📅 Game Seasonal Calendar
When is which game fresh? The calendar shows the hunting seasons within the nationwide framework. In these months the respective game is hunted – which is also when you are most likely to get it fresh from the hunter.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🦌 Roebuck | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| 🦌 Roe doe/fawn | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🦌 Red deer | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🦌 Fallow deer | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🐗 Wild boar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🐇 Brown hare | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🐦 Pheasant | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 🦆 Wild duck | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Hunting season & closed season – exactly
The hunting season is the period during which a game species may be hunted. The closed season is the rest of the year – when the animal is protected and may not be shot (rearing of the young). The following dates are the nationwide framework under the Federal Hunting Seasons Ordinance (Bundesjagdzeiten-Verordnung):
- 🦌 RoebuckHunting season: 1 May – 15 October · Closed season: 16 Oct – 30 April
- 🦌 Roe doe & fawnHunting season: 1 September – 31 January · Closed season: 1 Feb – 31 Aug
- 🦌 Red deer (stag, mature hind)Hunting season: approx. 1 August – 31 January
Varies by age/sex class and federal state. - 🦌 Fallow deerHunting season: 1 September – 31 January
Young animals sometimes until 28 February. - 🐗 Wild boarCan be hunted year-round – no nationwide closed season.
However, sows leading dependent young are protected year-round. - 🐇 Brown hareHunting season: 16 October – 31 December · Closed season: 1 Jan – 15 Oct
- 🐦 PheasantHunting season: 1 October – 15 January · Closed season: 16 Jan – 30 Sept
- 🦆 Mallard (wild duck)Hunting season: 1 September – 15 January · Closed season: 16 Jan – 31 Aug
What does this mean for buying?
You get game freshest during and shortly after the hunting season – for the classic species that mainly means autumn and early winter (September to January). Thanks to year-round hunting, wild boar is available almost all the time. Out of season, hunters and dealers usually offer game frozen or vacuum-packed – perfectly fine in quality as long as the cold chain is maintained.
Related
- 🥩 Game meat guide – flavour, cuts & nutrition
- 🛒 Buying game from the hunter – quality, law & the cold chain
- 🍳 Recipes – saddle of venison & game goulash