The forest is their territory, but hunters and bikers don't always see eye to eye. But what is actually the problem? How can conflicts be avoided? Our deputy editor-in-chief Ludwig Döhl wanted to find out and met up with hunter Josef-Markus Bloch for a chat. The double interview from BIKE 9/2020 - and also the video of the meeting - can be found here.
BIKE: Mr Bloch, how would you describe a typical mountain biker?
JOSEF-MARKUS BLOCH: I assume that mountain bikers are very performance-orientated. They enjoy physical exercise and it's important to them to be out in nature.
BIKE: Ludwig, what do you think makes hunting so appealing?
DÖHL: In principle, I see a lot in common with us bikers. Both hobbies, biking and hunting, are based on an experience of nature. From my point of view, hunting is about people wanting to experience nature and regulate it to a certain extent. It often seems to me that bikers are perceived as troublemakers because they get in the way of the hunter doing his thing.
BIKE: Why exactly do conflicts arise?
BLOCH: It's true that hunters often perceive bikers as troublemakers. And in situations where he simply can't have him - regardless of the person. Because the biker comes out of the forest at a place where the hunter is hoping for game. Or because it is a biotope particularly worthy of protection. Or because the time of day is unfavourable and the animals are disturbed. When it comes to the conflict between hunters and mountain bikers, there are two levels within the hunting community. One is the hunter in his hunting activities. The other is that the hunter sees himself as an advocate for wild animals. It is important that bikers understand why the hunter intervenes when you are riding through somewhere.
DÖHL: Many bikers probably think: "Why is he chatting me up? I just want to enjoy nature."
BLOCH: Exactly, while a completely different film is playing in the hunter's head. Sometimes it's not about feeling disturbed yourself. It's about the consequences for the game.
3.74 million - That's how many people in Germany cycle regularly. This was the result of a study by the Allensbach Institute.
Hobby hunting - The vast majority of hunters in Germany are private hunting licence holders. They usually pay rent to the landowners and are liable for damage to nature.
DÖHL: For us as bikers, conflict situations are sometimes not easy to understand. There are many parties involved in the forest. Not just hunters. There's the forestry industry, the conservationists. They all have their own interests. On a tour, it can happen that you meet a wide variety of factions that have different concerns for us bikers. How can we do justice to this? Somehow there has to be room for recreation. In Germany, there is free access to forests. It is a legitimate concern that we bikers want to move around in the forest.
BLOCH: We are not denying that at all. The right of free access is of course guaranteed. What many bikers may not realise: Hunting, like biking, is usually categorised as a hobby. There are around 1000 professional hunters in Germany, but 380000 private hunting licence holders. And they pay money. They lease part of a hunting ground. And at that moment, the hunter naturally feels in a different position. The biker says that we are all nature users. While the hunter pays rent to the landowner for being allowed to pursue this activity. At the same time, however, they are held liable if damage occurs to the forest. In extreme cases, the hunter has to pay for it. He sees such a disturbance from a completely different perspective. A biker may find it annoying to be accosted. But he then rides on and the whole thing is over for him.
BIKE: Most hunters practise their hobby, just like bikers. Are bikers expected to be subordinate just because hunters pay money?
BLOCH: If you're interested in peaceful coexistence, it's important to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Hunters are faced with numerous interests. It's not as if it doesn't matter whether I shoot something or not. There are shooting plans in Germany that have to be fulfilled. This is regularly checked by the authorities. There is sometimes a lot of pressure on us hunters. You can even lose your licence. If you have that in mind as a biker, then you know why the guys and girls in the green hat are quickly on one hundred and eighty when bikers come crashing out of the bush. A hunter has guidelines. He pays money. He has limited time resources.
DÖHL: I understand that hunters and mountain bikers are not generally on bad terms. The conflict arises when hunters are unable to fulfil their requirements due to disturbances.
