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| Shawn Joyce, Diizche Safari Adventures with Roe Buck from Rätzlingen |
The evening before the hunt is always a special time but
especially whenever it is shared with friends. Traveling to Walbeck, Germany to
hunt Roe buck with my very dear friend Dr. Johannes Traumann has been a long
anticipated hunt. Johannes and I met during the first Heym Challenge held in
Germany. We became friends and had been planning this hunt since that time.
The night before our hunt was to begin we celebrated together
in the town of Walbeck, Germany. Many in the community gathered around a large
bonfire as evening fell. The purpose was
to celebrate the coming of a long anticipated spring. Traditionally, this
annual bonfire is held on Easter and is known as the Easter Fire. This year, it
had been so wet in the area that the fire was delayed until the last evening of
April to celebrate the coming of May and hopefully some more spring
like weather. A great time was had by
all that were present and the children seemed to especially enjoy tossing
sticks on the fire and playing together.
Following the celebration we walked to Johannes’s home
and stayed up late into the evening sharing stories of our many hunts around
the world. Stories about close calls with elephant and buffalo in Tanzania
seemed to rivet and hold the attention of all the listeners. The discussions
about culture and tradition with regard to hunting in Germany really anchored
my attention as well. Time got away from us and we finally headed to bed after
midnight. Three-thirty in the morning came awfully fast but the anticipation of
the hunt helped to drive away any thoughts about being tired.
For my upcoming hunts
with Johannes I would be hunting with a Heym SR21 .30-06 bolt action rifle.
This rifle was provided for my use and evaluation by Heym. The scope, a Leica
3.5-14X42 ER, graciously provide by Leica, and the ammunition provided by Hornady
would help to assure our hunt would be successful. Thomas Wolkmann, Jacqui, Manfred,
Bernhard, and Frank of Heym AG took great care to assure everything was
prepared before my three scheduled hunts in the Walbeck area. You can read more about my review of the Heym SR21 in my recent blog article.
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| Shawn Joyce on the Sticks with Heym SR21 |
The alarm on my cell phone snapped me back to reality
from my dreams of German landscapes and giant Roe bucks. I pulled on my
thermals and hunting clothes and headed to the kitchen. After eating a quick
piece of fruit and drinking a glass of water we were in the truck and off to
our first hunting area. We would be hunting in Rätzlingen at the Drömling
Nature Park.
After a short drive we parked the truck and started
hiking to our high stand. During our hike we bumped a beaver that splashed into
the creek alongside our primary trail. We continued hiking in the dark and
located the connecting trail that would ultimately lead to our stand. A few more twists and turns on the trail and
we were there. We took turns climbing up the wooden ladder to our high stand.
The back of the stand was open while the front and sides were partially
covered. There was a roof over the stand which would help to keep us somewhat
dry if it rained. As we settled into our stand I glanced at my watch, four-thirty.
As time passed, the sky began to lighten ever so
slightly and we were both glassing the field and edges of the cover for Roe
deer and wild boar. This morning, we were hunting a lease that is managed by
Peter Segeler and his daughter Janette.
It wasn’t too long before we spotted a red fox about two hundred
fifty meters off in the distance. We watched intently as the fox scanned the field and then anxiously began hunting from area to area within our field of view. We enjoyed watching for about thirty minutes until he came to within seventy-five meters of our blind and then entered a tangle of heavy brush. Our hunt was off to an exciting and enjoyable start!
We began to
spot Roe deer but none close enough to consider. Still it was relaxing passing the time looking
them over and watching their behavior. Spending time with my friend Johannes is
always great fun but when it is spent hunting, those moments rise to the level
of newly made lifetime memories.
Before too
long we began to hear the report of distant rifles from other hunters, potentially
signaling their success this opening day. We heard a close rifle shot not far
from us and later learned that Peter, the lease holder of our hunting area, had
seen the fox we had been watching. Shortly after the fox made its way past
Peter a fantastic Roe buck also went past.
