Thread: Hunting in Austria

In Austria at the moment, heading off for a Sunday arvo hunt in 30 mins. Will post some pics when I get a chance.

Mrs, boy and her parents are at lake Balaton on holiday. Told me this morning that stags are roaring each night at the vineyard where they are staying. Deer coming to eat grapes

Which part of Austria?

Weidmannsheil 👍

Finally got some time. I tried uploading some pics up in the hills but coverage wasn’t data friendly.

Very different experience to hunting in NZ as those who’ve hunted here know.
In the region of Vorarlberg; the very western edge of Austria, quite close to Bregenz. Bregenzerwald, is the mountain area we were hunting.
Everything is strictly controlled in terms of what you can shoot, number, age and sex of animal.
On this block they’ve already taken their minimum quota of Chamois or Gams, as they call them. But they still have a couple they can take if they want.
We saw around 20 in 3 groups. Could have easily taken a couple of young bucks, but their numbers are quite low now, so we let them be.
My mate was after a good red stag, they know is there. This season they must take 4 hinds, a yearling and 3 mature females. Plus they have to take a spiker and a stag more than 4 years of age.
If you stuff it up and take the wrong sex or age you can get quite a hefty fine. So they’re very careful identifying the animal.
We saw 4 hinds, but no stag. It’s just turned cold. It’s been 25 - 30 C all week, but first snow hit Friday Saturday, and it was 4 - 5 C all day.
Stags should fire up any day now apparently.

I should have taken a photo of one of the stands. They have quite a few on this block, some are just simply awesome. Quite high up, very cool traditional construction. Bloody hard to beat sitting up there with the Swaro equipped Blaser, and a flask of schnapps, watching a beautiful alpine valley.
Unfortunately I had a birthday to be back for, so we couldn’t sit tight till dark, and left well before dusk. But a chance to stretch the legs in the Mountains, evict some self inflicted toxins from the bloodstream; and see a few Chamois was a bloody good way to spend a Sunday,

They also have Roe deer and the odd Ibex. If you’re not familiar with Ibex, google them. Image these majestic animals in our Alps!.

Stunning location!!

Cool,
That list of animals for the annual take. is that for an area that you contacts have a hunting lease on??

I can get that they (Government department) look at the carry capacity of an area and have a harvest level to maintain both the environment and animal quality.
My interest is how you get access to land to hunt on, ie do they own land, lease hunting rights, put in for a ballot etc.
Cheer's Z

In short you pay.
The hunting block is private land.
The farmer or land owner grazes cattle up there in the summer, and he gets paid by the govt for every day the herd is up there. I guess we’d call it a subsidiary. If there is game, then it’s typical to lease out areas for hunting. Gerhards block is approx 200 hectares.
The cattle are down now, as winter snows will come any day, but they aim to keep them up there as long as possible. The animals are kept indoors for most of their long winter, and fed grain, and other stored feed.
This is where kiwi anti farming/meat types generally have no idea when they jump on the anti farming bandwagon, which originated in Europe. Their Euro farming practices are literally the polar opposite to what our farmer's do.

Back to hunting I think it would be reasonable to say it’s a sport, or a pastime for the wealthy. Very different to NZ where basically anyone can get a license and hunt for next to nothing.

It’s very different - interesting in that, even though the land is private, anyone can walk on it.
There are a number of marked tracks, (just the odd red/white stripe painted on a rock) that go through the pasture land, right up onto the high mountain passes. Climbers, walkers, anyone can traipse through. We were watching a couple of Chamois and got bumped by an elderly couple, out looking for mushrooms.
It made me think how poorly the Queens Chain is working in NZ and the difference in attitudes. In saying that our countries our worlds apart.
They have a little hut not 10 mins walk from the road in with four beds. There was beer and wine sitting in the bench. Couple of cans outside in the trough. And a rifle lying on the bed. That’s just how they leave it..
The lock and security on the hut was very rudimentary.

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful location.

Hunting is only for the rich in most countries, we are blessed with the hunting opertunities we have in NZ.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Mrs, boy and her parents are at lake Balaton on holiday. Told me this morning that stags are roaring each night at the vineyard where they are staying. Deer coming to eat grapes

Which part @Moa Hunter ? I was born and lived there for 26 years. Nice country shame the muppets in parliament still busy destroying it.
I was working on the 2 hunting estates west from my home town Boglar. About 29,000 hectares of prime swamp ag fields canals and alder forests. Heaps of deer red/roe fallow, big pigs and water fowl and jackals. Miss the landscape don't miss living in that system.

Originally Posted by Boar Freak

Which part @Moa Hunter ? I was born and lived there for 26 years. Nice country shame the muppets in parliament still busy destroying it.
I was working on the 2 hunting estates west from my home town Boglar. About 29,000 hectares of prime swamp ag fields canals and alder forests. Heaps of deer red/roe fallow, big pigs and water fowl and jackals. Miss the landscape don't miss living in that system.

Not sure, they went from Germany to Hungary for a holiday to a place the inlaws used to take Mrs every year when she was little. Will ask for the name of the spot

Lucky man! What surprised me about Austria was the close proximity of deer stands to fairly high areas of population, and Roe deer right by the roads in the middle of the day.

@Boar Freak Mrs says it is 'Badacsonyors' ( the last o has those oomlat things on top )

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

@Boar Freak Mrs says it is 'Badacsonyors' ( the last o has those oomlat things on top )

Ok. That's the opposite side. They make nice red wine in that area.

Originally Posted by Lauries Hut

In short you pay.
The hunting block is private land.
The farmer or land owner grazes cattle up there in the summer, and he gets paid by the govt for every day the herd is up there. I guess we’d call it a subsidiary. If there is game, then it’s typical to lease out areas for hunting. Gerhards block is approx 200 hectares.
The cattle are down now, as winter snows will come any day, but they aim to keep them up there as long as possible. The animals are kept indoors for most of their long winter, and fed grain, and other stored feed.
This is where kiwi anti farming/meat types generally have no idea when they jump on the anti farming bandwagon, which originated in Europe. Their Euro farming practices are literally the polar opposite to what our farmer's do.

Back to hunting I think it would be reasonable to say it’s a sport, or a pastime for the wealthy. Very different to NZ where basically anyone can get a license and hunt for next to nothing.

It’s very different - interesting in that, even though the land is private, anyone can walk on it.
There are a number of marked tracks, (just the odd red/white stripe painted on a rock) that go through the pasture land, right up onto the high mountain passes. Climbers, walkers, anyone can traipse through. We were watching a couple of Chamois and got bumped by an elderly couple, out looking for mushrooms.
It made me think how poorly the Queens Chain is working in NZ and the difference in attitudes. In saying that our countries our worlds apart.
They have a little hut not 10 mins walk from the road in with four beds. There was beer and wine sitting in the bench. Couple of cans outside in the trough. And a rifle lying on the bed. That’s just how they leave it..
The lock and security on the hut was very rudimentary.

There is a good place...do you speak German?

Originally Posted by Black Rabbit

There is a good place...do you speak German?

No; definitely can’t speak it.
I know the basics, and can understand a reasonable amount of written and spoken. But can’t hold a conversation.