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How quickly 2016 raced by and it was already the last Saturday before Christmas and the annual Waldjagd again! I posted / reported on the 2014 and 2015 shoots under the European Hunting section, as although it is a small game shoot, it is a big event in everyones diaries and a big day rounding out the year. Hard to believe this is the third Waldjagd report already!

It is an annual woodland hunt in North Rhein Westphalia, just outside of Duesseldorf. A group of friends, all passionate about hunting and gundogs get together on the last Saturday before Christmas to hunt the woodland part of a concession that one of the group manages. The quarry covers all ground and winged predators, then hare and rabbit, pheasant, goose, duck and pigeon and other legal game.

This year the weather was perfect - just cold enough with a frost on the ground and mild wintery sunshine, so hopefully the hare and rabbits would be out and about!

We all met at the usual spot at 09h00, guns, beaters, dogs. Anja and I had not seen most of the group since the 2015 shoot, so it was fun saying hello and catching up.








I was shooting a 1923 Boss 20 bore. Anja decided that she would not shoot but rather work our 9 year old English Springer Spaniel bitch, Teal, with our youngest son joining the beating line.





Now a short digression about Teal (pictured above) - she is a South African ESS that we purchased and trained in RSA. Not the prettiest Springer as they go IMO, but a great dog. Anja thinks otherwise and sees Teal as a beautiful ESS. Teal hunted with us for 2 years in RSA before coming over to Nigeria, where she then lived the life of a family pet / house dog. Around August 2016, we noticed that one of here teats was looking strange and we sent pictures to a German vet that we know. Long and short, we flew the dog from Nigeria to Germany in October, she arrived via Amsterdam on a Friday and on Monday the vet operated removing her spleen and her womb, both of which were full of tumors and cysts. She made a great recovery and the 2016 Waldjagd was to be her first European shoot and it will certainly not be her last! Teal had a blast, she hunted hard and was not scared to get into the thickest cover and she managed to put up a couple of hares!

At 09h30 the hunting horns sounded 'Begruessung' and the plans for the day were read out - who would be walking, who would be standing, who was beating, where the dog handlers would walk, what we could shoot and what not and hands up who would be joining for dinner after the shoot.















Then it was onto the gun/game wagons and the hunt got underway! A mixture of guns, young and old, shooting a mixture of shotguns - Merkels, Brownings, a Lebeau, a couple of Sauers, mostly 12s but the odd 16 and my 20 bore and a mixture of working dogs included a few labs, a Munsterlander, a terrier, a GSP, a Weimaraner and our springer.


Our tractor Driver for the day.











We walked two large fields first in the hope of putting up a hare, but with no luck. We did however catch a couple of rabbits outside the burrows and the bag started to build.









And then it was into the woods.














I was very lucky on the third drive and had a fox vixen go past where I was standing / flanking and I managed to drop her with one shot from the right barrel and I then put the left over her for good measure. I was shooting Eley 25 gram size 5 paper cartridges.





Now it was very interesting for me to read on one of the Africa threads about animals that people would not shoot that a lot of US hunters would not shoot a red fox. All I can say is come to Europe, there are thousands of them to the extent that they are literally moving into the towns and cities and have become pests similar to raccoons in the USA, raiding trash cans and even entering houses! Plus they are indiscriminate killers especially of ground game like hares, rabbits and birdlife. To the European / German Niederwildjaeger (small game hunter) a fox on a day like this is the ultimate trophy!

Funnily enough, Anja shot a large dog fox on the 2015 shoot, making her Jagdkoenigin (Hunting Queen) for the day, whilst the fox I shot got me the title of Jagdkoenig (King) for the 2016 shoot! Her fox we mounted. Mine we just took the winter pelt to be tanned. The honour of being Jagdkoenig is an expensive one as it goes hand in hand with buying lots of rounds of Schnapps at the hunt dinner in the evening! All good fun.

We carried on through the morning, with hare and rabbit being added to the mixed bag.





(The woodcock pictured above was caught by one of the dogs and was not shot.)

At lunch time when we stopped for a hot soup and German Christmas Stollen (cake) and coffee and a warming bonfire at the village childrens playground.





















As I wrote before, its is fantastic how hunting is accepted in rural Germany as a way of life and you can stop and have a lunch and a fire at the playground without any trouble or hassle. Long may it remain so!

After lunch we walked and beat a few more tracts of woodland adding a few more hare and rabbit to the bag. It was wonderful to see the dogs working and hunting hard.


















I love the winter time in the woods and especially all the mosses and fungi.





















The last drive produced two cock pheasant but one was not found - the brambles were very thick and wild!






And then it was time to assemble at the hunt hut. The shot game was laid out - 1 fox, 5 hare, 3 rabbit, 1 pheasant, 1 pigeon and a woodcock. The guns were thanked for thier safe shooting, the dog handlers and beaters were thanked for their hard work and then the horns sounded - a separate melody for each type of animal taken, closing with 'Jagd vorbei' (the end of the hunt).








We all met that evening in a wonderful village pub / restaurant for dinner and drinks and toasts (with great Schnapps) before wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy and successful 2017 and heading home at the end of a great 2016 Waldjagd!

Merry Christmas 2016 and a Happy and healthy 2017 with excellent and safe hunting to all AR members and readers!






Charlie & Anja and family plus Teal of course !


[Photos myself and some by Markus Froedisch]
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Charlie..I really look forward to reading your annual hunt report every year! Looks like a good time was had by everyone including the dogs!

Its fascinating for me to see that German tradition brought to life in your pictures.
Thanks for posting!

Z

Always enjoy your annual report Charlie, Waidmannsheil on the Fox.

A grand tradition, for sure.

Fun fuN
I'm heading over tomorrow for month
Supposed to be damn cold so hopefully pigs and red deer will cooperate

What a great time thanks for sharing your experience. I admire the reverence of the game taken and the hunt traditions that you have. Wish we could do this in the states ! Look forward to next years report !

Nice choice of gun!

Looks like a great day- bit like our English rough shooting

Nice report Charlie congrats on a beautiful Red Fox,

The red fox population has always been small here in the southeastern mountains. Up until 10 - 15 years ago I would have gladly taken a nice red given the chance. Since the coyotes moved in it is a very rare thing to see a red fox.
I would not shoot one now. I even passed one up with my bow in hand earlier this year.

Nice report, brilliant photos.