VEREIN DEUTSCH DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICA Volume 59 Number 2 March 2007 www.VDD-GNA.org First Times All the Way Around! Inside the Newsletter The 2007 VDD-GNA meeting was held in January in Denton Texas. There were a lot of “first times” for this GNA Annual Meeting Denton, TX 1 meeting in Denton Texas. It was the first time that an annual meeting was ever held in Texas. It was also the first time that the meeting was held in the “winter time”. Joerg Tabel Presentation Notes 2 Usually the meetings are held it late spring or early summer to accommodate the vacationers. This year the meeting Vice Chairman’s Notes 9 was held in January to allow the Board of Directors and the membership input on agenda items before the VDD annual meeting in Germany. This was also the first time that the From the Breedwarden 9 “Big Rivers Chapter” entertained the annual meeting. It was a “first time attendance” for many of the Texas and From the Business Manager 10 Oklahoma members attending. The meeting was well attended by the Board of Directors, Director of Testing 11 as well as many members from the Big Rivers Chapter. On Thursday, January 25 the Executive Board met to review and set the agenda. On Friday morning the Board Judge Development Director 12 of Directors started at 9:00 AM to start work on the business at hand. They finally finished their meeting at HD-Results 13 5:00PM that evening just in time to head to the Dallas Gun Club for a delightful dinner and talks by Joerg Tabel of Germany on Hunting Traditions of Germany and where the Point of View 14 DD is headed. You Be the Judge 15 Chapter Happenings 17 Armbruster Intent 24 Test Schedule 26 Litter Listings 31 Calendar of Events 36 Board of Directors as well as Executive Committee meet to discuss the business of Group North America. New Members 39 On Saturday morning Joerg Tabel inlightened the group with his lecture on “Blood Tracking and its Training for the DD. It was a great lecture on how to prepare your dog on blood tracking for the VGP and the 20 hour and 40 hour blood track. ( Ed. Note: Joerg’s Notes and Comments are in another section of this NL VEREIN DEUTSCH DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICA Volume 59 Number 2 March 2007 www.VDD-GNA.org Donors for 2007 AGM Auction Hank Lippert Kenny Romero Donny Zarra Gene and Lona Kluck Ron and Sherry Nichols Brandt Hardy John FetzerKevin Sherrodd Bryon Beaton Larry Houck Jimmy Williams Mark Heuer Joerg Tabel receiving a custom made “wing boned turkey Joerg Tabel yelper” from Jerry W from the Big Rivers Chapter Drahthaar for Youth Foundation Eukanuba That afternoon, the membership, the Board of Directors Atlantic ChapterGreat and the Executive Committee all came together for 2 hours Lakes Chapter to discuss and vote on many of the recommendations that Southeast Hunter Chapter had been made in the past 2 days. It was a very well run Midwest North Hunter Chapter meeting. One of the highlights of the meeting was that wo Great Plains Chapter members of GNA were awarded “Distinguished Service Big Rivers Chapter Awards. They were Brandt Hardy and Hank Lippert both Sitatunga Safaris of the Big Rivers Chapter. These two men were VDD-GNA wishes to thank all persons and Chapters who donated recognized for their “dedicated and steadfast service the items to make the auction a very good success. If anyone was let Deutsch Drahthaar and Group North America. out, it was done unintentionally and please accept our apologies. German Hunting Traditions (Brauchtum) By Joerg Tabel Hunting traditions are driven by emotions as much as by hunting ethics, by practicality and – at times – by doing things within a group of selected people, namely the huntsmen, not easily understood by the general public, thus, keeping a kind of secret to ourselves. The hunting traditions in Germany, call it the custom, has many facets. The overriding cause of developing, maintaining and cherishing the traditions, however, is carried by the hunter’s Brandt Hardy receiving his “Distinguished Service Award” from Chairman Bryon Beaton respect for the creature, in fact, by his reverence for God’s creation as a whole. It That evening a very find dinner was well attended by more may be said at this very point, that a hunter who has than 60 attendees. A “money raising auction” for the DD’s obviously no ‘links’ to God is not utterly welcome in a was then directed by “Auctioneer Mark Heuer”. The event hunters’ community. raised over $4000 on the auction and almost another $1000 from the “raffle table”. The highlights of the auction The custom is essentially composed of (but not limited were 3 