Thick swaths of fog pass through the valley of the Valepp on this Friday morning, as Revierjäger Engelbert Holzner waits in front of a metal gate. Behind the gate, a gravel road leads up the slope, to the left and right are tall, dark conifers. It is the way to the so-called winter gate at Spitzingsee, a fenced area of 25 hectares in the middle of the forest. From just before Christmas, between 50 and 60 red deer are fed once a day at this point. “This feeding station is one of a total of ten that we maintain here in the area of the Schliersee Forestry Company,” explains Stephan Breit on the way up to the feeding station. The deputy head of the forest operation lists the pros and cons of the two different feeding options. Because apart from the fenced-in feeding places, there are also those without fences. The gates offer more guarantee of being able to protect the forest, says Breit. “Free feeding, on the other hand, gives the game more space to roam.” The 2.40 meter high fence is a barrier, “but if a deer tries to overcome it, it can do it,” adds Holzner with a laugh.
The feedings are not without controversy. Opponents of the concept criticize the interference with the natural way of life of the animals. “What we are definitely getting rid of is natural death from malnutrition in some animals,” says Revierjäger Holzner. But the problem is much more complex. The need to feed the animals over the winter is actually mainly due to the intensive use of the area. “Here you have mountain bikers, hikers, ski tourers on the one hand, and roads and residential areas on the other. All of this prevents the red deer from coming down to the valley to feed there – as would naturally be the case – during the harsh winter months “explains Holzner. Instead, the animals would retreat into the forest and there eat what is available to them in the barren times: young shoots and tree bark. This calls another party to the conflict on the scene. Because the damage to the trees caused by browsing and peeling means financial losses for the forest farmers.
Revierjäger Engelbert Holzner is also responsible for the feed storage.
(Photo: Nina Böckmann)
From a logistical point of view, feeding is an immense effort, because the red deer are very hungry. Jäger Holzner feeds around 17.5 tonnes at the Spitzingsee winter gate alone. “Feeding the animals is not that uncomplicated. We have to meet the right energy requirements at the right time,” explains Holzner. The animals are currently in the process of building up fat reserves for the winter. “From the winter solstice, however, the metabolism changes and the animals are in energy-saving mode. We also have to accompany this with the right food.” In addition to hay and grass silage, therefore, silage mixed with concentrated feed is also fed. For some time now, the feed has been coming from a farmer on the Schliersee. “This is also important because the red deer knows the plants that it gets with the silage. If the feed comes from further away, it may contain plants that do not exist here. The red deer are very careful and When in doubt, only eats what it knows, “says Holzner.
A problem for the winter feedings: disturbance by humans is a great stress factor for the shy animals. Jäger Holzner doesn’t like to see someone just trudging through the gate area. “With the help of rangers from the Lower Nature Conservation Authority, we’re trying to control the situation. But of course I’ll also follow suit if I discover fresh tracks in the snow during my lap.” In the meantime, there is also statutory backing to minimize stress. The forest area in which the gates are located is a temporary game reserve during the feeding season between December and mid-May. “Anyone who goes inside can be fined,” explains Stephan Breit.
But not always just creating bans, that is important to Revierjäger Holzner. For this reason, among other things, the Schliersee forestry company maintains the show feeding in winter: To give people a little closer to the inhabitants of the forest, to ensure understanding and to answer questions. If you want to see the shy animals up close, the Revierjäger will pick you up at the gate below the feeding station at around 3:30 p.m. While the visitors sit down in the shed above the feeding point, Holzner puts out the food. Then he returns and with the onset of dusk there is time for all sorts of questions about the red deer – as quietly as possible, of course. “Sometimes there are questions that make you wonder very much. People are very alienated from nature. It is all the better if you make certain connections understandable to them as early as possible,” says Holzner.
The feedings at Spitzingsee take place from shortly before Christmas until the carnival holidays. Daily during the holiday season, outside the holiday season from Thursday to Sunday. Show feeding also takes place in Vorderriss and near Oberammergau.