The German Bucks of May Pt 1
Taking a train journey in Germany is heartwarming. Leaving the City and rolling further into the countryside you begin to notice the many high seats or stands dotted across large tracts of flat tilled land. These “Sitz” are a symbol of tradition and a country with a deep hunting heritage. Hunting is deep in German culture and its long-held traditions and customs are admired and respected throughout the world. I never tire of the country, the people or the hunting and take every opportunity to return. It was during the Jagd und Hund show back in February that Julia Szer and I were discussing Roe Deer that the opportunity for a “Roe Buck” came up. I have shot Roe in Germany previously on a winter Drückjagd (Driven Hunt) but never had the chance of a buck. In 2024 I had travelled to North Rhine Westphalia in the hope of one. Unfortunately, I had no “Waidmannsheil”, however I did have four very enjoyable days with Wesley and his family among some fantastic countryside and met many other hunters & enthusiasts, spotted a lot of animals we don’t have at home and enjoyed the weather which was a bonus during a typical wet summer at home.
I left home in the small hours in driving rain and eventually arrived at a rather quiet airport at 5.00am and kept up my caffeine intake as I had been awake since the morning before and was beginning to feel it as dawn broke, the only thing keeping my spirits up was thoughts of the days ahead and the hope of a successful trip. The old Bi-Plane skidded onto the Frankfurt runway and before I knew it, Julia and I were enroute to her house. There was much to discuss and Julia being her usual self, had everything planned down to the finest detail, I think even how long we would sleep between shooting! I had a welcome German beer, after we exercised the dogs and it was an early sleep for an early rise the next morning.
Have you ever met someone and just “clicked” with them, within a short time you are talking and laughing like you have known each other for years? For me, Pietro Miliziano was one of these people – I first met him back in February on his hunting lease in Rhineland Pfalz where he was training his dogs, Julia introduced us and within a few minutes it was like we were old friends. He and I had much to talk about back then and now today. Pietro comes from Sicily, and was and still is a keen ferreter and rabbit catcher. He told me stories of ferreting as a child in Sicily and how the “old guys” taught him to make nets. It’s warming to know that the “old guys” exist everywhere and the traditions of ferreting, rabbit catching and net making are worldwide. We share a love of not only hunting but Italian food, coffe, wine and he introduced me to “Grappa de Sicilia” which he poured liberally into the espresso “For the Buck” which he made for me from the espresso machine in his van – Van is a poor word, its more like a small hotel. It has a rather luxury dog section with water supply, a hose to wash off your dirty boots, gun & ammunition storage, an espresso machine, a tiramisu storage and of course a bottle of “Grappa De Sicilia” which was now making my espresso taste quite lively and just the thing to perk anyone up at ten o’clock on a Monday morning! If someone is a good person they should be informed so, and Pietro Miliziano is one of those guys, a good guy, a character, a “Goodfella” in every sense of the word…Saluti.
We left Pietro and his fine kennel of English Setters behind and made our way to our next stop which was the Gruppe Kircheimboland e.V Im Deutschen Teckelklub 1888 e.V. The Deutscher Teckelclub (D.T.K) has many groups across Germany and abroad that are affiliated to them and the Kircheimboland club is one of these and is a thriving club in the Bundesland and looked after by Silke Steinbring, Anna Kleber and Julia Müller. I received a very warm welcome from everyone including half a dozen very enthusiastic Teckels along with a demonstration of their current A.S.P training and to top it all off, Silke presented me with a rather large bottle of Jägermeister – She must have known it is my absolute favourite!
The club was a fantastic place. Both inside and out had everything required for Teckel training and the handlers, it is a home from home for the members and I only wish we had such enthusiasm at home – There are no half measures in Germany, they do it and do it correct.
Within a couple of hours, “Patrick” was leading me to a High Stand on his lease. A beautiful area with acres of Rapeseed and Plough which was dotted with High Stands on the perimeter. Julia had been spotting Roe on the drive in, most of which took me a minute to see. Every now and again she would say “look there to the left” and only after some time would I notice a Roe or a pair of Roe along a hedge line or sitting down. I only wish we had Roe at home; they are an amazing Deer and a lot easier to handle than the almost cattle sized Reds at home – Often requiring vehicles and towing equipment to move them.