Peter’s shot was true and the Roe deer would provide food for many to
enjoy.
Minutes in
the stand slowly turned to hours. At seven-thirty we decided to climb down from
our stand and conclude our morning hunt. We hiked back to the truck and
traveled to a local gathering of hunters coming together from several other
hunting lease areas. The group meets every year on the first of May to discuss the
success of the first Roe deer morning hunt, share the beautiful animals killed
during the hunt, and also to celebrate over a morning breakfast.
The
celebration started with the deer that were killed being brought to the area
where we were gathering. Two bucks had been killed in addition to the buck shot
by Peter. Several of the hunters played the Jagd horn (hunting horn). Janette
played a larger “French” horn while the others played smaller horns that are
referred to as Pless horns. The music played was traditional and
was intended to announce the success of the hunt.
The Jagd
horn was used traditionally in Germany during times long since passed but
continues to this day with many hunters. It is often used during more
traditional group hunts or during social or ceremonial gatherings. The songs
are traditionally rooted in the need to communicate long distances during the
hunt with others. After all, cell phones, satellite phones, and portable radios
were not an option in the good old days. These hunting signals are referred to as
Jagdleitsignale.
Different
songs are used to announce the start of the hunt and the announcement that a
hunt has concluded. During driven hunts signals are also used to direct the
drivers to push to the left, right, to slow down, or to stop. There are also
songs to indicate when an animal has been killed. Each animal has a unique song
that is easily recognized by the hunters.
There are some
songs that are played in a certain order during various times of the hunt.
These are important as they signify a pre-hunt meeting and also an end of the
hunt when weapons are unloaded. However, these are sometimes changed for informal
events to gather or state that the hunt is over for more ceremonial purposes.
I have
posted some YouTube links for those interested in hearing these hunting
signals. This is what might typically occur during an actual hunt sequence:
The
hunt would start with "Sammeln der Jäger" which
signals the hunter gathering held prior to leaving for the hunt. In the case of Roe deer being hunted, "Reh tot" signals
a Roe deer is dead. Besides
the Roe deer signal, if other animals are killed during the hunt their song
would also be played. When the hunt is about to conclude, "Jagd vorbei" signals
the end of the hunt (firearms are now unload for safety). When
it is time to gather to eat "Zum Essen" signals
let's eat!
During our ceremonial post-hunt morning celebration,
a call to gather the hunters (Sammeln der Jäger) was played first.
This was followed by a song signaling the Roe deer is dead (Reh tot). Next a
call to announce the hunt is over (Jagd vorbei).
We celebrated
the hunters’ success with the passing out of an evergreen branch to each
successful hunter by the lease holder. The hunters blowing the Jagd horns later
played a call to gather for breakfast (Zum Essen) and we dined on roasted pork
and other delicious foods. I can’t think of a better way to kick-off our Roe
buck hunting adventure!
Later in the evening we returned to hunt the same lease area
but in a different stand location. We saw ten Roe deer. Most of the bucks worth
considering were in velvet so they would not be something that we wanted. While
in our stand we heard a gunshot close to where we were hunting. It turns out
that Janette shot a buck so we were able to celebrate her success in the
evening!
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| Janette "Netti" with Her Roe Buck! |
The next day arrived quickly. I was excited about our new
hunting location and the possibility of what we might see. We would be hunting near
the village of Eschenrode. This hunting area is a lease that is managed by Heiko
Besser. We drove to the location and then hiked into the stand we would be
using. When we got to the stand Johannes and I looked at each other pensively.
Neither of us is very fond of heights and this was a very tall high stand. Being the gentleman that I am I insisted that
Johannes climb up first. This stand would give us a vantage of the edge of the
forest. This would be a little over two hundred meters in the distance.
