Poaching story
Poachers' Trail Pyhrn-Priel

Poaching today? Simple theft. Poaching back then? Rebellion against the dominant order. Or saving people from starvation.

The densely wooded mountains of the Pyhrn-Priel region, especially the Sengsengebirge, were always home to all kinds of game. This attracted both hunters and poachers.

Hunting as a privilege of the nobility

Hunting used to be a privilege reserved for the nobility - a law that was perceived as unfair by the subjects. In addition, damage caused by game threatened the livelihood of farmers. All those who lived in poverty and suffered from game damage saw it as their right to shoot the stag, roe deer or chamois away from the noble hunting lord.

Poachers in the post-war period

After the world wars in particular, many war veterans took their weapons home with them, went into the forest driven by hunger and provided themselves and their families with meat. This resulted in a series of serious clashes between poachers and hunters.

Poacher as a title of honour

Based on this archetypal poacher, who had to feed himself and his family, a "culture of poachers" soon developed. Poaching was seen as proof of courage and a love of adventure. Young lads wanted to prove their fearlessness, boldness, strength and courage to rebel against the authorities. In addition to the poverty of the mountain farmers at the time, the so-called "passion" for hunting and anger at the authorities, there was also the joy of the chamois beard and leather trousers, which symbolically turned someone into a poacher.

"The poacher used to enjoy a high reputation because he was an adventurer who "dared to do something",

said a hunter to the sociologist Dr Roland Girtler. The poachers were particularly popular in the mountain villages. They enjoyed the fame of adventurous, courageous lawbreakers and were regarded as "heroes of the little people". They were celebrated as social rebels; as Robin Hood-style heroes who took the rights that the "high lords" had taken from the "little man".

Stories and songs

The dairymaids also liked the poachers. They offered them variety and passed the time on quiet evenings. In return, the dairymaids provided the poachers with a safe place to stay. Their alpine huts provided a kind of base camp for their expeditions into the cirques and forests.

The poachers of that time are still glorified in songs and stories today. Their stories are told again and again and their hunting successes are celebrated like victories.

Laws and punishments

As glorifying as the stories are, the punishments that caught poachers had to reckon with were severe. Heavy fines and imprisonment were the order of the day. It was not uncommon for instruments of torture to be used. The wooden donkey was particularly common. Displayed in public, the poacher became a laughing stock.

Over time, many decrees and laws were passed to counteract poaching. New hunting regulations were also established. The aim was to combat the evil of poaching at its roots.

The desire to kill

The mere desire to kill wild animals, as it occurs today, contradicts the former poachers' sense of honour. Modern poachers, who blind game with car headlights to make it easy to shoot, or unscrupulously kill lynx in national parks, are often only interested in the trophy. They cannot be compared with the classic poachers of yesteryear. The "classic" poacher is always a huntsman in his relationship with game and thus stands out from predatory shooters, snare setters and car poachers.