Appenzell: Ungulate hunting season ends

On Wednesday, 15 December 2021, the red deer hunting season in Appenzell I.Rh. came to a close.

This marks the end of the hunting season for ungulates.

The roe deer hunt proceeded as planned. With a cull of 299 roe deer, a gratifyingly high total was achieved, matching the previous year. The increased cull figure for roe deer is a deliberate hunting management decision, intended to act as compensatory mortality for the high losses on roads and to minimise the impact of wildlife on the forest.

Due to the chamois blindness that affected the Alpstein region the previous year, the Standeskommission completely banned chamois hunting in 2020. Hunters and the hunting and fisheries administration were already able to observe the encouraging results of this very important measure this year, allowing a very modest chamois hunt to take place. Of the 30 chamois released for hunting, 28 were shot.

A total of 70 animals were shot during the red deer hunt. In the federal hunting reserve of Säntis, the wildlife wardens, with the approval of the federal government and nature conservation organisations and on behalf of the Standeskommission, shot 20 red deer. This contributed significantly to improving the cull results and represents an additional, resource-intensive task for the hunting administration. Also noteworthy is the successful course of the special red deer hunt, during which a total of 19 animals were shot — representing 38% of the total cull outside the protected area.

In the context of the ibex hunt, the planned seven animals were shot. Thanks to the consistent implementation of the measures developed in 2015 to secure the long-term future of the local ibex colony, several truly old bucks were once again recorded in the population.

The calm that is so important for ungulates in the coming months will now return. For this reason, hunting in Appenzell I.Rh. is always suspended from mid-December onwards.