Gents:

Question: I have seen photos of game animals shot by hunters that have a sprig of some sort in their mouths. Can someone please elaborate on this tradition for me?

Thanks!

symbolic last meal


best regards

jsl3170,

Its often referred to as the last bite and I think most associated with hunting in Germany...

Its actually fairly involved with sprigs of vegetation used for different game species.

As well as the sprig in the animals mouth, another is placed on the entrance wound while the hunter wears yet another in his hat to show his success. All this can be accompanied by horning playing!

If the hunter is one of a group, all the game taken by the group is transported back to a central point and laid out in a proscribed manner according to the type..

At some point there is more horn blowing and I think a toast is also made ect..

I believe some other European countries have similar traditions, although perhaps not so involved.

Interestingly to get your German Hunting license, you have to know these traditions including the different horn "tunes" and what they represent.

I am sure some of European members will know the detail of all this, as will some of the Americans and British who have hunted over there...

Regards,

Pete

Yes, it's called "der letzte Bissen", literally the "last bite". The Austrians are, by the way, even more conservative about those rituals than Germans.

Some of the hunting signals which date back centuries can be heared here.

This tradition exists in northern Italy, France (not everywhere) and Poland too.

It's also used in Belgium. I will try to explain as good as I can, but probably other hunters are more knowledgeable.

I believe only Douglas fir, oak, alder or spruce should be used.
There are different kinds of uses for the sprig:

- Inbesitznahmebruch:
+/- 25cm big sprig which indicates to other hunters that the hunter has taken possession of this piece of game. It is a sign of respect.
It is placed on the left side of the body. The broken part of the sprig points to the head for male species, to the hind legs for females.

- Letzte Bissen:
A +/- 15 cm long sprig is placed in the mouth and symbolises the last meal.

- Schützenbruch:
A +/- 15 cm sprig is dipped in the blood of the animal and given to the hunter. He wears it on the right side of his hat. If the animal had to be tracked by a dog, the dog receives a part of the sprig and it is placed in his collar.

A little info from German. Branch Signs (Bruchzeichen). Branches are used in many ways in the hunt. The use of branch signs is interesting as well as practical. The branches are always broken from the tree, never cut. Hunters break the branches of only those trees native to Germany. These trees include alder (Erle), fir (Tanne), oak (Eiche), pine (Kiefer), and spruce (Fichte).

Last Bite (Letzter Bissen). A small branch placed crosswise in the mouth of all male cloven-hoofed game or in the beak of the Auerhahn and Birkhahn as a token of last respect.

There are quite a few more signs and ways to use branches, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Branch signs and horn signals were basically invented used to communicate with other hunters in the pre-mobile phone era.

Thanks, all. Would it be crass to use such a sign in America? I find these rituals to be most interesting.

Oops. Excuse me. I just realized we, as Americans, actually have some little rituals of our own. The American hunting TV shows seem to be the best place to see them. To wit:

1. the high five
2. the tongue wag
3. the wide-eyed hoot n' holler

I'm sure there are others, but no horn blowing...perhaps some extra loud Ted Nugent on a tape loop playing "Fred Bear" in the background.

Are there any reading sources out there as well?

Thanks again!

quote:

Originally posted by jsl3170:
I'm sure there are others, but no horn blowing...

Not even from the drivers seat of the Pick-Up?

Lest I forget, all of you Euros ought to get in on some 21st century American-style post-hunt fashion: the camo shirt (now offered in an assortment of styles from wife-beater to preppy button down redneck) with pleated Wranglers and cowboy boots. Brash stuff but think how you'd look in SoHo!

http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_ss_w?__mk_de_DE=%C5M%C5Z%...Jagdliches+brauchtum


In this book you can find everythink about hunting traditions in Germany

The only thing we lack is the outfit, horn signal and "last bite" for the wife beater. Pretty informal, I admit...

I have always used the 'Last Bite' for my deer. There is another practice done here at times .When a new building is framed out an evergreen tree is placed at the peak of the roof.That as I understand goes back to Druid times ? We built a barn and the owner cut a branch from the nearest evergreen to put on the barn. Before he could he was scolded by a little old German lady who told him this was very serious .You must look for a very special small evergreen tree and use that !

As an old German territory, we also have the "last bite" tradition. We usually don't have any hornblowing though.
We also have another tradition which is unfortunately not very wideapread: After a successful shot, the hunter stands next to the animal, takes off his hat and silently (in his own thoughts) asks Mother Nature, Diana, or whatever you call it forgiveness for taking a life in his mere pleasure. This is usually followed by a sip of a fine cognac or whisky or strong Herb Liqueur ( like Jägermeister) from the flask. Not doing so is considered bad luck, it is said that it jinxes the next hunt. I always follow that tradition without exeption. Stupid, I know, but somehow it makes me feel better. I think this conduct has it's roots in the ancient pre-christian Estonian religion. Back then people believed that every creation of nature, animals as well as plants, have their own soul and if you upset one of those souls you also upset the general balance of nature (which would be followed by famine, bad luck in hunting and fishing, and eventually - death.)

I can see why you would do the "last bite" and a bit of horn blowing on a shoot with a number of hunters participating or hunting with a guide but do the Germans and other Europeans carry out the same rituals if hunting alone?

Ofcourse.
It's not a spectacle for an audience, to make things look "cool". It is a mark of respect to the animal. The number of hunters plays no role.

I have been told that some animals may not get one, like a fox or a badger? Is there any animals that don't get a last bite?

Small game with the exception of roe deer and common predators like fox, feral cat and badger do not get the last bite. That basically leaves the ungulates and wild boar.

Maybe someone can add information regarding the big ones like wolf and bear?

Personally, i admit that more and more I feel that the "last bite" has become something of an empty ritual for some. I do very much appreciate Pric65's comment on saying thanks to whomever for the prey.