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| Front View from the Tall High Stand Looking Toward the Forest |
We saw a total of six Roe Deer, two were bucks. One of
the bucks was just too far away to our left and the other was a bit far off as
well. We thought we might be able to
make a shot on the closer buck at a little over one hundred ninety meters
behind us. I was a little unsure of my hold because of the height of the stand
and the angle of the shot. I decided I would give it a try if an opportunity
presented itself.
The Roe buck stopped walking for a moment. I aimed at my
spot in the upper third of his body and gently pressed the trigger. I could see
that the shot went high over his back and the buck ran off. The stand was very
tall and the angle steep so in hindsight I really should have aimed much closer
to dead on instead of so high in the body. This is something that I am familiar
with but still managed to make the mistake. As with all misses I believe the
secret is to learn and not become heavily bogged down with the error. I
absorbed the knowledge and lesson learned that had just been reinforced and tried
to move on mentally.
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| Heiko Examining the Heym SR21, Leica Scope, and Hornady Ammunition |
For the evening hunt we drove to an area adjacent to a
military training area. The lease in this area was managed by Ottmar Dielefeld.
Ottmar mentioned that we might hear military small arms fire but the animals would
still move around in our area. We drove out toward where the stand was located
and then hiked in the rest of the way.
This was a very nice stand that had just been built! Ottmar
wanted to assure everything would be perfect for my hunt. A stand had been in
this location previously but we were the first to hunt the newly reconstructed
stand. The overall stand height was just right for the location and the
construction was very sturdy. The door was located on the side of the stand but
allowed for unobstructed viewing in all directions. The back of the blind was
closed but it had a Plexiglas window so you could still see behind. Finally,
everything was lined with carpet to keep noise to a minimum and very warm too!
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| Ottmar and Shawn Visiting at the Hunting Lease |
As the evening hunt progressed we heard a great deal of
automatic weapons fire in the distance and a tank. As luck would have it we did
not see any game but we still enjoyed ourselves as we glassed the forest for
Roe deer. If there were a star rating that could be assigned for hunting stand
comfort and construction this would have to be a five star rated stand. It was
solidly constructed, really comfortable, quiet, and functional.
Friday morning found us back at Heiko’s lease in Eschenrode.
We decided to try a lower high stand across from the really tall high stand we
had hunted the previous morning. While we did not connect with an opportunity
for a buck we did see two foxes, several rabbits, and also pheasant. When we
climbed down from the stand after the morning hunt we decided to do a little
still hunting and possibly stalk some game. We were able to locate and stalk five
bucks and a doe. Although we did not find anything we wanted to pursue we had
a great time.
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| Shawn glassing Below A Standard Height High Stand at Heiko's Lease |
For our evening hunt we decided to head back to where we
hunted our first day. We would be going to Peter’s lease again in Rätzlingen. Before
going out in the field Johannes and I met with Peter and Janette at Peter’s
home. As soon as we arrived Janette and Peter presented me with a deer hunting trophy
and a note. The note was in German and said “Zur Erinnerung an Deine Jagd in
Rätzlingen bei Peter und Netti im Drömling” (In Memory of Your Hunt in
Rätzlingen with Peter and Netti in the Drömling Nature Park). This was a very
special gift to receive from my new friends. It now resides in a special place
in my home office and I am enjoying it as I write this story.
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| The Deer Hunting Trophy Presented by Peter and Netti |
After presenting me with the beautiful trophy, Peter
discussed his game management plan and then gave us the go ahead to kill any
size buck. Because we were early in the season, this flexibility would still
fit into his game management plan and also give us a great deal of latitude
should we need it. We would be hunting Peter’s lease in an area where a bigger
buck had been seen several days earlier. The possibility that this buck might
return was in the back of our minds.
While on our stand that evening we saw a doe that began
feeding-in from about two hundred meters behind us. The sun was at our backs so
it made it very easy for the doe to see us if we moved at all. After about
thirty minutes, the doe ultimately fed to about sixty meters behind us in the
open. She bedded down behind us and of
course was facing us. I am happy to report that Murphy is alive and well in
Germany too! If anything can go wrong it probably will.
