Guns & Roses

[Leica Sport Optics]

Never ask a Danish hunter what he’s doing on the May 16th. It’s opening day for roebuck, and the first day of a new hunting season. Rain or shine, Danish hunters will be at the designated meeting spot come early morning. By Philippe Jaeger

Our plane touched down in Aarhus late in the afternoon of May 15th. The pilot bid us a pleasant stay in Denmark…”in spite of the bad weather”. A quick glance out of the porthole confirmed the pilot’s warning. Streams of water fell onto the town, situated in the northern parts of the country, bordering the Baltic Sea. We had a rendezvous with Lars Thomsen, former professional soccer player, who’d exchanged his jersey for hunting gear. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, and asked whether we’d packed boots; the terrain might get a little wet. The next morning at 3:30 we slipped into the infamous boots and started out towards the Gyllingnaes hunting area. This was privately owned and located on a peninsula approximately 30 kilometers south.

Day broke the moment we crossed the property’s entrance. As a welcome, the downpour doubled in force. The few meters that separated the vehicle from the house were enough to completely drench us. Martin Gille, the gamekeeper, awaited us in the dry shelter. He suggested we drink a coffee, and reassured us regarding the weather. An hour from now the rain would subside. We took this chance to admire the superb roebuck trophy pictures lining the walls.

Taken off this property, Martin had captured their grandeur from every angle. Finally, it was time to head out. Lars had never hunted a large roebuck, and this year he had decided to give himself the opportunity to hunt a great Danish trophy buck. Gyllingnaes was the perfect territory to realize this dream. The 650 hectare non-enclosed property is mainly dedicated for hunting, more precisely for roe deer. There is also enough space for agriculture and 200 acres of forest, where a mixed forest of beech trees and oak-trees is planted. The roe deer are under the best possible care in Martin’s hands. He even has a photographic history of each and every roe buck.

We were stalking in a roe deer paradise. The rain had let up, but the sky’s ceiling remained quite low. A skein of greylag geese navigated the air above us. We wove in and out of several thickets and crossed a labyrinth of country hedges. All the while, we remained downwind and kept a watchful eye on the forest’s edge, 300 meters away. As we snuck along, we spotted several roe deer. Some of them were bucks, though according to Martin they were too young to be of interest. Finally, after half an hour of walking we entered the forest. Martin wanted to search for an old buck who’s usual territory was close to a beautiful clearing converted into a food plot. The light green foliage was still soaked, and we carried out our plan in the rain. Suddenly, Martin came to a halt. To our left, a reddish spot stood up from its fern bed.



A swift glimpse through our binoculars allowed us to pick up the large and bizarre antlers the animal sported on his head. As though sucked up by the vegetation, the shape disappeared. Despite his daily presence in this hunting area, Martin had never seen this buck before. However, the animal already had our full attention. A bit further on, another roebuck stole back our curiosity. Theoretically, he could be the original one we’d been searching for, since he was standing out in the open, rather than in the shelter of the forest. We returned to the forest’s edge, and saw another roebuck 350 meters away.

Despite the distance, his antlers were well visible. Martin quickly decided to head to a small stand fifty meters away. This would allow Lars to take a shot under perfect conditions. The moment we stepped onto the platform the buck bedded down. Only his antlers remained visible over the grass.

A shot was impossible in this situation, so we’d have to get closer. Crawling on all fours through wet grass and mud, we reached a ditch which would permit us to remain concealed while cutting the distance between us and the buck. We crawled towards the wood’s edge, which we used as cover while inching along towards our quarry.

The entire time, we hoped the buck wouldn’t notice us. He now appeared to be sleeping. Unfortunately, a roe doe spotted us and bounded off while barking and crashing through the underbrush. The big boy we were after stood up to determine the source of this commotion. Meanwhile, Martin checked the distance with his rangefinder, another 180 meters separated us from the animal. Lars decided to take the shot. Stabilized by the shooting sticks and with the help of Martin, who offered a shoulder to lean on, Lars had a steady three point rest. The buck stood broadside, still and had pinpointed our location. The rifle barked and the buck collapsed. Lars hadn’t really had the time to properly inspect the buck’s antlers, but now looking through the Magnus riflescope he could see a very unique trophy on the other end. With feverish enthusiasm, he walked up to his quarry, to appreciate the long-awaited moment.

He was a sublime buck. According to Martin, who had known this animal for five years, he would most likely merit a gold medal. Lars was stupefied not only by the amazing animal he’d just shot, but also by the quality of the hunt and the knowledge Martin has of almost every buck that populates the Gyllingnaes territory. His draconian game management method regulates that hunting clients are only allowed to harvest known bucks who had been photographed at least three seasons, as to guarantee an old trophy. Hence, of the around forty bucks shot by spot and stalk or from stands, with an average weight of 350 gram, Martin can offer three to five medal bucks.

It’s interesting to note that the population before the birth of the kids is estimated at 350 individuals, which allows approximately a hundred does and kids in their first year to be taken. These animals are hunted through silent driven hunts, where absolute efficacy is demanded of the hunters. There’s no room for error or hazardous shots that risk wounding the animal. The hunters are urged to shoot as many animals as possible. That way the management plan can be filled in the least number of days possible, reducing the activity and promoting tranquility in the hunting territory, where public access is forbidden.

We returned to the vehicle under a light drizzle coming straight from the Baltic Sea. We flushed two Eurasian teal who had been hiding in one of the numerous duck ponds scattered on this territory. Martin explained to us that in the winter Gyllingnaes is a prime spot for goose and duck hunting. Morning and evening teal hunts contribute to the area’s excellent hunting reputation just as much as the roe bucks do.

We finally found ourselves in the splendid hunting chalet done up in one of the wings of the main residence. We enjoyed a massive Danish breakfast and discovered the pictures of Lars’ buck, carefully collected and conserved in an album for the lucky hunter to take home. A ray of sun appeared and Martin suggested we take advantage of the weather to discover another one of the Gyllingnaes owners’ passions: roses. Several thousand plants sprinkle the property and represent a private collection like none other in the world. Hunting and flower enthusiasts: take note!

Hunting at Gyllingnaes
– In Denmark, roe buck season is only open from the 16th of May until the 15th of July.
– The driven hunts for roe does and kids are organized between October 1st and January 31st.
– Duck hunting, by jump shooting and on the pass, takes place between December 1st and January 1st.
– Goose hunting from blinds is possible from September 1st to January 1st.

Author:
Philippe Jaeger
Philippe Jaeger is originally from Alsace and in his youth he was opposed to hunting. He changed his opinion when he met people who explained to him that the foolish behaviour of some hunters had nothing to do with real hunting. Philippe got his hunting licence and bought a hunting dog, which he trained himself. Today he can’t imagine his life without hunting. He is now 46 years old and has a son, and, when he is not travelling around the world to go hunting, he enjoys his family life in the Vosges Mountains.

 

[rinehart0050]

Lars has a very nicely engraves Sauer!

Thanks for these hunting reports- always entertaining.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

You did have a good hunting. Congrats.
Witold