Patrick and Julia wished me “Waidmannsheil” and I walked the last few hundred yards to the stand alone, and climbed the ladder to the evenings seat. Upon opening the door, I could hear a dull vibration and looked up to see not only a wasp’s nest on the ceiling but two large wood wasps circulating inside. Wood wasps are entirely harmless but rather intimidating and being stuck inside a four-foot square box which is 18ft in the air makes them even more intimidating! As I rushed and got the hatches open, they happily flew off and I just hoped the nest above my head remained quiet for the next three hours.
Directly in front of (below) me was about 200 yards or slightly more of grass that ran onto plough for a few hundred yards until it was back to grass and then plough again before meeting more grass. That grass, quite a distance out was now feeding around 12 or 18 Roe Deer and behind them and all the way back to me was Rapeseed.
The sun was almost liquid…rolling across the grass, the plough and the Rapeseed. It was warm but a slight evening chill had begun to take hold and the sky was completely blue. As I admired my surroundings and tried my best to soak it all up, a Roe Buck appeared from the Rapeseed and stepped onto the plough. He was in no hurry or any general direction, just walking here and turning back there and sort of roaming around very nonchalantly. I watched him through my binoculars closely and he was coming my direction, increasing his speed a little I reached over and put my hand on the rifle and slowly brought it towards me.
He stopped and looked around and I admired him through the binoculars in all his beauty as he lowered and turned his head & began to rub his nose on his shoulder and showing every angle of his antlers. If he kept coming my way, I would have an opportunity for a shot and so he did – My heart began skip a little, and this is the time when the “fear” begins! I was catastrophising the whole situation and almost had myself convinced I’d miss the shot or he wouldn’t come within range and another buck wouldn’t appear! Patrick had reinforced to me several times “don’t shoot the first one” but I had decided this was the one. He stepped onto the grass off the plough and I knocked off the safety, taking and holding my breath and pushing to try and steady myself a little more, one more step…And he sat down!
An hour and a half later he was still nosing himself, looking around and enjoying the evening sun as much as me and further back a few other Bucks and Does were doing the same. I always admire the abundance of wildlife in Germany and the different species. Marderhunds, Stone & Pine Martens, Cranes, Wild Cats and even Wolves in some areas. Hares are everywhere and this evening there were sitting a little more than a hundred yards from me that suddenly were all looking one way, then the Roe Buck swung his head around and stood up just as a Common Crane passed overhead but very low. This seemed to agitate the Buck and he started to walk to my right and then stopped onto the grass and came a few feet in while still walking parallel to me.
The rifle was comfortable, the Smidt and Bender scope felt the same and I clicked off the safety as again I became aware of my heart – It was now or never. I am not a long shooter, and this was a little out of my comfort zone. I could have waited and maybe should have, who knows what was waiting in the Rapeseed but sometimes it’s best to strike when the iron is hot. I drew the crosshairs exactly where they should have been, followed him along for a split second and squeezed…
“Waidmannsheil” Julia said on the other end of the phone. The buck went down, clean, quick & humane. I was sitting down beside him on the plough where he had ended up after running twenty or so yards when Julia and Patrick arrived. As we carried him off the plough and rested him in front of the rape the sun was slipping away but still beautiful, still liquid and golden and running over the rapeseed flowers like olive oil. Patrick presented me with the Bruch and with the letzter Bissen (last bite) for the Buck who as on his right-hand side and had it placed in the left side of his mouth as is tradition to show respect for the animal.
By any accounts the buck was nothing special, fairly average – many hunters would have given him little regard, but for me he was fantastic, the ending of a nearly 12-month pursuit for a German Buck and it couldn’t have ended better. The location, the weather, the friendship and most of all the memories, because like my old friend says “In the end they are all we have”.
To Julia, Patrick, Pietro, Silke, Anna, Julia, Klaus, Markus and even the Greek – Vielen Dank miene deutchen, sizilianisch und polieren Freunde!
Waidmannsheil