We realized the difficult situation we were now in but
continued to be patient. We were hoping that the doe would eventually get up
and move away and not wind us in the process. Minutes ticked on like hours. It
is times like these that I tend to find the humor in all things. I began
whispering to Johannes joking with him about wiggling around and moving too
much. Johannes of course was as still as a brick building which made it all the
more fun to give him a hard time. I used his body as a shield as I moved around
and stretched since the deer was on his side of the stand. I mentioned that it
was too bad that he couldn’t move or get relaxed but to take comfort in knowing
that I was feeling just fine. We both laughed…quietly of course.
As time dragged on my attention was diverted to three
deer running through the woods in front of us and off to our right about two hundred
fifty meters or more in the distance. I cautiously pulled up my Leica binoculars
being careful not to spook the doe right behind us. As the deer were bounding
through the dense ground cover and trees I was able to make out one buck in
velvet, one doe, and a fantastic hard horn buck as they each passed by a small
gap in the foliage.
I dropped my binoculars and saw that Johannes was trying
to track them with his binoculars. He was using a pair of ten power Leica
binoculars with a built in range finder. They were absolutely perfect binoculars
for the rapidly unfolding task at hand. I carefully picked up my rifle, got as
steady as possible, and tried to pick-up the deer in the Leica scope. I caught
a flash of the big bucks antlers as they caught the sun as he tore through a
small gap in the brush between the thickets of trees. I could tell he was
exactly what we wanted and I told myself to keep my eyes off his antlers if and
when I saw him again. He was that nice and I did not want to be distracted
after I confirmed he was going to be the one.
Johannes was helping me to identify which one would be
the good buck as the deer continued changing positions while running through
the tangle of trees and heavy cover. I knew if an opportunity presented itself
it would likely be fast and fleeting. Our only hope would be for the deer to
slow slightly from a dead run, we would have to sort out the one we wanted, and
then cross our fingers for a small opening to allow for a quick shot. Johannes
was trying to call out range and position of the correct deer whenever he would
catch a confirming glimpse.
That moment in time that we both wanted to happen
presented itself for a fleeting moment and I pressed the trigger. The range
ended up being about one hundred meters. As the rifle recoiled I could see the
front end of the buck appear to collapse and then saw the buck I shot at and
other two deer continue forward through the tangle. We immediately lost sight
of them at that point.
I was certain that I made the best shot I could for the
situation at hand. The next thing I knew Johannes shouted, “What a shot! You
hit him, great shot!” He slapped me so hard on the back that I almost flipped
forward out of the stand. We both continued trying to pick-up the deer visually
but we could not see them. This is when you begin to second guess yourself and begin
replaying everything over in your mind.
As we started to climb down from the stand, Johannes’s
cell phone started vibrating. It was Peter. He had heard the shot and had high
hopes. We told him we got a shot at the buck we wanted. Johannes and I began
heading for the tangle of brush and trees to see if we could find anything. As
we searched I found blood and we began to try and follow the track in the
thicket.
The next thing I recall is Johannes heading toward a snag
and a downed log just a few feet from where we last saw the buck. He began pulling
the buck out from under the downed tree, through the brush and the tall grass.
Johannes seemed really excited and exclaimed, “He is a monster…what a buck!” We
both took a moment to admire the beauty of this fabulous buck that we had taken
together. I could not have made it happen without Johannes on the binoculars
helping to sort things out visually while I took the shot. It was a team effort
all the way which made the success all the sweeter.
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| Shawn Joyce and Dr. Johannes Traumann with their Roe Buck |
As we were admiring the beautiful buck Peter was driving up
in his truck. We could see the smile on his face from one hundred meters away.
He was just as happy as we were. As I was speaking with Peter, Johannes was
making short work of field dressing the buck.
