The Internet is an amazing thing. It allows hunters and firearms enthusiasts across the world to communicate as easily as if they were next door to each other. I like to browse several sets of forums and I was browsing though a U.K. deer stalking site when I came across a message posted by a Dutch hunter. He did not join the forum but posted as a guest. He asked if there was anyone on the forum who would sell him some deer stalking in Scotland or England or perhaps trade for some wild boar hunting in Germany. Now I already enjoy wild boar hunting in Germany and I am fortunate enough to have some red and roe deer hunting land in Scotland, so I could understand why a Dutch guy, who lives in a country where hunting is very much restricted, would want to hunt the Scottish Red Deer. There was just something about the post, and I cannot say what, that made me post my E-mail address with an invitation to contact me.

He did and we exchanged some information about our interests. Marcel is a High School Principal with a passion for hunting. He has hunted roe deer, wild boar, chamois and caribou, in Iceland. He is fluent in German as well as in English and other than his small area for hunting in the East of Holland he mainly hunts in Germany, just to the South of Berlin.

Suffice it to say, we got on well enough by E-mail for me to subscribe to SKYPE, and through SKYPE’S free voice calls over the Internet, we started to have weekly conversations. Being cautious as one should be, my buddy Iain, who with two other buddies shares my deer lease, thought we should go and meet our new Dutch friend and his German friend, who would come to Scotland with him.

We drove over to Holland and met with Marcel. We got on just fine. He showed us his hunting ground and introduced us to his friend Benny, who manages a country estate. Benny is an African plains game hunter and seeing his trophy room was a real experience. As well as African game, he has hunted pronghorns and bison in the USA and collected himself some great trophies.

A further drive to Berlin and we met up with Andreas and Dieter, Marcel’s German hunting buddies and both as keen hunters as the rest of us. We did go out for a hunt one morning but alas, no wild boars were about. We did lend a hand with some high seat repairs though. But hunting was not the reason for the visit. Seeing if we all got along was the purpose. Well, we did and Iain and I left with an invitation to return to Germany on 30 April, to attend a little party, prior to the start of the roebuck season on 1 May.

Tradition says that the hunters of the district meet up on the afternoon of the 30 April at the hunting lodge, bringing food, beer, schnapps etc. and have a party. This party lasts till everyone is tired and goes off to their cars to sleep. Before first light we are off to the hunt. Iain and I did return for that party and it was nothing short of terrific. We enjoyed wonderful food, beer and hospitality. A real “Jager†welcome from each and every hunter there.
Party Starts.



The Hunting Lodge.







Horn Players practice.



Dieter starts to cook.



It got dark.







Horn Players salute the quarry species and the hunt.



The three cooking fires. I eventually tripped over the one on the right!!



I was lucky enough to shoot a small roe buck that morning but Iain was not so lucky. Mind you, his luck was to change the next night,

Roebuck’s roebuck.



After the hunt, all the hunters whose party we were with, joined up with other parties from the surrounding district, where lunch was served and the assembled group was addressed by senior members of the “Hegesring†or district hunting association. Each successful hunter was presented with a sprig of evergreen, to be worn in his hat for the rest of that day.











Dieter presents Roebuck with his evergreen sprig.





Certre is a retired US Army Vet who never made it back to the USA.



Such is the hospitality, that two of the hunters, Mathias and his wife Sacha, invited us to their land to shoot a pig by moonlight. That was when Iain’s luck turned. He shot a nice sow.









Dieter toasts Iain’s pig.



The following night, Mathias and Sacha threw a bar-b-que for us, prior to going out for another moonlight hunt.





At this bar-b-que, Dieter presented Iain with a cured pigskin, signed by all present. For once Iain was speechless.









We went to visit Ketners, the famous German gun store chain (now owned by a Belgian). Here is a shot of the famous Berlin Wall.





Marcel got a roebuck the morning we left to return home.





Despite language barriers, hunters the world over seem to be able to communicate and get on with each other. For the most part anyway. I felt privileged to have been a part of that hunt and thank Saint Hubertus for this and all the other wonderful hunts I have been blessed to take part in.

Warms the heart!

Looks like you had a great time, and made good friends too.

Pleased you liked the tale. Wonderful people.

Thanks.

Great story an pictures David.
And I second Bog...It defenately warms the heart

Thank you too Arild.

That story was enough to make me wish that I were living in Europe again.

That story was great and it told about the German hunting tradions in a fine way.

Waidemannsheil !

Waidmanns Danke.

David

I second your sentiments - the internet has made me many, many likeminded friends. Given me the pleasure of some wonderful hunts in very different surroundings.

Truly, the hunt is what matters - the trophy is almost incidental.

A nice report that I really enjoyed reading.

Many thanks for your efforts.

Rgds Ian

Thank you for your kind remarks Ian. I echo your sentiments.

Best regards,

David.

David_Watt,

thanks for the photo's!

Since I am into German versatile dogs or better yet Deutsch Drahthaar, how were the dogs used or employed for your hunting in Germany such as finding game or recovering?

Thanks for your lengthy response if you don't mind.

For once Norseman, I am unable to give you a lengthy reply. On that particular occasion, we were hunting from high seats and the dogs were there to follow up any wounded animals. When on previous St. Hubertus Jagd, the dogs have been used for both driving the game and to follow wounded animals. Not all the hunters had brought dogs. I am sorry I cannot be more descriptive. However, if you have any specific questions, I will try to have them answered for you by my German friends.

David.

Glad you had an enjoyable time David, thanks for sharing the pics and your experiences. The camaraderie is excellent, I've enjoyed it many times also, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Thank you Dom. I am looking forward to my next visit in December. But first, Marcel and Andreas are with me for a red stag and some last of season roebucks in October.

David.

Is that paella cooking over the open fire?

Great story and photos! Congrats to all on a successful hunt.

No Fred, it was a kind of huge omelette.

Thank you Jeff.

David.

I am on a paella-making kick lately, so everything looks like paella.

Can you tell me how the horns are used please?

Thanks for the story and pictures. I probably will never get to share a campfire in your part of the world, or hunt for roe deer or those wonderful boar, but I can at least dream, your story keeps those dreams alive.
Thanks
Bfly

Never say never Black Fly. You just never know!! Twenty years ago I would have said I'd never hunt in Africa, now I go each year.

In Germany Fred, they seem to make a skull mount our of every buck. In UK, I only mount the better bucks. Smaller sets of antlers are turned into dog whistles and buttons, key rings etc.

David, thanks for the mount information. I started doing skull mounts because I like the way they look.

What I was actually asking about are the hunting horns - the green-wrapped brass horns being played by some of the hunters in the photos. Can you tell me anything about how and when they are used please?

Thank you for sharing those wonderfull memories with us. Waidmannsheil!

Sorry for the misunderstanding Fred. The musical horns are played at the start of the Hunt. There is a tune for each of the quarry species and one for the hunters. After the hunt, and when the sprigs of evergreen are being handed out to the successful hunters, the tunes are played again as a salute to the animals. It is a wonderful tradition and I feel priviledged to be able to share in it with my German and Dutch hunting friends.

Thank you too Nitehawk. And Arild. That is a very nice bushbuck. I should have told you that before.

Waidmanns Heil!!

An excellent report david and thank you especially for the multitude of wonderful photographs!

I'm off to Germany this weekend to shoot some boar for the first time.

Thank you for the timely taster

Regards,

Amir

Good for you Amir. I wish you the very best if luck. Go get that keiler.

Waidmanns Heil

David.