find a possibility of hunting here without connections is difficult.

There are only a few agencies to book and I don't know how the forrest offices handle such requests.

Waidmannsheil

PS: Finde es auch schade, das der DJV auf seinen Seiten keine fremdsprachige Erl�uterungen hat.
Vor ein paar Wochen wurde schon mal nach Jagdm�glichkeiten im Saarland gefragt. Mu�te damals schon passen.http://www.nookhill.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=48;t=000254

[ 08-12-2003, 19:11: Message edited by: Sauenj�ger1 ]

Thanks for all the help guys. The only thing is, my brother is not a hunter, and probably never will be again. He hates getting up in the mornings, haha. Anyway, I will ask him to look around, but I had an idea, too. His sister-in-law has a boy friend that comes from German nobility (if that's what you call it) and he lives in a castle and is a farmer, if I got permission from him, could I get a license and do some hunting on his land like anyone else? Thanks again.

If he has not leased out the hunt of his property then it is the best way. Otherwise he has to ask the guys to which he leased it.

Best regards