We talked about how everything had unfolded perfectly and
took several pictures together. I could not help but think about how this great
hunt with my friends Johannes and Peter, and the regal and majestic buck that
we were able to hunt, all came together. Every aspect of our friendship and
this successful hunt beautifully showcased the fine SR21 rifle Heym had
assembled, Leica had scoped, and Hornady had loaded with ammunition they
provided. Everything came together as if it were precisely orchestrated.
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| Peter and Shawn Sharing their Success |
The three of us met at Peter’s home. His daughter Janette
later met us and we celebrated together. We of course toasted the beautiful
buck and our success with Jägermeister and some delicious German pilsners.
Johannes asked what I had planned to do with the trophy of the beautiful Roe
buck. The hide was not in the best of shape this time of year so I told him I
would like to do a European mount. Johannes mentioned we could have his
taxidermist prepare the mount or we could just prepare the skull for my
taxidermist to put together. Johannes offered that alternatively he would
really like to prepare the skull personally for me. He offered to boil and
bleach the skull, make a plaque as he normally does for his European mounts,
and then assemble the European mount. I told him that would be my preference
and the European mount would have a very special place in my home. What a great
tribute to our hunting memories.
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| Shawn's Friend Johannes Preparing the European Mount |
Saturday arrived and we had an enjoyable hunt in the morning.
We did not have an opportunity for any shots at bucks that we wanted but still
we had great times and made good memories. One thing really stands out in my
mind about our Saturday morning hunt on Heiko’s lease. It was really very cold.
I had on thermals, two jackets, gloves and a beanie and was still chilled. Johannes
and I were both jiggling around trying to keep warm without moving too much.
While
trying to stay warm we barely noticed that a buck had snuck up behind our
stand. He was probably about thirty meters away when we spotted him. He was not
the one we wanted but it made for some exciting moments. We were both happy to
climb out of the stand that morning so we could finally warm up. We did a short
stalk and managed to locate two bucks in velvet. We passed on these as we
wanted hard horn bucks. Note to self, next year bring heavy thermals just in
case.
Saturday evening would be our last hunt together before I
left the next day to hunt Bavaria. During this last evening hunt with Johannes we
would be participating in a group hunt with multiple hunters. Two lease holders
with adjoining leases came together to coordinate the hunt. Hunters would be on
the lease belonging to Heiko and also on the adjacent lease managed by lease
holder Hans-Jürgen.
The group of hunters and lease holders had a brief
gathering and discussion about how the hunt would be conducted and what type
and age of animals could be hunted. Johannes and I drew the skyscraper of a
high stand on Heiko’s lease that we had sat previously. While we had a great
time hunting we did not have any luck finding the buck we wanted. We managed to
see numerous rabbits, a rooster pheasant, six bucks, and two does. One of the
bucks was hard horn and very nice but just too far away.
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| Natural Lighting from the Torches During the Celebration |
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| Roe Deer Prepared for the Post Hunt Celebration |
Following our evening hunt the group of hunters met again
on Heiko’s lease to join in celebration and gather for a Barbecue. Five torches
were placed in the ground and lit for ambience and lighting. The four bucks and
one doe that the hunters killed were laid out for viewing. Many of the traditional
songs were played on the Jagd horn as mentioned previously in this article.
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| Traditional Songs Being Played on the Jagd Horn |
In preparation to honor the hunters’ successful harvest,
evergreen branches were placed on each animal by Heiko. One at a time a branch
was rubbed inside the deer to gather a small amount blood. Heiko then called up
the successful hunter. Hats were removed; a recognition of “Waidmannsheil” was given to each
other followed with a handshake as the branch was given to the hunter. The
hunter then affixed the branch to his cap on the right side. This was done for
each hunter with their animal.
A branch was left on the animal and also a branch in the
mouth (last feeding) to show respect toward the animal taken out of the
habitat.
