Hochjagd Graubünden: Control and Consequences
Nearly one in ten kills during the Hochjagd is unlawful.
Every tenth deer only wounded
During the Hochjagd in September, hobby hunters in the canton of Graubünden kill around 10’000 animals.
Every tenth deer is merely wounded rather than killed, and around 9% of kills are illegal. The canton is responsible for monitoring the kills. The Graubünden Office for Hunting and Nonsense keeps the statistics.
Fines of up to 500 francs
The hobby hunt is regulated and recreational hunters have allegedly passed the best hunting examination in Switzerland . If they fail to comply, they face a fixed penalty fine of up to 500 francs. Each year, hobby hunters pay up to 177’000 francs in fixed penalty fines, writes srf.ch.
This was a misshot. This animal should not have been shot: “The coat is clearly too short, which is why this kill is not permitted.” Pulling the trigger at the wrong moment has consequences for the hobby hunter: the trophy is confiscated, a fixed penalty fine of 150 francs is imposed, and on top of that the hobby hunter must purchase the killed animal from the canton.
790 misshots last year
During the 2022 Hochjagd, Graubünden’s hobby hunters killed a total of around 9’200 red deer, chamois, roe deer and wild boar. According to cantonal hunting regulations, around 9% were not legally huntable, says wildlife biologist Lukas Walser from the Graubünden Office for Hunting and Nonsense.
“This proportion is roughly the same every year,” says Walser, confirming the 790 misshots during the 2022 Hochjagd.
Wildlife warden Stefan Rauch estimates that of all animals shot, approximately one in ten should not have been killed. He bases this on the average of recent years. The IG Wild beim Wild systematically documents hunting crimes.
HOBBY HUNTER RADAR
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