Quote:
|
Course ...it is Germany ya understand!
|
Boy, is that ever a true statment. Americans had it easier before (not now), it took weeks of classes when I did it, the Germans take years. It took me four months to get a German Certification to APPLY for a license, not automaticly get one. And cost $50 just to take the class!
The Rod & Gun club provided free instructors for us, the Germans pay their instructors up to $40 an hour, and only go to class a few hours a month. My class did three hours a night every night.
You, as a part of your class, must shoot! The problem is getting somone to provide the weapons and ammo, since being non-licensed person you can't have, use, or posess either. Part of the shooting is shooting a Reh (Roe deer) sillouette at 100 meters, while using a scoped rifle....BUT you use a ploe (to simulate a tree trunk) when you shoot.
The guy who came so I could use his Remington 700 in .243 had a 8x scope (I think it was a Schmidt&Bender) and that was a wobbly picture.....but I did it first try. The Germans sent some of their guys to monitor, and failed quite a few people.
Then the next day we went to a German skeet and trap range, 100KM from my house (really), and had to bust some clays, I forgot how many, all I care is I did it. I hadn't shot trap since 10th grade, 12 years earlier.
Then after your hours of learning regulations, proper cleaning and dressing of game, and TRADITIONS, that was a huge thing (still is) just see DOM's pictures he posted for the last class graduated with his group of hunters. And PROPER DRESS ATTIRE!!!! YOU TAKE THE TEST!
After you pass the test, you go to the proper office and take your proof of insurance and qualification certificate and pay for a booklet, the actual license (Jagdschein) it's self, then the stamp approving a hunting period. Yesterday I paied 150 Euros for three years.
THEN: you either have to pay to reserve a public hunting area from the state for a region near you if your lucky. Then you get permission to shoot certian species of Roe deer, Red deer ect. They tell you what sex, and in some areas age and class of animal. I am lucky, and have an open invitation to hunt on a 3000 acre hunting area, and only pay for the meat, no trophy fees. All this is according to a Game Harvest Plan.
When you do shoot something, you pay for the meat, by the kilogram, and a trophy fee for the size and devlopment of the antlers. Then at your own cost (to and from) you have to mail the antlers to your closest Forestamt (Game wardens, kinda) so they can make a survey of devlopment in that specific area.
This is just SCRATCHING THE SURFACE. DOM who is a way bigger hunter can fill you in much better, and being Americans it would make you head spin. I got my first license in 1992, and still 'study' so I can stay up to par, in my spare time. I am sure I left a lot out, but it's enough to blow your minds.