Bavaria: Hobby Hunters' Nerves Frayed After Criticism

In mid-October, the «International Hunting and Shooting Days» took place for the 6th time at Jagdschloss Grünau near Neuburg.

Criticism came from all directions, and it is recommended that such sectarian events involving Hubert Aiwanger be avoided in future. Although there is no comprehensible justification for hunting animal species such as foxes, birds and martens, hobby hunters kill millions of wild animals primarily as a «leisurepursuit».hunting of animal species such as foxes, birds and martens, hobby hunters kill millions of wild animals primarily as a «pastime».

In doing so, they frequently inflict considerable pain on these sentient creatures. Furthermore, it repeatedly occurs that stray shots or ricochets injure or even kill people, rifle bullets strike houses, or walkers come under fire.

Aiwanger’s sectarian speech

In the marquee, Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs and passionate hobby hunter, Hubert Aiwanger, delivered a sectarian speech: «Hunting is the most natural form of food production. God created humans as omnivores. It would even be a sin to simply watch deer die a natural death. Hunting an animal in order to eat it afterwards is just the same as harvesting an apple», said the minister.

The hobby hunter and the sadist can feign anything just to get what they want. Such people lack a conscience and empathy by definition. Here is another example to illustrate this: A hobby hunter family has two sons. One commits suicide with a hunting rifle. At the following Christmas celebration, the parents give their other son the exact same weapon. When asked why, they say: «The gun works perfectly!»»

The word sect (from the Latin secta “party”, “doctrine”, “school of thought”) is defined, among other things, as follows: A small community, often with a hierarchical structure, whose views are usually very radical and misguided and contradict the fundamental ethical values of society.

Hobby hunting is unnecessary from a wildlife biology perspective

Animal welfare advocates find it simply tasteless to promote the killing of animals as an entertaining “leisure sport”. Under the guise of “connection with nature”, hunting causes immeasurable suffering — every year, countless animals are wounded by stray shots or literally crushed in traps, dying a slow and agonizing death.

Recognized wildlife biologists agree that from an ecological standpoint, there is no necessity for hunting. According to the renowned biologist Prof. Dr. Josef Reichholf, the nearly exterminated wolves do not need to be replaced by human hobby hunters, as natural regulation of wildlife populations living in forests occurs through environmental factors such as weather conditions, food availability, and disease. English scientists also concluded that fox populations, for example, regulate themselves based on food availability and social factors. Hunting, on the other hand, destroys the age and social structures of animal populations, leading to increased reproduction among survivors. Population losses are thus quickly offset or even overcompensated by offspring and immigration. Hunting is therefore unnecessary, counterproductive, and cruel.

Incitement against climate activists and vegans

Also in the crosshairs of Aiwanger’s militant speech, which resembled a sweeping settling of scores, were climate activists. After all, hunting was applied nature conservation, he argued. He accused hunting opponents, by contrast, of growing populism. «The hobby hunters are the conservationists — not the radical climate activists who sit down in the middle of the road».» That is why he urged his hunting colleagues to jointly confront the authors of critical comments on the internet — for example vegans, «whom you can usually tell by their appearance», ranted the Free Voters politician.

«The manner in which Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger promoted hunting and attacked all those who think differently at the opening of the hunting fair in Grünau is not only unprofessional but also highly embarrassing. He is welcome to privately think that you can supposedly tell vegans by their appearance. But as a politician he should refrain from voicing such defamatory remarks in public. As if such a statement were not already astonishing enough, he also equates shooting a roe deer with harvesting an apple», writes Claudia Stegmann in a comment, for example.

Should anyone still be able to smile at these verbal blunders, the following statement — also made at the opening of the hunting fair — must at the very latest be regarded as highly questionable. In connection with the debated ban on pocket knives, Aiwanger said: «Germany and Bavaria would be safer if every reasonable man and every reasonable woman were allowed to carry a knife.» That sounds almost as if the deputy Minister-President of this Free State were calling for armed self-defence.

Hunters' President Jürgen Vocke in the crosshairs

Last week, the public prosecutor's office and the criminal investigation department searched the headquarters of the Bavarian Hunting Association and Vocke's private premises, seizing numerous documents and data storage devices. Vocke is currently under investigation for breach of fiduciary duty and embezzlement . The matters under scrutiny include, among others, the following:

• The revocation of the association's non-profit status.
• An expense allowance of just under 5’000 euros that Vocke had been receiving tax-free and without social security contributions per month for his honorary role.
• The use of his company car.
• The employment of Vocke's daughter at a subsidiary of the Hunting Association.
• Expense claims and similar matters.
• Vocke is alleged to have regularly billed the BJV for personal expenses, such as boarding his dachshund at a dog kennel or for his favourite biscuits.
• A disclaimer of opinion is the most extreme form of criticism an auditor can express regarding the financial statements under review, states a letter of barely two pages. Furthermore, there were “serious indications of comparable legal violations for the financial years before and after the reporting period of 2018”.
• Threats from Vocke.

Jürgen Vocke cannot explain any of this. He is, so to speak, lost in the woods… at a loss.

Now he has taken his felt hat and resigned.