With April 1st, the new hunting year begins for us. Anyone who does not have a valid three-year hunting license should not miss the opportunity to obtain a new hunting license. This could have unpleasant consequences. Those who have leased a new territory must hurry to make all preparations for the buck hunt in time. 

New hunting permit holders must also be taken in hand and instructed in the territory. Existing high seats should be checked, cleaned, cleared, and repaired. Game trails need to be swept or newly created. Wildlife food plots and flowering strips should be inspected to plan any necessary maintenance or reseeding. Salt licks and wallows must be refilled and made accessible if necessary. In consultation with the landowners, bushes and fruit trees will be planted. Anyone concerned about potential wildlife damage should already start discussions with their hunting partners. Which areas are particularly at risk this year, where do countermeasures need to be taken, such as with a portable ladder, a fence, or distraction baiting? Wildlife counts provide the basis for sustainable hunting, and April offers the best opportunities. 

Don't forget the organization for the upcoming fawn rescue. For planned drone operations, the equipment must be checked and updated. In the new hunting area, the required workload is of course many times higher, but only in this way will one have success and joy.

Our game, on the other hand, is still taking it easy in April. In warm weather, the first green attracts all game to the fields. The roe deer can now be found there almost all day. It is now easy to distinguish the still pregnant or already leading doe from the already discolored fawn. The yearling bucks are already red but not yet shed, while the older, still gray buck has already shed. Where permitted by law, the hunting of roe deer begins already now. The conditions in April are optimal, and it is certainly better to start early than to have to hunt in winter during the metabolic low.

The wild boar can now be found again in larger groups. Usually, these are sows with their piglets. So be cautious when hunting stronger, seemingly solitary individuals.

The fox is now mostly in the den, taking care of her pups. By the end of April, one can encounter the young foxes playing outside the den.

While the pheasant and snipe are still courting, our mallards are already busy with nesting, and the first ducklings are hatching. It's time for the drakes to molt, as they do not participate in the nesting process themselves.