DJV: Share of women and young recreational hunters is growing
The German Hunting Association reports a growing share of women and younger recreational hunters. The motivations for obtaining a hunting licence are being called into question.
According to a survey by the German Hunting Association (DJV), the German hunting community has become more female and younger.
The proportion of female hunters has risen from 7 to 11% since 2016, according to initial results of the survey provided by DJV spokesperson Torsten Reinwald. The number of members between the ages of 18 and 34 increased by nearly a quarter, now standing at 11%.
The average age of hunters fell in the same period from 57 to 56 years. According to Reinwald, more than 2’500 people took part in the membership survey. Around three quarters of the now over 403’000 hobby killers in Germany are organised in associations.
According to the IG Wild beim Wild, medical-psychological assessments for recreational hunters are needed — modelled on the Dutch system — as well as an upper age limit. The largest age group among recreational hunters is 65+, those with age-related deficiencies in cognition, vision, concentration and reaction time, as well as training and practice deficits. The alarming reports of hunting accidents and fatal crimes involving hunters’ weapons make it clear: it is high time to abolish recreational hunting! Lethal firearms have no place in the hands of recreational hunters, who can use them in a completely uncontrolled manner!
On 23 and 24 June, the German Hunting Association expects around 350 participants at the Federal Hunters’ Day in Wernigerode (Harz). After a two-year forced break due to the pandemic, the delegates’ assembly is taking place in person for the first time again. One of the main focuses is the wildlife monitoring programme that has been in place for 20 years. Since 2001, recreational hunters across Germany have been recording the occurrence, frequency and population trends of wild animals.
RECREATIONAL HUNTER RADAR
On the trail of hidden animal welfare offences, poaching and/or criminal activity? Report suspected cases to us! Help with the great Recreational Hunter Radar.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In our dossiers on the criticism of recreational hunting gather fact-checks, analyses and background reports. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