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| Hunters Being Honored for their Successful Hunt |
Following the ceremonies drinks were had to celebrate. There
were delicious beers that contained alcohol as well as alcohol free beers for
those that would be driving afterwards. The barbecue that was prepared
consisted of deliciously prepared pork steaks and bratwurst. Everyone gathered and
shared stories as the evening continued. This was a great way to end my hunt
with Johannes. I felt happy to have had an opportunity to hunt with my friend
and to have been able to learn about and participate in traditional style hunts
and celebrations during my visit. I was told by Heiko that I was the first
hunter from America to hunt with them and participate in these traditions. I
felt very privileged and humbled to have been allowed to do so.
As the evening drew to a close we called it a night and
Johannes drove us home. After we arrived, we stayed up talking about the great
times we had shared together and quickly began making plans for our next hunts
together.
The next
morning was filled with great food and lots of discussions about future plans.
We loaded up the car and said our goodbyes. I had a wonderful time with
Johannes and his family and look forward to spending time with them again very soon!
The second leg
of my German Roe buck adventure would take me southeast to Bavaria. Despite my best intentions, I was off to a
late start for the drive to Cham. Since I enjoy driving the Bundesautobahnen, I
made up a great deal of time on the road whenever it was possible. I arrived in
Cham early in the evening and met with my good friend Dr. Jürgen Bornhaupt.
After a few
quick greetings and hugs we unloaded the car and then made our way to the lease
holder’s home for a late dinner. Willi Hutterer is the lease holder of the areas
I would be hunting near Cham. I met Willi and his wife over a delicious roast
pork meal with all of the trimmings. Willi had prepared the meal himself!
As we
finished dinner, Jürgen translated that Willi was asking if we wanted to go out
and hunt a little before dark. I had pretty much written-off any prospects of
hunting that evening as it was getting so late but if Willi was game I was all
in.
Willi
disappeared and returned quickly with four cartridges and an absolutely
beautiful single shot rifle. I had never hunted with a rifle such as this and
to be honest I was a little uncertain if it would be the best choice for me. I
always embrace functioning outside of my comfort zone whenever it is necessary
to do so. I immediately changed my mental picture about my uncertainty and
replaced those thoughts with positive internal self-talk about the rifle in my
hands.
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| Waffen Juch-Grund Ferlach 7x65 R |
Jürgen
translated that Willi would be honored if I would use this particular rifle
during my Bavarian hunts. I graciously accepted the offer and had Willi give me
a crash course on the weapons functionality, set trigger, and how to cock the
rifle quietly. All was in order so off we went into the last minutes of
daylight. Depending upon how each of our hunt days could be organized, I would
be hunting with either my friend Jürgen or with lease holder Willi.
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| Single Shot Action |
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| Highly Engraved |
For this
evening’s hunt, Willi dropped Jürgen and me at a stand tucked away in the corner
of a field next to a nicely wooded area. We saw a few Roe deer before we lost
all of our light but nothing that we were hoping to see.
We hunted
the next few days in a variety of locations on Willi’s lease area. The areas
that we hunted were all great. We almost always saw Roe deer and on one early
morning before light we saw some wild swine as well. Seeing game with any
regularity always seems to help keep a hunt exciting.
On several of
my hunts in Bavaria, Willi and I hunted together without Jürgen present. Not
having Jürgen with us on the drive out to where we hunted or while hunting was
interesting. Let’s just say I could benefit from language DVDs or online language
courses. Somehow we managed to communicate with each other just fine. Willi
would talk endlessly in German as we drove to our hunt location. I think he
secretly enjoyed watching me struggle to understand and was probably amused as
I then proceeded to butcher the German language as it is spoken in Bavaria.
We continued
hunting on our quest for the right buck. The moment finally came late one
evening on a dandy buck. Unfortunately, I had a two hundred meter miss on this
deer that I thought was an absolute slam dunk. I am still uncertain what went
wrong but the shot was a miss so no harm except my bruised and battered
confidence. We were shooting through branches that were overhanging our stand
but I felt certain that I was clear of any branches when I shot. Misses will
happen to all of us and the secret is always evaluating for lessons to take
along and then shaking it off and not holding on to residual frustration. Good
advice but it is always easier said than done.