different “hunting trips” and a #1 numbered and to) : signed print of the DD picture that is used on the cover of this Newsletter by Hank Lippert. the hunters’ own vocabulary (hunters’ language) in describing hunting situations, animal behaviour or body parts of a game animal for instance; the use of “branches” (Brüche) broken from a defined type of tree as a means of signaling a certain situation or communicating with fellow huntsmen; VEREIN DEUTSCH DRAHTHAAR e.V. /GROUP NORTH AMERICA Volume 59 Number 2 March 2007 www.VDD-GNA.org the use of the bugle-horn (French horn) as a means of communication in various hunting situations & social events; the appropriate training, handling and use of hunting dogs, for example in tracking down wounded game of any size (from quail to deer). There are a number of minor traditions that have developed in local areas over time, which may not be known or understood by a hunter from a different region. To elaborate on the above described custom in more detail, here are a few examples of the huntsmen’s own language: The spot where an individual game animal rests, usually Joerg Tabel demonstrating his horn blowing abilities in the during the day, has different names depending on the Forest at the seminar for the Southeast Hunter Chapter species in question. meeting. A hare rests in a Sasse (derived from sitting), a wild boar If a (larger) group of hunters sets off for a common drive would rest in a Lager (lying) or Kessel (couch), a deer hunt, for example, a specific melody (‘signal’) would would rest in a Bett (bed); remember the “wound-bed”. The indicate the start of the drive and also the end of the drive leg of a duck or goose is called Ruder (webbed foot or (‘trigger at rest’). paddle), that of a deer is called Lauf (running), that of a In a large area covered, the signal would be passed on quail is called Staender (standing), that of a boar Hammer ! from one blowing hunter to the next around the wooded area. Such signals represent established instructions! The deer doesn’t walk, but zieht (drags on) when slowly A participating hunter disregarding these instructions (call moving forward. The fox schnuert (trots on a rope), his them safety orders) would risk his hunting licence or would footprints (paws) leave a straight line (rope) on the sandy at least instantly be expelled from the hunt. ground or in snow. The non-hunter, of course, wouldn’t know what we are After a hunt the game bagged will be honoured by signals talking about. specific to each species; these so-called “dead game” signals all have one portion at the end in common: ha-la-li. Specifically prepared and placed branches (Bruch) The bugle horn will also be blown on special occasions like signify the course of a track of a wounded game, tell the weddings, birthdays, or funerals of hunters, even in the hunting companion what to do in a particular situation, church. identify the shot – and cleaned – game as male or female. Usually, on November 3rd, the memorial day of St. After certain big game (ungulates) has been shot the Hubertus, the hunters’ holy patron, mass will be celebrated hunter will offer the “last bite” in respect for the creature by in church which attracts huge crowds. placing a branch into the mouth of the deer, boar, or else. The subject of cherishing the hunting traditions is The branch must be of one of the following trees: fir, pine, considered important enough to be part of the hunters’ oak¸ or alder. exams. It is compulsory to pass such test before obtaining a hunting licence in Germany. There is the tradition that if a hunter dies, the mourning comrade will place a Bruch on his coffin before burial, say Hunting custom is an integral part of our hunting culture instead of flowers. A close friend would visit the grave yard that has developed over decades and centuries in our part regularly afterwards and place a Bruch on the grave of his of the world. gone friend. Adhering to established hunting traditions contributes A well versed huntsman blows the bugle horn. to fostering the sense of unity among hunters and to The horn without keys has 5 natural notes only; the expert building bridges between people of different origin, can manage to produce a maximum of 7 notes on it. education, professional status, social background, There are a great number of melodies (“signals), either gender and age. used for practical reasons in genuine hunting situations or on traditional and emotional grounds, – some 45 signals in Thank you and Horrido! all. ED Note: Joerg Tabel is from Germany. He was the featured speaker at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Denton, TX.