Deer flood Brandenburg: Forest owners demand new hunting rules!

Deer flood Brandenburg: Forest owners demand new hunting rules!

In Brandenburg, the increasing number of deer is causing a lot of conversation and alarm among forest dwellers and hunters. It is repeatedly pointed out that the deer population not only endangers forest regeneration, but could also upset the balance of nature as a whole. Loud nd-current The forests are already suffering enormous damage caused by the eating of young shoots and the nibbling of bark. With 48,928 deer killed in the 2023/24 hunting year, the hunt for harmful game has definitely increased - by 156 animals compared to the previous year.

However, the challenges do not stop there. The demand for a review of the summer closed season is becoming louder, led by the forest owners' association. Its state chairman, Malte Eberwein, is calling for this closed season to be completely abolished and is calling for the hunting season for hoofed game to be extended from April 1st to January 31st. Climate change, so emphasized nd-current Since 2018, in addition to drought and heat, there has also been a plague of bark beetles, which has further increased the damage to the forest.

The role of the wolves

But it's not just deer that are an issue: wolves, which have been back in Brandenburg since 2007, could also make it possible to regulate the deer population. Yellowstone National Park has shown how effective such natural predators can be. However, the return of wolves brings conflict with ranchers as they often attack sheep and goats. According to the State Environment Agency, in 88 percent of wolf attacks in 2024, the grazing animals were not adequately protected. Agriculture State Secretary Gregor Beyer therefore considers a shooting plan for wolves to be necessary and estimates the wolf population at around 2,000 individuals. However, environmental associations such as Nabu and BUND see such a regulation as a big problem - they reject a shooting quota and argue that this does not lead to fewer cracks, either nd-current reported.

Beyond this conflict, a critical look at the deer population shows that hunting cannot be the only solution. In another report, zoologist Josef H. Reichholf shows that more hunting only increases the deer's shyness and forces them to spend more time in the forest. In the past, the animals were often seen in open areas, which meant that the number of accidents involving wildlife was lower. Today, however, traffic accidents due to deer on the road are a growing problem. This leads to the question of whether the increasing shooting numbers actually represent a sustainable solution or whether alternative approaches are needed, such as a licensed hunting system or bait feeding for feeding the deer.

Economic aspects

Damage caused by wildlife should not be underestimated. Around 60 percent of German fields grow crops such as corn, rapeseed and wheat, which are delicious treats for wild animals. If populations are not regulated, the damage caused by wildlife threatens to exceed economically acceptable limits. There are currently calls for hunters to become more active in order to prevent epidemics such as rabies and swine fever, which can spread more quickly in overpopulated wild animal populations. Hunting Facts shows that high game populations also cause other problems that place a heavy burden on agriculture and forestry.

The conflict surrounding deer and game remains on the agenda. The question of how to regulate wildlife populations sustainably and responsibly remains unresolved. Even if the issue raises awareness, it becomes clear that understanding and joint action are urgently needed to protect nature and agriculture equally.