Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Europe Question from an ignorant American

It is definately not what it was 20 years ago when the government would pay for your trophy fees. I feel that there are a lot of misconceptions about how expensive it is now though. Once you have your license which is a few hundred bucks in the end you really only put as much money into it as you want to for 3 years. For the first year I hunted after i got my license I didnt pay a dime. I did put in a little bit of labor time though. There was always someone willing to loan a rifle for use and there was always an invite in the community.

Where is your son at? I want to hook him into the community if he is willing. The more the merrier.

Where there is a wil there is a way. My E7 buddy got a license this last year, he's got 9 kids. I wish i was joking. lol. He's borrowing one of my rifles right now.

A bit off tangent, but hoping one of you can shed some light on this. . .
I did a year-long exchange program in Germany as a high school senior in the early 90s (Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm) and met an uncle of one of my friends, who had a distinctive vertical scar on his face. Was told that he was in a "dueling society" and it sounded like it was received in an initiation rite as opposed to accidental mishap. I asked a few other Germans about it later on and got some disapproving vibes. This friend was from a very good family near Tuebingen, where I started my year and I know they were all hunters (sadly I did not get to experience that during my time there).
Thanks for any insight-always been a bit curious about this,
Bill

Probably he was a member of a traditional conservative student association at university. Their traditions go back to the mid-19th century. Some of them still practice duelling with sabers. Those student associations are called "schlagende Verbindung". The duel is called "Mensur": http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensur_(Studentenverbindung). Some parts of the head and the face are not protected in those duels. That�s the reason why some of the participants have scars.

Gebuesch1, thank you very much for the reply-that is most certainly the explanation. I have let my German slip, but can still read it pretty well and enjoyed the link.
I was extremely fortunate to have spent my year split between the two halves of the then newly re-unified Germany ('92: Magdeburg; Braunschweig). It was a fascinating time to be there. The Germans are largely wonderful people and there is so much to admire about their culture. My guest family invited me on a 3 week tour of the country during a school break and I was able to see many places. Muenchen and Hamburg are perhaps my favorite large cities and I look forward to visiting again.
Bill

Another "Exactly" from me.

This has been a great thread. I was aware of the tradition of placing a twig in an animal's mouth but I never heard of the ceremony involving horns and the laying out of game.

I sincerely wish that my hunting buddies had even an inkling of the tradition, ceremony and respect shown by european hunters. Sadly though, they don't have a clue and if I brought the subject up they laugh and ridicule the idea.

I have very mixed emotions when downing a game animal. Celebration, a sense of accomplishment, admiration, respect and mourning for taking an animal's life. I give the animal it's due respect by considering it food and not just a dead carcass that has to dealt with. I give my food "tender loving care" from the time I first take a knife to it till it hits the dinner plate.

And another "exactly" from me. I'm quite tired of seeing fist pumps and high fives. I have also seen drinking of blood and taking a bite out of a raw heart. Rather disrespectful and stupid in my opinion. When I down game, be it birds with my pooch or big game on my own I offer up a little prayer of thanks over the game I collected. Nothing too elaborate but respectful none-the-less. I also make damn sure I don't waste any of the animal by poor butchering practices. I use everything but the bones and the hooves. All the tough meat gets made into sausage or canned. Even the fat gets used as a base for making suet balls to feed the birds in the winter.

Thanks Jagd. He is stationed at Spangdahlem, but in the middle east right no. When he returns he will have less than a year left before DEROS after 4 years so it is a bit late now. I know he was greatlt disappointed have watched me in the 90s and seen the results of my hunting in the 80s.

Pete, I do not see the high fives and such either except on television. I do see big grins, excitement and hand shakes in the real world and would not tolerate it otherwise.

Ingwe, there is nothing to prevent you from practicing your own forms of respect. I still practice the "last bite". here.

what a coinkeedink. Maybe I'll see him down here in the heat. I'm on the down hill side of my time down here.

The only drawback of starting hunting out of spangdalem is that there is no rod and gun club to take the course. I do know a few guys out there that took the class in baumholder though. Not too far with the autobahn. There is some really good hunting around Spang though. I wouldnt mind taking a tour there.

Andre, that looks like it was a beautiful wedding!

Brinky, I agree totally with using every part of the game. I tie my own flies, so I use the hair and feathers too (and save quite a few bucks in the deal). I have a buddy who makes gelatin from the hooves for his dogs, but I haven't gone that far yet.

That is a snazzy wedding. Congratulations to your daughter and the lucky Groom.

A very interesting read. I too am tired of the televised yelling, hopping about, and high fives. I suspect or hope that a good deal of it is scripted, and I'd probably not be invited back if I was the sport on one of their shows.

A tradition of mine on our steelhead steams is that every fly is retired as soon as it lands a fish. Those fish escaped a host of predators, left home, traveled thousands of miles, and a lucky few made it back to their home stream or river. It's a real honor to share a moment or two in their lives. The only frustration is those that break off during the landing process.

On some trips, that can add up to a box or two of flys. Last year, not so many though. With the exception of the last day on an extended trip, the fish get released too. A couple hatchery fish might be retained on the final day, but lately, I've not been too strict with that practice.

This year, the joy is going to be introducing a youngster to the sport. I'd pay big money to see him land 20 fish.

I will be there a week in December before heading to Neurenberg to visit a week with my inlaws.

I was in various times Hanau where I had the best hunting in the triangle from their to Geissen to Aschaffeberg through the Spessart Mountain, Frankfurt A.M. and Heidelberg.

I have not read the whole thread but stopped here,... in complete agreement. I get the Outdoor channel in the Midwest-- Iowa-- and much of the programming is indelicate at best and embarrassing at worst. I can't imagine it even gets aired. I always think of ant-gun folk in Manhatten or any large suburban, metropolis, PETA-oriented, thinking all hunters are knuckle-dragging hominids from the Pleosticene.

As a visitor, I love the tradition and history of Europe.


ddj

They are taking names for the German American Friendship hunt in hohenfells.

Hi everibody there,

As a french must not say that but i feel better in Germany than in my own country for some time now. Go there often for my job, but also for hunting, touring, visit museums, meet old friends from all Europe. Was there in july, had the chance to take a spike in velvet, then in august were we hiked and toured. Will be back in Suhl from the 8 to 12 of september to hunt, shoot and test rifles. Hope to have some ceremony pictures to share or even some pictures of hunt.
Regards
Dom

There is no such thing as a dumb question, by asking a question you get to learn all kinds of interesting stuff. Great Wedding Photos Andre. We Americans are a rougher bunch, after all we were thrown out of Europe at the beginning. Sure our hunting traditions are how should I say, interesting. After all a High Five is sort of tradition when you succeed be it on a hunt or a Basketball Game!

Hope this isn't considered a hijack, but I have always greatly admired the traditions of the Native American Hunters. I found them to be absolutely beautiful.