Well I have had a very enjoyable few days getting to know Germany. Given recent political events and the nature of my business its essential to form close personal links with folk in other countries. So when a good friend invited me out for a days driven hunting on very much a friends and family sort of day it would have been very rude not to accept. Bring a repeater he said, not a single shot combination gun. I put in a variation for a 2nd barrel for that and hoped to have had it sorted prior to going on this trip - but no chance.
So I put a 1.25-4x20 Schmidt & Bender on the 275 Rigby, sighted it in with heavy bullets, and booked a flight on Lufthansa. Three weeks ago, he rang to say they had a spare place and would like to bring a fellow scot - one call later 2 amigo's were heading for Germany. I was somewhat nervous about flying with a rifle. How foolish of me. It is a very pleasant experience. Check in staff very polite and helpful. You are taken to the front of the queue and your bags are taken off you. One little form to fill in and five minutes later you are done and all checked in. So much more pleasant than all this online *****! At the other end, none of the scrum of waiting around the baggage - somebody brings your case and rifle to you.
Only scary bit was driving on the autobahn from Frankfurt up to central germany. A base Ford Fiesta, even though brand new with all the gismos, doesn't have an engine and struggles to get to 130kmh - the big Audi's, Mercs and BMWs come up very fast and not having the power to overtake slow lorries is a bit frustrating.
Anyway got to friends, BBQ was one - a small hot pot of mxed bean and pepper stew as a condiment with Roe Filet and a starter, Fallow fillet wrapped in bacon as a main, and to finish as desert the fillet of a young wild boar - all washed down with a good German red wine.
Early morning start on Tuesday - paperwork. Getting insurance and German visitor Jagsheins. Then a visit to the shooting range for friend to get familiar with the Blaser 300 win mag he was borrowing. Now he is used to a 243 Ruger that he has had since his early 20's, so it took him a wee while to get his head around the Blaser. Any way a few shots later he was hitting the running boar. Then a walk into town to the German Christmas market for a late lunch of pig steak and Kraut Salad, followed by a trip to Italian Cafe for coffee and ice cream.
Back to get kit sorted - both of us were provided with best described as described as Romper suits - like the ones you dress up litle kids in - thick down padded and green. We would be on our stands for 4+ hours and it would below freezing.
An early curry for supper - I chose a fish curry just to even up things, a slightly restless night an early start and an hour plus drive before the 8.30 briefing. Lots of hunters in green and orange. Everybody has to sign in and a check of licence and insurance. A full briefing by the hunt master followed - safety paramount, and what you can and cannot shoot - wild boars but no large females, roe does only, racoons and foxes. A general air of excitement. Well wooded hillsides - a mix of well mature beech, interspersed with mature conifer and blocks of young trees or newly felled areas. Very different to British woodland. You can see a lot regular management with trees to be taken out as and when needed, rather than grown in a dense crop and all felled at once. 25 guns we then taken out to all their alloted stands. That is 25 guns spread out over 2,000 hectares. No guns really in sight of each other - generally each allotted a section in a bowl or a gully, with natural terrain and woodland obviously funnelling animals. About 30 beaters with packs of Jagd Terries and bigger GWPs would be working the whole area so game could come from any direction.
I was taken to my stand by the son of our host - he spoke excellent English - as do many Germans and explained to me what would be happening. At my stand very clearly marke on trees where the safe shooting areas are. All beaters, hunters and dogs dressed in high vis orange. The drive would finish at 14.00 and no shooting after that time.
I got into my stand as quietly as possible and made myself comfortable. It was a raised platform ten feet off the ground, overlooking a wooded bowl. Dense scrubby plantation to my left, otherwise mature. You could hear the dogs giving tongue - reminded me of the only shaepspeare quote that I now - "the hounds dwlapped like thesalonoan bulls" - Midsummer nights dream. I heard lots of rustlying - what's that - looks like some small fluffy toy dog - no its fox, bugger its gone away. Now pay attention. A raven croaking over head. Hmm thats a funny croaking sound come from far in the wood, scanning the wood lookng for the sound and see large sow followed by a yearling about 200 yards away running hard. I think they have come into the scrub - there is ride which a I can shoot up - hope they come across, whats that rustling, whats that noise, oh thats sound like voices and spy up the ride a party of pensioners coming for a walk - yes we had been warned to look out for them.
Kaboom kaboom kaboom - sounds a fifty calibre opening up - my good friend was three hundred yards away over the hill - wonder if the sow and piglet had gone straight for him - clearly he has got his head around the Blaser action.
Whats that chattering in the trees above - black with a red crest and woodpecker shaped - must be a black wood pecker - never seen one before - wonderful. Was that a pig that just ran behind me - yes it was - in the safe zone so could n't have shot it. Dogs close by - lots of baying of dogs - shots ring out - definately hear one striking home - wonder what they they've got. More shots ring out, is anything coming my way - still alert, but like fishing just relax and things will happen. Whats that? no pigs don't have a wagging tail and bright flourescent collar - looks like a large spaniel, but probably a large munsterlander just following a track. Looks like he is having a lot of fun. I later learn that he belongs to one of the guns. He is trained to go out in large sweeps and rounding game back towards his master. He returns to the stand every 20 or so minutes but in the meantime he covers a radius of a km or so. His collar has GPS tracking in it. Thats clever.