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| Several Roe Bucks from Willi's Hunting Lease |
During our
hunts together Willi asked me to try and stalk close to several deer that were
two hundred plus meters in the distance. I was able to close the distance to
twenty-five meters before I backed off and we headed to the vehicle. Willi
seemed excited that I was able to get so close. He made it a point after that
to stalk as many deer as we could whenever the opportunity presented itself. I
could tell that for him it was a preferred method of hunting. It is also
something that I prefer as well.
The success
of our hunt finally came down to the last day and the last evening as hunts so
often do. I was satisfied with all of our hunts up to this time. I could have
easily left Bavaria knowing that I had a great time with great friends even though
no buck had been killed. The stand that we had for our final hunt was about ten
feet off the ground and was completely open on all sides with no walls.
As Willi and
I sat in our stand together, we were both scanning slowly for any signs of
movement. Just before 2000 hours Willi caught movement about one hundred thirty
meters off to our left and in front of us. I slowly pulled up my binoculars and
could see it was a buck.
I looked at Willi
and he whispered to shoot the buck. I slowly moved the rifle into a shooting
position, pulled the front trigger, and slowly cocked the rifle while keeping
the trigger pulled. I slowly released the trigger and then let the cocking arm
slowly come forward and assured myself it was locked back. I found the buck in
the scope and quickly focused on my breathing rhythm.
Thinking
back, I probably should have taken the shot then and there but instead I
decided to try the set trigger. I slowly put the cross hairs just behind the
deer’s shoulder as it fed across the field maintaining the same distance from
us. I carefully pulled the rear set trigger until I could hear the front
trigger softly click. While still holding the reticle on my spot I carefully
reached for the front trigger. I made certain that my breathing was correct and
then softly touched the trigger.
In the very
moment that I began to think shoot in this natural breathing cycle pause and began
to gently press the trigger the rifle fired. During the recoil of the rifle I
could see the buck lurch back as if to pull away to turn and then fall to the
ground. Because the grass was high and Roe deer are relatively small, I could
not see the deer once it fell. I immediately emptied the rifle, reloaded, and
kept the rifle safe.
When I
looked over at Willi he slowly looked at me but did not say anything for a
moment. The pause was palpable and intended. “Waidmannsheil” he
said as he hugged me and then shook my hand. We waited for a few minutes and
then climbed down from our stand.
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| Willi with our Roe Buck |
We walked up
to the deer and I could see that Willi was pleased. This was our buck that we had
worked for over the past four days together. It was important and it held
special meaning for us. Willi carefully began searching for, selecting, and
then pulling specific branches from two trees. He placed one of the branches in
the mouth of the buck and we took a few pictures of each other.
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| Shawn with his Final Hunt Day Roe Buck |
Willi then
placed an evergreen branch on the deer’s side. He pulled a sprig from the
evergreen branch on the deer, rubbed it in the deer’s blood, shook my hand,
said “Waidmannsheil,” and placed
the branch on the side of my cap. Willi said he would prefer that we gut and
clean the deer at his facility which was just a few minute drive from our
stand. We carried the deer to the vehicle and headed-out.
After we
arrived at the processing location we immediately began the task at hand.
Jürgen arrived along with our spouses and congratulations were exchanged. Less
than forty minutes from the moment the trigger was pulled the deer had been transported,
gutted, cleaned-up, and was hanging in the cool box at his facility. I told
Willi I would like to keep the skull for a European mount. There are various
ways to prepare the skull for this style of mount. Some leave the teeth on,
some cut above the teeth leaving the eye sockets intact, while others like to
cut through the center of the orbits. We cut the skull with a bone saw just
below the orbits. This way I could re-cut the skull through the center of the
eye sockets when I returned home if I wanted to do so.
