Roe deer are the most frequently shot game species in Germany. Every year, up to 1.2 million roe deer are shot - which is still a much larger kill than that of the increasingly widespread wild boar (820,000 killed in 2017/2018).
Hunting seasons differ slightly from state to state - in Saxony-Anhalt, one could also speak of April bucks, because they are already released there in April. Traditionally, however, bucks go up on 01.05 or 16.05. This is the classic start of the hunting season for cloven-hoofed game.
Hunting season
The hunting of bucks, which is very popular among hunters because of the trophy, is booming twice a year: once at the beginning of the hunting year in spring, because the bucks are looking for their habitats. At this time they are more on the move and can be easily confirmed due to sweeping and plotting sites.
The second hunting period, which is even more exciting for many hunters, is the rut, which takes place between mid-July and mid-August, depending on the region, and lasts about two weeks. This period is also called the leaf season, because hunters used to imitate the rutting calls of the bucks with the help of a beech leaf, thus attracting the bucks. Nowadays, most hunters use so-called leafers for this purpose.
During the rut, the bucks are careless and move around a lot - they have to chase the bucks and defend their own territory against opponents. During this time, the bucks can be hunted well, especially in the morning and evening, but in not too hot weather, or after a short shower, hunting success is also possible during the daytime.
Especially rain plays into the cards of the passionate buck hunter: First, the bucks have to dry themselves again (the rest of the deer as well), on the other hand rain "dilutes" the markings that bucks leave behind as scent marks through their forelock. Especially young inexperienced bucks are inclined to refresh them after rain.
Most bucks are shot in the evening hours, shortly after sunset - however, this may also be due to the fact that the enthusiasm for the morning stalk is limited among many hunters.
The hunting season for bucks originally ended in most of the federal states on 15.10., while now the hunt for fawns, roe deer and narrow deer was in the foreground. In the meantime, the hunting season for bucks has been extended until December, on the one hand to be able to hunt them during social hunts, and on the other hand also now favored by the reform of the Federal Hunting Law.
Whether also in the late autumn still on the buck is hunted must hunters for itself decide. Against it speaks, and that was also one reason for the traditional hunt time, that the bucks throw off starting from November. However, grooves are already forming under the roses, like predetermined breaking points, where the horns separate from the head. In winter, roe deer dissolve their territories and unite in jumps, loose social formations, which they dissolve again in the spring. Those who still hunt roe deer during this time are urged to be careful: Bucks can no longer be distinguished from does by their horns but by their brush, while does have a clearly visible apron. When hunting female roe deer and fawns, the rule is, of course, to shoot young game before old game.
The hunting season for all roe deer ends on 31.01 at the latest, depending on the federal state.
Hunting weapon
Rifles from caliber .222 Remington (5.6 x 43 mm) or .223 Remington (5.56 × 45 mm) are suitable for hunting roe deer, which with a muzzle velocity of approx. 1200 m/s is still somewhat faster than its "little sister". Nowadays, the most popular weapon for hunters is not the triplet as it used to be, but the bolt action rifle, which has only one barrel and one caliber. Many larger calibers are also suitable for deer hunting, usually even offer a higher killing effect, but also bring a higher game destruction. To avoid this, many hunters load their guns for deer hunting with cartridges of lighter bullet weight.
Roe deer are shot by most hunters at distances up to about 150 yards. Shooting at higher distances requires higher shooting skills than shooting at other cloven-hoofed game, because the deer body makes a comparably small target. Optics with a high magnification are therefore advantageous. However, since deer are not hunted in the dark, night sights are not required. The Gunfinder recommendation is a glass with up to 10 or better 12x magnification and a lens diameter of 50 mm.
Thermal imaging?
Although hunting deer at night is not allowed, the use of thermal imaging is recommended, especially in forest areas, because otherwise a lot of game will be overlooked. Deer are difficult to see, especially between the trees, and move almost silently. Theoretically, at dusk in spring, even bucks could be approached via the thermal imager based on the heat signature of their horns, which are still covered with bast and thus have blood flowing through them, or it could be detected whether bucks are still in the bast. In our experience, however, this approach requires an extreme amount of practice and involves a high probability of error.
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