Women leaping hurdles to hunt

Many believe it is inevitable (and desirable) that pre-education for deer hunters will become the norm, which is why it is interesting to look at the regime elsewhere. Beate Fischer lives in Germany near the border with Denmark where the hunting is good if you can jump all the administrative hurdles.

Beate Fisher isn’t the only woman in the village, but she is a hunter, and a relatively recent arrival which means she is excluded from the hunting around her.

“In the village where I live, they don’t want any women, I moved here from the outside and they don’t want me hunting,” she said.

Instead she travels 20 minutes up the road to a hunting district where she is welcome.

It might seem to an outsider that Germany has an archaic, almost feudal, system of land management — but despite its pitfalls with local protectionism, even Beate isn’t complaining.

She supports the system for the impact it has on conservation and wildlife management.

“If you are local you care about the environment in a more long-term way, you have a long-term interest in having a good environment, healthy populations and places to hunt.”

Caring for the environment is part of the induction process for every hunter in Germany, where you can do a three-week intensive course, or study part-time for six months.

There are practical tests for firearm handling and shooting, an oral test and a written test.

The study includes everything from legal information to wildlife management.

“It covers the hunting system, game, predators, deer management, the natural environment, breeding and hunting seasons,” Beate said.

“After the exam you get your hunting licence which enables you to hunt all over Germany. I am a judge for hunting dogs, and they have to do tests as well.”

Beate describes it as a very broad education, and there is a reason why hunters need to be empowered with knowledge.

In the mid-1930s the Nazi regime established a district system, which effectively gave control of surrounding land (including hunting) to the local villagers. It survived in East and West Germany post-war and is still operating in the unified Germany.

Hunters in their own district know the quotas and the management strategy, nobody else can hunt there without an invitation.

“Where I hunt is 800 hectares, it is small, but it means we know what is happening there and what animals to leave for another time,” Beate said.

“We understand the environment, when creatures need protecting (including from predators) and we ensure we can hunt in the future.”

While the district system can make it difficult to hunt wherever you want, invitations are available especially for larger driven hunts. Where it is most effective is as a locally driven conservation model.

Beate came into hunting because her partner and his family hunt, but it also dealt with a nagging thought that stuck with her from the early days of the vegan movement when she was at university.

“They said if you eat meat you should have to kill it yourself. That stuck with me and now that I am a hunter, I only eat meat that I hunt and kill or that I raise on the farm,” Beate said.

It doesn’t make her a vegan, but she is part of an increasing shift in hunting in Germany as more women join the ranks.

“There is a generational shift and in the classes my friend is doing now half the participants are women, but at the big driven hunts you have about five per cent women.”

Many women complete the study and examination, including dog training, but they don’t immediately make the transition to active hunting.

“There is a trend where women want to learn more about hunting, but we will see over the next few years if we see them hunting.”