JAGD & HUND 2026 to present the next line-up of “wild” competitions

Many sequels and a premiere provide highlights for visitors

On Friday, things will get particularly wild at JAGD & HUND. While the calls of various deer will initially echo through Hall 4, later on it will be the calls of slightly smaller wild animals. On Saturday, visitors to Hall 8 may be drawn to the HORRIDO stage by the loud bleating of a roe deer. The program for Europe’s largest hunting event is still being finalized, but one thing is certain: the most popular contests will of course enter the next round in 2026. 

Dortmund, 14.11.2025 – The first day of the fair (27 January) kicks off with a competition that is less about hearing and more about seeing. For the second time, Messe Dortmund, together with the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation (FACE), partner of JAGD & HUND, is calling on hunters, nature lovers, and outdoor enthusiasts to submit their most beautiful photo motifs. They will compete for the title of “Europe’s Hunting Photo of the Year.” The aim of the competition is to showcase the diversity, values, and personal stories of hunters and nature lovers across Europe. The best photos will not only be exhibited at the fair, but also judged by a jury. The award ceremony will take place at 14:00 hrs on the stage in Hall 4. Entries can be submitted until 15 December in four categories: “Game & Landscape,” “New Perspectives,” “Fresh to the Table,” and “Hunting Culture & Tradition.” Further information is available on the website.

On Friday, animal sounds will dominate. At 12:00 hrs, the area in front of the stage in Hall 4 will be packed. The German Deer Calling Championship is an absolute crowd puller at JAGD & HUND. It is organized in collaboration with the magazine “WILD UND HUND” from Paul Parey Zeitschriftenverlag. The art of deer calling is a demanding hunting skill and, as the “high art” of decoy and call hunting, is part of a centuries-old hunting tradition. On 30 January, Germany’s best will compete against each other again in Dortmund. This year, the podium looked exactly the same as last year: Fabian Menzel won for the fifth time in a row. Thomas Soltwedel and Jerome Böhm took second and third place. Let’s see who wins the race in 2026…

The deer callers will be followed at 14:00 hrs by the game callers – in the Calling Contest organized by Messe Dortmund in collaboration with the OVIS hunting shop and the hunting magazine “unsere Jagd” published by Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag. Lure hunting is a demanding and active form of hunting, and the wide variety of different decoy calls requires a great deal of skill from the participants. Registration for next year’s contest is now open for the categories fox (hare call), carrion crow, gray goose, raccoon, and mallard. The skills of the participants at JAGD & HUND will be evaluated by a jury of experts. The winners can look forward to high-quality prizes. Finally, on Saturday (31 January), the little ones will also have a chance to prove themselves at Europe’s largest hunting fair. The “KIDZ FIEP World Championship” is aimed at participants aged six to 15. Starting at 12:00 hrs on the HORRIDO stage, they will have the chance to prove how they can attract roe deer using only their mouths and without any aids. The competition is organized by HUNT ON DEMAND.