Germany is a country with ancient hunting traditions and unbelievable densities of game animals. Exploring Germany’s hunting opportunities, however, can be challenging. Read more...

In spite of its being one of the world’s biggest economies and industrial nations, Germany has astounding amounts of game. You can hardly drive a few kilometers through the countryside without seeing a few roe deer, and in September and October the country’s woods are shaken with the roar of the red stags. And the wild boar is so numerous that almost a half of traditional “Bratwurst” sausages sold on Christmas markets are made out of wild pig meat. There are also fallow deer and mouflon, even though their populations have been decreasing after the introduction of the grey wolf. This predator, once locally extinct, is no so common that some federal states work on removing the protected status it enjoys under the European Union laws. Smaller predators such as fox and racoon dog are overpopulated and many clubs require them to be shot on sight, even at the cost of an opportunity to take a more valuable animal. Modern agriculture is not very conducive to high numbers of small game, but Germany does have enough to offer to enthusiasts of partridge, pheasant, and hare hunting. And the country’s numerous rivers and lakes, especially on the Baltic and North Sea coasts, are teeming with waterfowl of all description. This abundance is due to Germany’s well-developed, and in many ways unique, system of hunting and wildlife management. The right to hunt on a property belongs to the landowner, but to kill a wild animal one needs a license, that requires taking a comprehensive education course and passing a challenging set of theoretical exams and practical tests. In practice, landowners usually delegate their hunting right to professional or "hobby" hunters or clubs. When a hunter or hunting club is officially in control of a hunting ground, they are required to maintain the populations of game animals within thresholds set by the government. They are also obliged to pay compensation to landowners for damage incurred by game animals to fields or forestry. These costs may be offset by selling venison. In theory, nothing prevents a tourist from partaking in German hunting tradition. A German hunter or hunting club may obtain a temporary hunting license for a visitor, and even borrow them a hunting rifle or shotgun to hunt on their territory. In practice, most German hunters would need to establish a certain level of trust before they can let you hunt in their territory. Most visitors who hunt in Germany do it through personal connections, and in contrast to Poland, France, and the Czech Republic, commercialized hunting offers in Germany are few and far between. However, you can find some on our online marketplace. Hide details