Experiencing and trying out trends – the industry meeting point with a wealth of products and innovations

Equipment

Clothing

Visitors to Dortmund will be able to kit themselves out for the cold time of year, as befits the season. Warm trousers and jackets in different materials and colours will be available for traditionalists (e.g. loden in dark green) and for fans of modern outdoor clothing (in camouflage-look Gore-Tex). However, it also makes sense at this time of year to top up one's stocks of high-visibility clothing for all types of social hunts following the updates to the 'UVV Jagd' Accident Prevention Regulations for Hunting last summer. Accordingly, only persons with high-vis headgear and high-vis outer clothing are allowed to take part in social hunts. With exhibitors such as Deerhunter, HAIX, Härkila, Jagdwelt24, Frankonia and Swedteam, every visitor will find what they are looking for. This year will also see the début of the special exhibition feature Jagdwelt / Hunting World – a 3,000 sqm shopping experience in collaboration with Jagdwelt24 – where products and innovations can be tried out with all five senses, and including a test course with various floor coverings for putting footwear through its paces.

Trapping

As hunting laws in more and more German states prohibit the use of snap traps, this leaves a variety of effective animal-friendly live trapping systems for use in well-managed small-game hunting grounds. Such modern tube and box traps will be on show at JAGD & HUND, and there will be good opportunities to compare the electronic trapping detectors that are also prescribed for this purpose, for example at the Krefelder Fuchsfalle stand.

Hunting ground equipment and raised hides

As well as a general opportunity for hunting ground owners to equip themselves with safe, practical and comfortable pulpits and raised hides at trade show prices, this year's visitors will be focussing on a very specific type of raised hide: Since 2023, the German Accident Prevention Regulations for Hunting ('UVV Jagd') have made it mandatory to use what are known as harvest hunting ladders for effective but above-average-risk hunting during harvest time – especially in rapeseed and corn fields. These practical mobile hunting aids will therefore be available for purchase for many hunting grounds in the near future, and a good opportunity to get an overview in Dortmund will be offered by providers such as Eiderheim, Jagdeinrichtungen Trompeter, Jagdholz,Hochform, Hochsitz Geis, holz & raum and Seldmaier.

Gun cabinets and safes

The Münster Administrative Court of Appeal caused a stir in summer 2023 with a spectacular ruling on the safekeeping of gun cabinet keys, saying that hunters must keep the key to their gun safe in a container that has the same standard of security as the safe itself. At JAGD & HUND 2024, associations and manufacturers such as Bremer Tresore, hdg Tresore and Hartmann Tresore will be providing information on how to comply with these new firearms regulations to avoid trouble with the firearms authorities. The latter exhibitor will also be giving a presentation and answering questions on the HORRDIO Stage in the Social Media Area.

Optical equipment

In recent years, the hunting optics sector has manifested itself as the main sales driver in the industry – triggered by continuous technical innovation and by a drastic change in the legal framework affecting hunters. Distinction must be made between 'conventional' hunting optics such as binoculars, riflescopes, spotting scopes and 'electronically assisted aids' that turn 'night into day', e.g. residual light amplifiers, digital night vision technology and, above all, thermal imaging cameras.

Conventional hunting optics

Binoculars and monocular riflescopes are a miracle of technology with a perfect interplay of precision mechanics and optics. While nearly all innovations in recent decades have been in the materials themselves, such as higher-quality glass for lenses or thicker coatings for optical surfaces, there is currently a particular trend towards better coordination for combined use with so-called 'dual-use’ attachments. Until a few years back, only sophisticated high-end products with top-of-the-range lenses and coatings were able to extend the 'last shooting light' by critical minutes. Now, permitted use of electronic aids is heading in an entirely different direction. Advances in technology are enabling a wider range of mid-range models that are becoming more attractive to a broader hunting audience. Top industry names such as Alpen Optics, Blaser, Burris, DDoptics, Geco, GPO, Hawke, Kahles, Leica, Meopta Minox, NightPearl, Noblex, Schmidt & Bender, Steiner, Swarovski and Zeiss will be offering visitors to JAGD & HUND 2024 a large selection of modern optics of all types, providing information on the latest technologies on all days of the show so that all visitors will be spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding on the right models for their needs.

Night vision and thermal imaging technology

The latest night vision technology is especially popular at the moment, as it enables hunters to turn night into day. In recent years, night vision and thermal imaging technology has been piling triumphantly into hunters' rucksacks and onto their firearms, and this is far from over. A distinction must be made between pure observation equipment and dual-use equipment for rifle shooting. While more traditional hunters seem to reject all this 'technical stuff', a new generation of hunters is responding almost euphorically to the new possibilities offered by this technology. Both audiences will be catered for at JAGD & HUND.

