Pay attention to the forest and wildlife

Oaks and firs are the most important tree species for healthy forests in times of climate change. They can also appear without protective fences if the deer population is regulated. The Ried in der Riedmark hunting cooperative has been proving this for more than 30 years. For three generations, the Beyer farming family has been the hunting leader in the impressive 3,300 hectare area in the Perg district. When Karl Beyer took over from his father in 1991, he was faced with a big task. In 1990, a storm swept through the community of 4,000 residents and caused extensive damage to the spruce monocultures. Everyone believed that reforestation could only be successful if the young plants were fenced off over a large area.

Everyone wants to shoot

The hunters wanted to keep the land open for deer and promised the landowners that they would reduce the number of game animals and thus protect the reforestation areas from browsing. “We discussed internally for long evenings,” remembers Beyer. In the first year the deer shooting was increased from 320 to 400, the next to 450, then 500. The approximately 70 hunters were divided into 20 small hunting areas and were responsible for their results. Only two didn’t take part.

• Read more: The giant trees of Klingenberg

The goal was achieved using a points system. If a hunter had killed enough female animals (goats), he was allowed to shoot a buck the following year. Fewer mother animals mean fewer offspring and therefore lower game numbers. “Everyone made sure that they had collected enough points for a few bucks,” says Beyer: “Everyone wants to shoot a good buck. Nobody believes that people don’t hunt for the trophies, as the hunting association claims.” The low game population brought positive side effects: the average weight of the deer increased, for example from 17 to over 20 kilos for perennial bucks. This means that sales revenue for venison increased. At the same time there were magnificent trophies. “I already had this effect in the back of my mind,” says Beyer. When game has less competition, it experiences less stress and performs better. Since then, the rule in Ried has been: If the weight of venison per deer falls, the kill must be increased.

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