Damage in the five-star kitchen in the forest

No, the deer is not the deer’s wife. The stag mates with a hind and the roebuck with a deer. Both species belong to the hoofed game, they are ruminants, among the deer-like one summarizes red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, roe deer and elk deer. Elk and sika deer are not to be found here, but the deer with its sometimes impressive antlers regularly elicits delighted cries from those who see it, according to a press release from the district office about the meeting of the “Bavarian Rhön” red deer conservation community in the Thulbatalhalle in Thulba.

In a wildlife park, for example, a zoo enclosure or even in the great outdoors. Red deer are out and about during the day and at night, and it is not uncommon for them to travel up to 100 kilometers in search of food. Regardless of the beauty that the male and also the gentle-looking female animals radiate: they cause damage in nature.

Not a few in the district, that was heard at the meeting. “Our forests are an important part of our cultural landscape,” said district administrator Thomas Bold, “their function goes far beyond the use of wood, they bind CO2 and offer recreation. That’s why planning for the future is important.”

District Administrator praises the work of the hunters

So when deer cause damage, it first has a direct impact on the forest and later on people. “We are told that we have a high quality of life in our region. This has a lot to do with all those who take care of the landscape, habitats and nature. And there you, the hunters, are at the forefront,” said the district administrator appreciatively of the work of the huntsmen and women. They pave the way for healthy wild populations, take care of the protection of endangered animals and create a cultural landscape in which red deer also find a place.

The damage is impact, sweeping and peeling damage. Impact damage occurs when male antlers mark their territory. When deer want to get rid of the bast from the antlers, they rub it against young trees, this is what is known as sweeping damage. Peeling damage occurs when red deer feast on the bark of young trees, i.e. peel off the bark to eat. If the game peels off too much bark, the tree dies.

In principle, the red deer go to the five-star kitchen in the middle of the forest to eat the finest pieces and do not always go to the places on the edge of the forest. This in turn makes it difficult for the hunter to spot the animals.

Firing increased for years

“During the hunting year, it takes a lot of work and time to summarize and evaluate the kills made and to carry out the new planning again and again in an expert and balanced manner,” explained Bold, who then coordinated this in cooperation with the district group spokespersons, district owners and the lower hunting authority. Thanks to the consistent and correct reporting behavior and the shooting planning, according to the district administrator, the number of red deer in the district has decreased.

“In the past few years, the kill has steadily increased,” Bold reminded, now for the first time a lower target kill is set compared to previous years, namely 822 pieces.

“Since the shooting spree in Hamburg, the view of legal gun owners has become more negative again, but they shouldn’t be stigmatized. Bavaria stands behind its marksmen and hunters,” State Secretary Sandro Kirchner addressed the issue of weapons. Oberthulba’s deputy mayor Jürgen Kolb called the leisure behavior of some problematic because it brings unrest in the forest. As a result, the red deer are more active and have a higher need for food. District chairman Edgar Thomas was satisfied with the cooperation between the farmers and the hunters – that is not a matter of course, but it works very well in the district. Board members Birgit Kompe and Christof Kühnlein emphasized the importance of migratory corridors for red deer. The conservancy leaders were unanimously re-elected. red