They are supposed to control wild populations, protect the forest and fight African swine fever.
But in the Corona period, the hunters in the district encounter unexpected problems.
Fürstenfeldbruck
- Because of the pandemic, people have to limit their contacts.
Instead of going to the beer garden or a restaurant, many are now out in nature more often - and that until late at night.
This is not without consequences.
"It makes the game shy," says Gerhard von Hößlin, chairman of the Fürstenfeldbruck district group in the Bavarian State Hunting Association.
The animals are more careful and hide more.
Nocturnal activities in the forest are a particular problem.
Although the 64-year-old can understand people well, he would like more consideration - both for nature and for the hunters.
At night in the forest
Werner Kirmair, the hunting tenant for Germering-West, also meets more and more people at night in the woods.
Particularly problematic for him are those who have no respect for nature and behave inconsiderately.
"Many of them are outside at any time of the day or night, do not stick to any paths and are very noisy, so the game then has no rest areas," says Kirmair.
Specifically, the game would usually remain at rest in the twilight and night hours if it did not feel threatened.
Badly trained dogs that are not on a leash are particularly bad.
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, this increased use of the forests has been a massive problem for hunters, says the 55-year-old.
Not only residents of the Bruck district are a problem.
"Many of the cars that are parked particularly inconsiderately come from Starnberg or Munich," says Kirmair.
Hunting becomes difficult
The game, troubled by the many additional people, is more difficult to hunt, say Kirmair and von Hößlin.
Therefore, the hunters in the district could currently shoot fewer animals than usual.
In addition, certain forms of company hunting are only possible to a very limited extent during the Corona period.
But right now it is very important that the hunters can hunt enough.
Risk of swine fever
Above all, von Hößlin wants to keep the wild boars, i.e. the wild boars, as short as possible at the moment.
Because the bristle creatures are threatened by African swine fever (ASF).
This disease, which cannot be transmitted to humans, but which is very quickly fatal for both wild and domestic pigs, is currently spreading in Europe.
In September it was detected for the first time in a German wild boar.
"It is only a matter of time before this epidemic hits the whole of Germany," says von Hößlin.
Then it would not only threaten wild boars here, but also become very dangerous for pig fatteners.
If animals are infected on a farm, all individuals there must be killed to prevent the disease from spreading further.
Von Hößlin hopes that a reduced population of wild boars can limit the spread of the pig disease in Bavaria.
Careful deer
But not only the wild boar is more shy and cautious.
Deer would also be disturbed by the large numbers of people in the forests.
And with these, the hunters even have to meet a mandatory shooting quota in order to protect the forests.
Otherwise the deer would nibble on too many young trees in the forest, says von Hößlin.
If the hunters fail to meet their quota, which is always set for three years, the Lower Hunting Authority threatens sanctions.
And the quotas are tight.
In the previous three-year phase, the hunters in the district shot only three percent more deer than the minimum required by the shooting plan.
The hunters therefore hope for a constructive dialogue with the hunting authorities.
Winter could also help them.
It is hoped that there will be fewer people out in the woods, which would give the wild animals more peace and quiet.
(Sven Behrens)