We drove to
Willi’s home and put the skull into a pot of water and started the boiling
process. Once that was started, we went inside and toasted the hunt with
hazelnut flavored schnapps and also enjoyed a delicious German pilsner. Willi
had a large and impressive display of European mounts (Chamois, Red deer, and
Roe deer) in his trophy room that we all enjoyed viewing and discussing. We
spent time sharing many stories and looking through Willi’s albums of hunts
from the past.
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| Willi Celebrating and Sharing Stories About the Many Hunts |
Since I
would be driving to Frankfurt the next morning, Willi told me not to worry
about the skull and antlers. He would assure that they were boiled and ready
for the flight home. We decide we would all meet for breakfast in the morning
and then I would be heading-out for the airport.
The next
morning came fast. I showered and got everything packed for the journey home. I
had been living out of a suitcase for about a month so the process took a
little longer than usual. After I had packed everything Jürgen told me that he
had something he wanted to give me. We went into an area of his home where he
walked up to an item on a stand. Jürgen removed the item from the stand and
said this is something that belonged to my father when he was alive and it is important
to me that you have it.
 |
| The Very Special Gift from Jürgen |
Jürgen turned
to face me and presented me with a Fürst-Pless horn. I was at a loss for words,
which for me is a rather rare occurrence. I of course thanked Jürgen from the
bottom of my heart and assured him it would have a very special place in my
trophy room. I would share the story about it with all who might come to visit.
A short time
later, Willi and his wife arrived to join us all for breakfast. As Willi
entered the room he was carrying an item that he had prepared to present to me.
The Roe buck skull had been boiled, bleached, and dried. It was sitting on a
bed of green plants and flowers that were on a wooden plate. The skull was tied
to the plate with a light green colored ribbon that passed through and around
the skull. It was absolutely beautiful. He had stayed up all night after we
left to assure that everything was perfect. What more can be said about such
a wonderful gesture to conclude this Bavarian hunt.
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| Willi Presenting the Beautifully Prepared Roe Buck Trophy |
After
breakfast we said our goodbyes and I headed out to the car and began my drive
to Frankfurt to catch my plane. While flying home I thought about my hunts with
Johannes and Jürgen. I reflected upon how fortunate I was to have such
wonderful friends like Johannes and Jürgen. They had taken so much of their
time to ensure I would experience wonderful hunts for Roe buck. During our
hunts they had introduced me to the lease holders (Peter, Janette, Heiko,
Ottmar, and Willi) and we have now become friends. We have already been making
plans to reconnect during my next trip to Germany. I look forward to seeing
them all again very soon.
I received
an exciting email from Johannes after I left Bavaria. He had finished preparing
the European mount of the buck we had hunted together. I can’t wait to get that
mount home along with the mount prepared by Willi. Johannes also shared that
Ottmar had renamed the stand that Johannes and I both liked so much. This was
the stand with carpeting and the Plexiglas window that we both gave a five star
rating. The stand is now referred to as “The American!”
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| Lucie with the European Mount Beautifully Prepared by Johannes |
If you have
never hunted Roe deer and have an opportunity I would highly recommend doing
so. It is great fun and it is not too strenuous for those that might have
difficulty on more strenuous types of hunts.
I
would like to take a moment to briefly mention a good friend of mine from
Belgium. His name is Arnout Vandevyvere. Arnout is the director of Yeswehunt and is also involved in Jagdzeit
Magazine. Yeswehunt is a
multilingual internet site. It connects hunters from around the world where
they can share their experiences and also exchange hunting opportunities. Jagdzeit Magazine is
an international hardbound magazine that is just now being offered in an
English language version. The magazine features international hunts, articles
of interest, and beautiful photography. Both
of these resources might be of interest to many of you reading this article.
Until we meet again, Waidmannsheil!
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