Hunting And Travelling Back To The Roots

[Leica Sport Optics]

Hunting and Travelling back to the Roots and maybe that’s the reason why I love to roam about with my little microbus camper van (aka “Bulli”), why I love to travel.

It’s that feeling of freedom. Getting out of the daily dullness, getting outdoors. My passion for traveling and hunting takes me back to my roots. Makes me reconnect with what’s really important. It’s life, here and now.

Whether I’m travelling or whether I’m hunting, the feelings are always the same: a headlong dive into something new, never knowing what’s waiting ’round the corner. It’s a luxury for me to be able to carry my home around with me, to have the possibility to stay wherever I want, wherever there’s beauty around.

In those moments, it’s a gut feeling, an impulse moving me forward and at the same time sharpening my senses. That ancient feeling of living along nature’s heartbeat fills me with energy and makes my heart feel free. There’s no plan nor structure to it. I simply follow my instinct, which lets me drift and experience the moment. That deep love for nature, for silence, for peace and quiet: I have it when I am out hunting or when travelling around. Still, it’s always lovely to share these remarkable moments. Therefore, I love to go hunting with friends.

Roaming about in my “Bulli” enables me to meet new people time and time again so sharing memories is guaranteed.

To share this lifestyle with my old dog Emil (he’s twelve now) is sheer bliss. He’s my best friend, my hunting buddy, my travel companion, my family. When I’m sitting in my seat, he rests peacefully on the ground underneath it. When we travel, he keeps watch over our mobile home to ensure that no one comes near undetected.

There’s a whole lot of similarities between hunting and our particular style of travelling, and I cherish them immensely. Whether I’ve been hunting or roaming, whatever I bring home nourishes my heart and soul. Sometimes a memory, sometimes prey. Both are unique; both are moments I will never forget.

One of those memories is the first set of binoculars my daddy gave me when I passed my hunter’s exam: an old, heavy LEITZ. Now, when I’m scanning my surroundings with my Leica Trinovid 10×40, my mind goes back to that trusty old friend. My Leica carries the same retro charm: it’s robust and still light and easy to handle – no matter whether I am on a hike or on a stalk or just sitting outside my camper van watching the stars. It symbolizes looking back as well as looking forward, for what’s yet to unfold – just like it was when I held my first set of binoculars.