At least when it comes to pure observation – i.e. looking, not shooting – no hunter will want to set out without a powerful thermal imaging camera, whether by day or by night. While legislators have initially been focusing exclusively on the prevention of African swine fever when approving technology, thermal imaging cameras in particular have now become a near-indispensable aid in a very short space of time. The latest trend in thermal imaging cameras is interchangeable lenses enabling you to be prepared for several hunting situations with a single device. The connection between the riflescope and the attachment also deserves special attention. The key criterion is return accuracy – and therefore appropriate use of this technology: it may only be used to hunt game if it is absolutely certain that the point of impact will remain unchanged despite regular mounting and dismounting. Numerous manufacturers are endeavouring to achieve this – mostly by means of different clamping adapters. Alternatively, there are also two-part alternatives that can be screwed on tightly. Their clamping sleeves remain on the riflescope sight, and the attachment is held firmly in place by a handy quarter-turn bayonet catch. Show-goers will be able to discover which solution from the large selection of exhibitors is best for whom, and they will be able to try the equipment out then and there. Manufacturers such as Pulsar, Nachtsichttechnik Jahnke and Hikmicro will be offering a wide range of top models for everyone from beginners to professionals.

Wildlife cameras

A lot is happening in the world of wildlife cameras too – as well as innovations in basic technology such as lenses, sensitivity, storage media and anti-theft protection, manufacturers are focusing on improved data transfer and GPRS standards for their top-of-the-range models. Included here is technology enabling hunters to send images taken in the hunting ground to their own mobile phones in a matter of seconds via data transfer.

Game – enjoying high-quality meat from local woodlands

The culinary extravaganza WILD FOOD FESTIVAL, which has become a real highlight at Messe Dortmund in recent years, will once again put the spotlight on game. And no wonder, with Germans consuming over 28,900 tonnes of game food each year. In addition to imports, German hunters supply more than 16,400 tonnes of meat from wild boar, followed by roe deer (8,900 tonnes), red deer (2,400 tonnes) and fallow deer (1,300 tonnes) as per current statistics from the German Hunting Association. Using this high-quality food, hunters in this country can impress increasingly discerning consumers – even those who otherwise do not eat meat at all.

The WILD FOOD FESTIVAL truly has something for everyone – show-goers can look over the shoulders of the professionals every day and see how quickly and easily really delicious game dishes can be created, both at the tasting sessions and at the live events spread across a large number of stages. It will quickly become clear that game is more than just a leg of venison at Christmas. This is where traditional craftsmanship meets modern preparation and consumption of high-quality meat. Prominent top chefs including TV and Michelin-starred chefs such as Johann Lafer and Brian Bojsen will inspire actual and aspiring game lovers in live cooking demonstrations and exclusive workshops. The exciting programme and the exhibitors including game butcher 'Der Wilde Metzger', Bossmann Catering, Wildhandel König, Weingut Zöbel, Ankerkraut and chef's knife supplier Zwilling will inspire you to try things out and provide valuable practical tips for your own game cuisine.

The game highlight of the year this time around will be the sika deer, also known among meat sommeliers as the 'wagyu from the Sauerland'. The meat of this – comparatively small – deer species is a real insider tip among connoisseurs. Sika deer actually originate from eastern Asia but are also to be found in the wild in Germany. The largest population in Germany – in the Arnsberg Forest in Germany's 'Sauerland' uplands – is just around an hour's drive from Dortmund. They say that once you've tasted this venison you'll never want to go back, and visitors to the WILD FOOD FESTIVAL will be able to discover this for themselves. On the opening day of the show and on Friday afternoon (15:00 hrs), chefs Magdalene and Wolfgang Grabitz will present the preparation of sika meat on the WILD FOOD FESTIVAL Stage – including tastings. “Even many hunters are unaware of this amazing meat from sika deer sourced from local hunting grounds. We cordially invite all visitors to JAGD & HUND to experience this pleasure with us in Dortmund – and to taste it for themselves,” said Magdalena Grabitz. “And anyone wishing to try the 'wagyu from the Sauerland' in their own kitchen will receive helpful tips on how and where to get their hands on sika venison.” Another expert, Conrad Baierl, will also be available for discussions at his stand entitled 'Der Wilde Metzger' (the game butcher). He is surprised that this gourmet meat is still largely unknown. “Sika is a real insider tip, especially for consumers who find game too strong, and is even cheaper than top-quality beef!” said Baierl. Baierl is also the go-to person for topics such as 'Going wild for game – why fallow deer doesn't come from a game reserve' and will also provide information in an interview on '100 cuts for perfect BBQ and indoor cooking dishes'. Magdalena and Wolfgang Grabitz – the two JAGD & HUND veterans from eastern Westphalia – are in every respect the right people to talk to when it comes to the development of the festival in recent years and the variety of venison dishes on offer. They will also be on hand to answer questions on 'Utilising the bits old huntsmen had a right to keep (liver, heart, kidneys – delicious)'. Registration is required for all talks at presse@jagdundhund.de.



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