Bavarian Hunters' United Front: A New Era for the Bavarian Hunting Association (BJV)
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Hunters in Bavaria Unite in Common Purpose - Bavarian hunters gather solidarity
Unity over internal strife: The Bavarian Hunting Association (BJV) seems to have turned a new leaf. At the state hunting day in Bad Aibling, members displayed unity, with a staggering 95% voting in favor of discharging the presidium.
In recent years, the BJV has generated headlines for internal squabbles. Last year, Minster of Hunting and Economics Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) stepped in, organized a roundtable, and called for a focus on substantial issues.
One of the significant issues concerning hunters is the handling of natural regeneration and wild browsing. Here, hunters advocate for more self-reliance and less state intervention.
BJV President Weidenbusch: Scrap shooting plans
BJV President Ernst Weidenbusch opined, "We don't need interference from outsiders who neither own nor pay rent." He also called for the abolition of state shooting plans, insisting that decisions be made solely by landowners and hunting leaseholders. Minister Aiwanger appears to support this stance.
He advocated for providing hunting communities more autonomy in shooting planning, allowing them the option to opt out. "Only by working together will natural regeneration succeed," Aiwanger declared. Forestry must be managed correctly to let sufficient light into the forest, and hunting must be executed responsibly to allow adaptive wild populations." Hunters and forest owners must discuss and resolve issues together during joint forest walks.
The shooting plans drafted by lower hunting authorities, based on forestry reports by the forestry authorities, inform hunters, for instance, about the required number of roe deer to be shot to reduce browsing. According to the BJV, increased hunting pressure does not rectify the problem. Instead, the game retreats to forests instead of grazing on open grasslands, causing even more browsing in the forest.
Aiwanger urges swift hunting law revision
Once again, Aiwanger called for a revision of the hunting law and pressured his coalition partner, the CSU, to "finally abandon their obstructionist stance." Key elements of the legal reform, according to Aiwanger, include incorporating wolves into the hunting law, regulating otter populations, adjusted hunting hours for geese, and opening photovoltaic free-range facilities for game.
Among the resolutions to be passed at the state assembly was a grievance from the district group Neuburg an der Donau - and it was apparent that most participants had lost appetite for such squabbles. Several delegates took the floor and cried, "Enough is enough!"
The district group had rewritten its internal statutes, among other things, so that it no longer accepted the statutes and disciplinary regulations of the BJV. Therefore, the district group should be expelled from the BJV - and an appeal was filed.
76% of the delegates rejected the appeal. Weidenbusch offered to postpone the expulsion and appealed to the district group to reverse its statutory changes. The BJV presidium aims to engage in another conciliatory effort with the Neuburg district group.
Added Insights
Hunting in Bavaria, like in the rest of Germany, is regulated by federal and state laws. Associations like the BJV would likely emphasize responsible hunting practices, including ethical hunting and sustainable forest management.
Self-reliance in hunting involves respecting game populations, maintaining wildlife balance, and adhering to local regulations. Hunters are expected to be knowledgeable about wildlife conservation and contribute to sustainable hunting practices. This includes respecting protected species and supporting natural regeneration by not overhunting.
Minister Hubert Aiwanger, as Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy in the Free State of Bavaria, supports policies that align with environmental protection and sustainable resource management. Although specific details on his views regarding self-reliance in hunting and natural regeneration are limited, it is expected that any government figure involved in agriculture, environment or conservation would endorse such practices.
- Ernst Weidenbusch, the BJV President, has advocated for the abolition of state shooting plans, suggesting that decisions regarding hunting should be made solely by landowners and hunting leaseholders.
- Several delegates expressed their dissatisfaction with internal squabbles, with one resolution resulting in 76% of the delegates rejecting an appeal for the expulsion of a district group from the BJV.
- In addition to calling for a revision of the hunting law, Minister Aiwanger has expressed his support for policies that incorporate wolves into the hunting law, regulate otter populations, adjust hunting hours for geese, and open photovoltaic free-range facilities for game, reflecting a focus on environmental protection and sustainable resource management.
