The new hunting year begins for us on April 1st. If you do not still have a valid three-year hunting license, you should not neglect to buy a new one. This could have unpleasant consequences. Anyone who has leased a new hunting ground must hurry to make all the preparations for the buck hunt in good time.

New hunting license holders must also be taken by the hand and introduced to the hunting ground. Existing high seats should be checked, cleaned, trimmed and repaired. Stalking trails must be swept or newly created. Game fields and flower strips should be inspected in order to plan maintenance measures or reseeding if necessary. Salt licks and pools may need to be filled and made accessible. Bushes and fruit trees are planted after consultation with the landowners. Anyone who is concerned about possible damage caused by game should talk to their hunting companions now. Which areas are particularly at risk this year, where do countermeasures such as a portable ladder, a fence or diversionary fencing need to be taken? Game counts provide the basis for sustainable hunting and April offers the best opportunities.

Organization for the upcoming fawn rescue must not be forgotten. The equipment for planned drone missions must be checked and updated. In a new hunting ground, the amount of work required is of course many times greater, but this is the only way to ensure success and enjoyment.

Our game, on the other hand, still takes it easy in April. When the weather is warm, the first green lures all the game into the fields. The roe deer can now be seen there almost all day. It is now easy to tell the difference between a doe that is still shod or already in the lead and one that has already turned color. The yearling bucks are already red, but have not yet shed, while the older, still gray buck has already shed. Where permitted by law, roe deer hunting begins now. The conditions are ideal in April and it is certainly better to start early than to have to hunt in winter during the metabolic low.

Wild boar can now be seen again in larger herds. These are usually bucks with their young. So be careful when hunting stronger, supposedly solitary animals.

In the case of the fox, the fawn is now usually in the den looking after her pups. The young foxes can be seen playing in front of the den as early as the end of April.

While the pheasant and snipe are still mating, our mallards are already busy breeding and the first chicks are hatching. Time for the drakes to moult, as they are not involved in the breeding business themselves.