As of: February 15, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Patrick Staar
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The deer and hinds get treats like apple scraps when they dare to get close to the observation barn.
© Patrick Staar
The game feeding in Vorderriß is a real crowd-pleaser - and prevents browsing in the forest.
This winter there is once again the chance to see deer up close.
Vorderriß – Deer and hinds are rarely seen by hikers and walkers.
It is an impressive sight when you suddenly come face to face with 100 such animals - like at the public game feeding in Vorderriß.
This has long since developed into a crowd puller: “At its peak this year we had over 100 visitors to the observation barn,” reports hunting master Hubert Reiser.
The last chance to watch is this Friday, February 16th.
The focus is on protecting the forest
Feeding wild animals is not about creating an attraction for tourists, but rather protecting the forest.
When the food supply becomes poorer in autumn, the game migrates from the high altitudes down to the meadows in the valley, explains Reiser.
In the past, the animals marched further along the Isar to the Danube.
This is no longer possible today.
And so the animals gather at the feeding places, such as the winter gate in Vorderriß.
They are fed there from mid-December to early May.
Monitoring the feeding of game (vi. left) Hunting master Hubert Reiser and Robert Krebs from the Tölzer forestry company © Patrick Staar
The Bad Tölz forestry operation of the Bavarian State Forests operates a total of 16 feeding stations in the area between the Achenpass, Benediktbeuern and Elmau.
Two of these feeding places are fenced winter gates, including the Vorderriß.
14 are not fenced.
“Both have advantages and disadvantages,” says Robert Krebs, deputy forestry manager.
"The advantage of a winter gate is that the animals can't get out - and people can't get in." Many people would otherwise try to get very close to the feeding place.
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Around 1,000 deer come to the 16 feeding stations
The winter gate in Vorderriß has existed for 30 years.
All processes have long been in place.
Food is given twice a day at the same time, from the same people according to exactly the same ritual.
“The animals come into the winter gate automatically, we don’t have to do anything,” explains Reiser.
Due to the heavy snowfall at the beginning of December, the animals arrived very quickly this year.
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The 16 feeding stations are visited by 1,000 deer every day, reports Krebs.
“If you know that each animal consumes three to five kilograms of hay silage every day, you can calculate how much feed you need each day.
But it’s worth it to us because otherwise there would be a lot of damage caused by browsing.”
The animals are not disturbed by visitors to the observation barn
Laypeople may be surprised that feeding continues this winter even though there is almost no snow left in Vorderriß.
“If the situation is like it is now, the animals would certainly like to move away,” confirms Krebs, who makes it clear that there are still good reasons for continuous feeding.
The animals should be tied to the feeding stations so that they are not out and about “somewhere in the area” if there is a severe onset of winter later in the spring: “If you feed, you have to do it continuously from December to April .”
The animals are usually not disturbed by the numerous visitors to the observation barn.
The only time it becomes critical is when a small child whines or when seniors lose patience.
The animals are lured to the feeding areas near the barn with treats such as corn silage and “apple pomace”, i.e. the solid components of the apples that are left over after apple juice has been made.
Another visit this winter
Animal observer Margarete Höflich was impressed by what she saw at the recent feeding.
There are also feeding stations in her homeland, said the Aschaffenburg native, “but mostly fallow deer go there.”
She found the fact that she was able to see deer and hinds up close at the show feeding in Vorderriß to be “great: I really liked it.”
Further information:
Watch the game being fed: You can do that – for the last time this winter – next Friday, February 16th, in Vorderriß.
The participants meet at 3:30 p.m. about 700 meters after the Gasthof Post (in the direction of Hinterriß) at the parking lot on the left.
There is a large wooden barn at the parking lot.
Those interested are picked up by the hunter at the barrier tape.
Visitors arriving later must be turned away.