BLOCH: And when it comes to damage. When it comes to mountain bikers, we're not just talking about low mountain ranges, but also higher mountain areas. And there are red deer, for example. If these animals are disturbed too often, especially at feeding times, they are forced into the thickets, where the bark of the trees is damaged. Red deer peel massively. This causes the tree to die.
DÖHL: To raise awareness of peaceful coexistence in the forest and nature-friendly biking, we have launched the "Love Trails - Respect Rules" was launched. As part of the campaign, we also refer to the trail rules that were once drawn up by the German Mountain Bike Initiative. Would a special rule be important from the hunters' point of view?
BLOCH: I've read these rules and I think they're a good basis. Mutual respect is the basis for everything anyway. As a hunter, if I know that a biker trail goes that way, then I don't have to forcefully set up a high seat there. As far as the specific rules are concerned, I would perhaps clarify that a little more. If you want to be on the safe side as a biker, then inform yourself. What kind of area is it? What animals are there? How and when do they feel disturbed?
BIKE: But in general, could the rules help to avoid conflicts?
BLOCH: Our densely populated country is not the wilderness of Alaska. Or the vastness of Russia. Everyone has to play by the rules. All users of nature. That also applies to us hunters. We are under huge public pressure. On the one hand, because some people say we are murderers because we shoot Bambi to death. We are accused of shooting animals indiscriminately. Others say we don't shoot enough, that we're only interested in trophies. As a hunter, you are already constantly in a field of tension. Animal rights activists say we shouldn't hunt at all. Conservationists say you should only hunt what harms nature. And then there are the bikers who say: "We have a right too." Which is true, of course. In the mountains, a distinction is made between 16 different leisure activities, including hunting. The biker says: "If we just pass by, it's no big deal." But we hunters share the area with numerous other sports. So it can get a bit crowded.
BIKE: Every forest is criss-crossed by gravel roads. Everything was created for forestry and other users. There is virtually no infrastructure for bikers. But wouldn't that help to avoid problems?
DÖHL: Biking is a young sport. It's only been around for just under 40 years. It's all grown wild. Young people naturally look for trails. Would hunters prefer clearly defined routes?
BLOCH: If that's enough for the mountain biker, then I think the hunter could live with it. But everyone finds something different attractive. Biking is all about a sense of freedom. That's why I don't know how long bikers would put up with it. There will certainly be some who say: "Well, now I've ridden this thing three times. Now I want to ride something else." I once read a nice phrase somewhere: Offers instead of bans. I think that's the direction we should go in.
BIKE: Mountain bikers need space. Would hunters accept bigger cuts?
BLOCH: I don't know if there has to be so much more. I'm thinking more of combinations. There are already proper downhill routes. You could combine them with existing, official trails. That way, you wouldn't need to inflate the infrastructure endlessly.
DÖHL: Many bikers see the danger that in the end there will only be a kind of mountain bike ghetto. That you are allowed to ride on two or three trails and nowhere else.
BLOCH: In Baden-Württemberg there is a two-metre restriction. Bikers should always bear that in mind: If the conflicts become too much, then there is always a need for regulation. And that usually leads to restrictions.
"Our densely populated country is not the wilderness of Alaska. Or the vastness of Russia. Everyone has to play by the rules." Josef-Markus Bloch
"Many bikers see the danger that in the end there will only be a kind of mountain bike ghetto. That you are allowed to ride on two or three trails and nowhere else." Ludwig Döhl
DÖHL: Are the interests of mountain bikers actually understandable?
BLOCH: Personally, I can understand it. There are hunters who say: "I don't want anyone else in my hunting ground." But that's the minority. The majority think it's good when we are in dialogue with other associations. For example, our association has had good contact with horse riders for a long time. That is perhaps the disadvantage of mountain bikers. They don't have such a strong association. They are not as organised.
DÖHL: Well, I think we've already found a good common denominator.
BLOCH: Yes, it's important to always put yourself in the other person's shoes. I've now cycled through corona again. I've seen how you suddenly perceive nature in a completely different way. I can understand what drives mountain bikers.