Whats that trying to sneek through the thick stuff - its a young yearling doe by the looks of it. She will crossing that clear patch and make ready - she bounds out, I fire she bounds on, reload and continue to track her, I snatch another shot and she bounds off looking totally fine. I text my German friends to get a dog to follow up and they will. I was too excited and snatch my shot.
The 300 win mag opens again behind and a few minutes later does so again.
And its 14.00 end of the shooting. That flashed by only felt like 20 minutes / half an hour - it was in fact four hours. Absolutely brain dead and exhausted from concentration and sensory overload. Irritated by missing (hopefully).
Hosts son arrives to pick me up. He was disappointed that I had had many pigs coming past me - mine was usually the hot seat. We go to where the doe crossed the ride and where I had shot her. No sign of any blood or hair. Check where I had taken the 2nd shot - again no sign of any hits. He gets his dratthar and we go to thend of the thick patch where I had seen her exciting - no blood trail and we follow her tracks for a bit - no blood. She had been running towards a line of beaters so if she had been wounded they would have caught up with her. He tells me he had had a good hunt and accounted for two pigs - one a keiler, both accounted for with a knife -the dogs bayed them in thick brambles and he went in to finish them off.
We went to pick up my friend. He was grinning with two large pigs - he had fired nine shots in total. The first a t a wee piglet in the trees that escaped - his shots hit the trees, and then these two - both had been hit two or three times - all good shots but he kept shooting till they were down, One was about 50 kg - a small keiler - three shots in the engine room from a 300 Win Mag - and it ran fifty yards from where it was first hit.
A beer or two in the woods and then back to the lodge.
All the game was picked up and brought back. They brought everything back ungralloched - much less risk off contamination and getting shiite inside the carcass. Makes sense, and given it was well below zero they carcasses cool off quickly. They had three butchers working hard on the beasts. Complete vertical gralloch taking everything out in one go. They also cut away any really blood shot / damaged meat - they said it spoils quickly.
All the game was then hung up on a long rail to be addressed. The hunt master thanked the game, and all those who had been involved in the day. Those who had been successful went forward to shake the hand of the hunt master and to recieve a small branch to stick in his hat. Then the horn players played tunes of respect for the game. It was really nice atmosphere - large fires burning and hunting horns sounding. Not jubilant, but really respectful and thanking the game and forests for providing food. Almost like the last post being sounded on remembrance day - that sort of feeling.
And then a really good evening by the fire with lots of food, good red wine and schnapps.
So I put a 1.25-4x20 Schmidt & Bender on the 275 Rigby, sighted it in with heavy bullets, and booked a flight on Lufthansa. Three weeks ago, he rang to say they had a spare place and would like to bring a fellow scot - one call later 2 amigo's were heading for Germany. I was somewhat nervous about flying with a rifle. How foolish of me. It is a very pleasant experience. Check in staff very polite and helpful. You are taken to the front of the queue and your bags are taken off you. One little form to fill in and five minutes later you are done and all checked in. So much more pleasant than all this online *****! At the other end, none of the scrum of waiting around the baggage - somebody brings your case and rifle to you.
Only scary bit was driving on the autobahn from Frankfurt up to central germany. A base Ford Fiesta, even though brand new with all the gismos, doesn't have an engine and struggles to get to 130kmh - the big Audi's, Mercs and BMWs come up very fast and not having the power to overtake slow lorries is a bit frustrating.
Anyway got to friends, BBQ was one - a small hot pot of mxed bean and pepper stew as a condiment with Roe Filet and a starter, Fallow fillet wrapped in bacon as a main, and to finish as desert the fillet of a young wild boar - all washed down with a good German red wine.
Early morning start on Tuesday - paperwork. Getting insurance and German visitor Jagsheins. Then a visit to the shooting range for friend to get familiar with the Blaser 300 win mag he was borrowing. Now he is used to a 243 Ruger that he has had since his early 20's, so it took him a wee while to get his head around the Blaser. Any way a few shots later he was hitting the running boar. Then a walk into town to the German Christmas market for a late lunch of pig steak and Kraut Salad, followed by a trip to Italian Cafe for coffee and ice cream.
Back to get kit sorted - both of us were provided with best described as described as Romper suits - like the ones you dress up litle kids in - thick down padded and green. We would be on our stands for 4+ hours and it would below freezing.
An early curry for supper - I chose a fish curry just to even up things, a slightly restless night an early start and an hour plus drive before the 8.30 briefing. Lots of hunters in green and orange. Everybody has to sign in and a check of licence and insurance. A full briefing by the hunt master followed - safety paramount, and what you can and cannot shoot - wild boars but no large females, roe does only, racoons and foxes. A general air of excitement. Well wooded hillsides - a mix of well mature beech, interspersed with mature conifer and blocks of young trees or newly felled areas. Very different to British woodland. You can see a lot regular management with trees to be taken out as and when needed, rather than grown in a dense crop and all felled at once. 25 guns we then taken out to all their alloted stands. That is 25 guns spread out over 2,000 hectares. No guns really in sight of each other - generally each allotted a section in a bowl or a gully, with natural terrain and woodland obviously funnelling animals. About 30 beaters with packs of Jagd Terries and bigger GWPs would be working the whole area so game could come from any direction.
