DORTMUND, Germany — Hunters from across the nation gathered to showcase their skills at a unique stag calling championship, demonstrating their ability to mimic the sounds of a bellowing red deer. This long-standing tradition, dating back centuries, originally served the purpose of imitating a competing stag during the rutting season, encouraging deer to reveal themselves. This tactic allowed hunters to evaluate the stags before making a decision on whether to take a shot.
The competition unfolded on Friday at the Jagd & Hund trade fair in Dortmund, a well-known event focusing on hunting and dogs. The atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm as participants donned traditional attire, complete with distinctive green hats adorned with tufts of chamois fur. Importantly, no live animals were present; instead, hunters relied on specialized tools to produce their sounds.
In this event, competitors utilized a variety of instruments crafted for the task, including ox horns, snail shells, glass tubes, and the hollow stems from giant hogweed. These instruments were designed to enhance the resonance and volume of their calls. Organizers noted that the vocalizations of stags are richly varied and influenced by factors such as age, emotional state, and the progression of the rut, which also affects the stags’ voice modulation.
Participants were challenged across three distinct calling categories: the call of a searching old stag, the call of a dominant male among does, and a competitive calling duel between two robust stags during peak rutting. In an effort to focus solely on the sounds, jury members listened with their eyes closed, ensuring that external distractions were minimized.
Fabian Wenzel, the champion hunter, expressed his passion for the sport, stating, “The stag calling for me, it’s the fascinating thing to play with the stags. And maybe shoot an old stag after calling him — that’s the biggest thing for every hunter.” Wenzel, hailing from Nüdlingen in Bavaria, achieved this title for the fifth consecutive year and is set to represent Germany in the forthcoming European Stag Calling Championships scheduled to take place in Lithuania this October.
