Increase in the number of hunters in Saxony

The number of hunters in Saxony increased last year. As the German Hunting Association (DJV) announced on Monday before the start of the "Jagd und Hund" trade fair in Dortmund, 13,849 people in the federal state had a hunting license - 294 more than in 2022. "We are seeing that more and more people want to help shape nature on their doorstep," DJV spokesman Torsten Reinwald told dpa on Monday. The main motivations are the intensive experience of nature, active nature conservation and the desire to shoot healthy meat for consumption themselves.

Hunting licenses are also becoming increasingly popular nationwide: while there were 320,240 hunters in Germany three decades ago, according to the association, there were 435,930 last year, more than ever before. This is an increase of 36 percent, which is mainly due to the growing number of young hunters each year. While the average age of hunting license holders is 55, the average age of hunting students is 35. More and more women are also opting for a hunting license - the proportion of female students is around 28 percent.

In relation to the population, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has the highest density of hunting license holders: there are ten hunters per 1,000 inhabitants. Schleswig-Holstein is in second place (eight) and Lower Saxony in third place (seven). According to the DJV, Saxony is in fourth-last place with three hunters per 1,000 inhabitants, ahead of Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen.