Mrs Heitzig, you have been President of the State Hunting Association of North-Rhine Westphalia since March 2021. Was this move long overdue?
Given that the number of women who hunt is on the rise, you could see it that way. As a basic principle, I am also convinced that more and more women taking an interest in hunting is beneficial. Particularly because it may then be easier to break down many prejudices against hunters.
Because women hunt differently?
I don’t actually think that is the case. Fundamentally, people of all genders hunt in the same way. And that is a good thing because hunting is ultimately a craft that every hunter should master flawlessly. In addition, the challenges facing the entire hunting community are the same across the board, and this determines our duties as an advocacy group. I believe the gender of the person at the head of this association is irrelevant. It is more important that we listen to our members to find out their concerns and figure out ways for the association to help them.
What would you like to achieve?
I’d rather achieve more than less (laughs). At the top of my agenda is ensuring hunting is kept as it is, with everyone having the right to ownership and right of use rather than hunting being a forestry or vermin control service. I want to stress that every shot must be justified, but for me, legitimate passion is the only authorisation hunters need. Two major fields of action can be derived from this. Firstly, we need to continue to improve our public image. Secondly, we need to make our voice heard. The general public is not as critical of the hunting community as it may sometimes seem, given some of the headlines and online hate. But unfortunately, the people who oppose hunting are loud and often very subjective in their actions. It is therefore also very important that we provide in-depth explanations of what we do, why, and how all forest users can benefit from it.
Because hunters are also conservationists?
Precisely. We need to improve our communication in this regard and explain what hunters do for flora and fauna. For example, as part of a representative survey in spring, the German Hunting Association ascertained that every hunter spends an average of just under 20 percent of their annual hunting budget on species conservation and biotope maintenance. And they spend 16 hours a month out on the grounds where they shoot on activities such as saving wildlife from being killed by mowers in spring or protecting trees from overbrowsing. As such, the hours they spend volunteering to help nature soon add up.
And does that include the executive committee’s work?
Yes, correct. My colleagues and I do this work exclusively on a voluntary basis. This includes meetings we attend as representatives, meetings with local hunting groups, the executive committee’s meetings, right through to the State Hunting Day, to name just a few of our commitments. I find it exciting to meet so many different people who are united by the same passion. And, of course, swapping hunting stories is always part of it. Which brings me to the second field of action.
Which is?
Achieving more unity between all hunters. Although there are only around 400,000 hunters in Germany, this group is anything but on the same page. There are people who hunt for meat, people who hunt for trophies, traditional and modern hunters, technophobes and technophiles, people who hunt abroad and people who only hunt locally. As hunters are such a small group of the population, it is all the more important that we speak using one voice so that our interests, for example regarding legislation, are taken into consideration. Far too often, we only respond to new regulations instead of playing a proactive role from the start and representing our legitimate interests.
„Far too often, we only respond to new regulations instead of playing a proactive role from the start and representing our legitimate interests.“
Do hunters lack supporters?
That is certainly one reason. These days, there do not seem to be so many hunters in politics. So we cannot assume that they have a lot of understanding or practical knowledge, as may have been the case 25 years ago. We need to get them to better understand our passion for hunting and love of nature. This is why I really like the Lernort Natur (Nature as a Learning Environment) project from the hunting associations. Here, little ones can learn about the forest as an ecosystem – often for the first time. In an ideal world, these projects would also be available to adults.
Can you give specific examples of what you do?
Attempt to make and maintain contacts within the political realm so that they gain a better understanding of hunting concerns. We also need to look beyond Germany here, as the majority of hunting legislation (80 percent) comes from Brussels.
But in Brussels, FACE represents the interests of the seven million hunters across Europe, doesn’t it?
Correct, and the interests of our association’s members are represented there via the German Hunting Association. Nevertheless, we need to get the hunting community more active and encourage them to get more involved. There is sometimes a certain amount of hesitation here, as can be seen in the Sign for Hunting campaign, for example. The aim was to take a stand against legislators in Brussels so that hunting concerns and the concerns of hunters would be better incorporated into the corresponding legislation, rather than being disregarded from the outset for ideological reasons. I call on all hunters to support the campaign if they have not done so already.
How can this reluctance be explained?
I’m sure there are lots of different reasons. But I sometimes get the feeling that the German hunting community has distanced itself from many European hunting traditions, and the feeling of togetherness is still often lacking at European level. But this togetherness is precisely what we need if we want to preserve hunting.
Vote for the future of hunting: https://signforhunting.com/
