I got into a discussion with a German neighbour today about walking my dogs in the woods. I always keep to the paths, and my dogs stay on leash all the time so there's no chance of them running after an animal or unduly disturbing the wildlife. As far as I know, that's pretty much all that the law demands of me, so I was surprised when she told me that it was forbidden to walk in the woods after dark.

I understand the possible dangers of getting shot by a hunter, but that isn't the issue here. I always have my flashlight - a neat gizmo that is attached to a headband so my hands remain free. I wear a bright red jacket, and although the light and jacket don't minimize the risk completely, surely that is my own decision. But she says that I could be charged and fined just for being in the woods after dark. What about winter, when it gets dark by 5pm?

I can't find any reference to an actual law on the books when I read through the Waldgesetz für Baden-Württemberg. So what exactly is the law and is it really verboten just to walk in the woods after dark?

Nothing would surprise me more... Sorry nothing more worthy to add..just trying to bump up my post rate past 100

Your neighbour may be getting mixed up. It is totally illegal to hunt in the dark in Germany so there is not much danger of you being shot.

Wrong, unless all the hunters I know are not aware of this.

Don't listen to her.
Take a walk whenever you feel like it.
Personally, I don't take a flashlight with me, and I don't wear bright colours. I am still alive.
It is not illegal to take a walk in the woods at nighttime, and even if it were, who would obey such a law?

careful of the Wildschwein, they have their young around just now and can be pretty aggressive if stumbled upon.

It is definitely not illegal to take a walk in the woods at night! If you feel you need a statement from someone who knows for sure, get the number of the forestry office and ask them.

If you are correct then all the hunters that I know (including my neighbour) are wrong about this...you never know.

There must be a difference between Bayern and NRW/Hessen then. Or the guys that I know hunt illegally in the dark, which I can't imagine on the other hand. So your neighbour never goes "auf Sauen" in the winter when the moon is shining?

Never heard of such thing. I used to live near the forest and took walks regularly even after dark, and I wasn't alone, there were joggers too. very strange

Eugene.
No way. I have asked because I do not mind hunting in the dark. I have been told in no uncertain terms that it is completely illegal and no one would risk it (only the odd farmer that needs to knock of a beaver or two (the type that eat trees). The only time he has gone night hunting was on his estate in Chile and he only did that as it was a big cat (puma) I think that had eaten some of his sheep. Illegal to kill it but he went out with locals and the thing is not around anymore.

He told me that getting caught over here would result in no hunting licence ever again, massive fines, courts, police and that no one would risk it. (Not even when I showed him where a wild boar charged at my dog and I a couple of weeks back).

I carry a standard issue Heckler and Koch G36 to fend off those hunters and I never leave home without my nightvision goggles.

Apart from that I have never heard of a no-go through the woods at night.

You would not believe what I carry whilst walking the mutt after being charged at by the wild boar (they are big and fast). I also wear a barbour jacket and pair of hunters wellington boots (no poncy Bavarian hunting gear) which seems to reassure the hunters that I see on a daily basis.

Nachtjagd is not "completely illegal" ... there are numerous exemptions

I'm guessing it's toilet paper and a shovel, that or condoms and some lube.

This could be good news. I will print it and show it to my neighbour. Nightsights maybe be expensive though.

Weird. A school day friend of mine is hunter and he took me with him on a stand once on a winter evening when it was dark already. His family is living in an old former forester's house. His father is hunter too and he is tenant of a hunting ground (?) together with several other guys from the Rheinland and the Münsterland because they have only hares there and other "Niederwild".
They have a Jagdstube with a fireside in the forester's house where we spent many of our friday evnings when we had no driver's licence yet. And these guys always went hunting in the evenings and came to the house afterwards. Especially in the winter time when the moon was shining and there was snow.
EDIT: miwilds second link says that Schwarzwild --> Sauen/wild pigs can be hunted at night as an exemption.

my father in law and I have been hunting with the Förster many times and mostly late in the evening /night sometimes the whole night through ( snaps dabei) don't know what law book your reading my dear

I can't remember if walking in the woods at night is illegal or compulsory; we're in Germany so it must either one or t'other.

Yes, Klarer is the most important piece of equipment

Dont forget that the local government can change the law to suit needs too.

There were so many wild boar a couple of years back in the Koblenz area that the local council advertised that they were having a weekend of shooting in various forests for free.

Wild boar was plentiful in Koblenz for weeks, my father in law has a stack of it in his freezer from back then.

Still, I like thought of night hunting. I will just print off that link from miwild and see how I go. (hopefully I can find that wildboar again or the one that attacked a dog last week but that one is further up the river and near to moosburg (doubt we can go hunting so close to a town)

Waidmannsheil then.

Well, it sounds as though it isn't illegal, but perhaps a little more risky than I thought. Don't like the thought of mixing firearms and alcohol/schnapps


Funnily enough our house was previously owned by a hunter/forrester. We bought it in an estate sale and got most of the contents, including some of his plaques which were awards at local shooting contests. My favourite, which I have left hanging in its original place of honour in the living room, is a round shield commemorating his having the "best shot" in 1963. He was a Forstmeister. So I definitely am living in a hunting area. It doesn't really bother me, though. With a few basic precautions I usually don't have a problem going out late after dark with my two dogs.

Some evenings, the shooting starts around dusk and continues throughout the night. That's when I decide to just let the dogs play in our backyard and do a short walk around the neighbourhood sticking to the residential streets. But sometimes the night is so pretty, especially with a moon shining brightly, that I just really have the urge to get out there and enjoy that special hushed stillness when most of the world seems asleep and everything is truly peaceful and quiet - and hopefully no shots are fired to spoil the tranquility. Some nights I even get my wish and don't hear any shots at all!

Perhaps the hunters around here have been successful in the past in scaring away folks just to make hunting easier? And then I come along and question "the rules" and start making some neighbours uncomfortable... who knows. Or maybe there really is some local ordnance that I should ask about from official sources, like the local town hall. But the woods start about 200 meters from my door and I see no reason to completely give up walking along the trails with my dogs after dark. Surely even the dumbest hunter can see that a light bobbing along the path isn't being carried by an animal with blond hair and wearing a red jacket and light blue jeans.

btw... I really laughted at Dafydds' comment... thanks for making my day!