I was taken to my stand by the son of our host - he spoke excellent English - as do many Germans and explained to me what would be happening. At my stand very clearly marke on trees where the safe shooting areas are. All beaters, hunters and dogs dressed in high vis orange. The drive would finish at 14.00 and no shooting after that time.
I got into my stand as quietly as possible and made myself comfortable. It was a raised platform ten feet off the ground, overlooking a wooded bowl. Dense scrubby plantation to my left, otherwise mature. You could hear the dogs giving tongue - reminded me of the only shaepspeare quote that I now - "the hounds dwlapped like thesalonoan bulls" - Midsummer nights dream. I heard lots of rustlying - what's that - looks like some small fluffy toy dog - no its fox, bugger its gone away. Now pay attention. A raven croaking over head. Hmm thats a funny croaking sound come from far in the wood, scanning the wood lookng for the sound and see large sow followed by a yearling about 200 yards away running hard. I think they have come into the scrub - there is ride which a I can shoot up - hope they come across, whats that rustling, whats that noise, oh thats sound like voices and spy up the ride a party of pensioners coming for a walk - yes we had been warned to look out for them.
Kaboom kaboom kaboom - sounds a fifty calibre opening up - my good friend was three hundred yards away over the hill - wonder if the sow and piglet had gone straight for him - clearly he has got his head around the Blaser action.
Whats that chattering in the trees above - black with a red crest and woodpecker shaped - must be a black wood pecker - never seen one before - wonderful. Was that a pig that just ran behind me - yes it was - in the safe zone so could n't have shot it. Dogs close by - lots of baying of dogs - shots ring out - definately hear one striking home - wonder what they they've got. More shots ring out, is anything coming my way - still alert, but like fishing just relax and things will happen. Whats that? no pigs don't have a wagging tail and bright flourescent collar - looks like a large spaniel, but probably a large munsterlander just following a track. Looks like he is having a lot of fun. I later learn that he belongs to one of the guns. He is trained to go out in large sweeps and rounding game back towards his master. He returns to the stand every 20 or so minutes but in the meantime he covers a radius of a km or so. His collar has GPS tracking in it. Thats clever.
Whats that trying to sneek through the thick stuff - its a young yearling doe by the looks of it. She will crossing that clear patch and make ready - she bounds out, I fire she bounds on, reload and continue to track her, I snatch another shot and she bounds off looking totally fine. I text my German friends to get a dog to follow up and they will. I was too excited and snatch my shot.
The 300 win mag opens again behind and a few minutes later does so again.
And its 14.00 end of the shooting. That flashed by only felt like 20 minutes / half an hour - it was in fact four hours. Absolutely brain dead and exhausted from concentration and sensory overload. Irritated by missing (hopefully).
Hosts son arrives to pick me up. He was disappointed that I had had many pigs coming past me - mine was usually the hot seat. We go to where the doe crossed the ride and where I had shot her. No sign of any blood or hair. Check where I had taken the 2nd shot - again no sign of any hits. He gets his dratthar and we go to thend of the thick patch where I had seen her exciting - no blood trail and we follow her tracks for a bit - no blood. She had been running towards a line of beaters so if she had been wounded they would have caught up with her. He tells me he had had a good hunt and accounted for two pigs - one a keiler, both accounted for with a knife -the dogs bayed them in thick brambles and he went in to finish them off.
We went to pick up my friend. He was grinning with two large pigs - he had fired nine shots in total. The first a t a wee piglet in the trees that escaped - his shots hit the trees, and then these two - both had been hit two or three times - all good shots but he kept shooting till they were down, One was about 50 kg - a small keiler - three shots in the engine room from a 300 Win Mag - and it ran fifty yards from where it was first hit.
A beer or two in the woods and then back to the lodge.
All the game was picked up and brought back. They brought everything back ungralloched - much less risk off contamination and getting shiite inside the carcass. Makes sense, and given it was well below zero they carcasses cool off quickly. They had three butchers working hard on the beasts. Complete vertical gralloch taking everything out in one go. They also cut away any really blood shot / damaged meat - they said it spoils quickly.
All the game was then hung up on a long rail to be addressed. The hunt master thanked the game, and all those who had been involved in the day. Those who had been successful went forward to shake the hand of the hunt master and to recieve a small branch to stick in his hat. Then the horn players played tunes of respect for the game. It was really nice atmosphere - large fires burning and hunting horns sounding. Not jubilant, but really respectful and thanking the game and forests for providing food. Almost like the last post being sounded on remembrance day - that sort of feeling.
And then a really good evening by the fire with lots of food, good red wine and schnapps.
sound like a great time had by all..
