--- title: Poaching story url: "https://www.360alpenland.com/en/wildererweg/poacher-in-pyhrn-priel/poaching-story.html" image: "https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/user_upload/360alpenland/Logos/360Alpenland-Logo.png" date: 2026-03-02 modified: 2026-03-02 --- # Poaching story ![Ruin on the Mayralm on the Wildererweg](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/5/f/csm_wildererweg_geschichte_mayralmruine_da8e4c1cfe.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Daniel Hinterramskogler | Ruin on the Mayralm on the Wildererweg trail") ![Ruin on the Mayralm on the Wildererweg](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/5/f/csm_wildererweg_geschichte_mayralmruine_b1db548ad6.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Daniel Hinterramskogler | Ruin on the Mayralm on the Wildererweg trail") Poaching story Poachers' Trail Pyhrn-Priel ============================================= © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Daniel Hinterramskogler | Ruin on the Mayralm on the Wildererweg trail Close copyright Poacher history & myth -------------------------- *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. ![Hunting scene from the Middle Ages](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/3/6/csm_Jagdszene_Mittelalter_0e3549a85a.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Hunting scene from the Middle Ages") Hunting scene from the Middle Ages © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Hunting scene from the Middle Ages Close copyright © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Engraving after the original painting by August Diessenbacher Close copyright ![Engraving after the original painting by August Diessenbacher](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/8/3/csm_Stich_nach_Originalgem%C3%A4lde_bcc34c166e.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Engraving after the original painting by August Diessenbacher") ![Noble hunting party in the Bodinggraben in 1907](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/d/d/csm_Jagdgesellschaft_79f831fdaa.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Noble hunting party in the Bodinggraben in 1907") Noble hunting party in the Bodinggraben in 1907 © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Noble hunting party in the Bodinggraben in 1907 Close copyright ![Hunting party in former times](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/5/6/csm_Gesellschaft_9d37c20e9f.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | former hunting party") Poaching society © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | former hunting party Close copyright 1. 2. © Open copyright © Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Party by Johann Fahrnberger Close copyright ![Party by Johann Fahrnberger](https://www.360alpenland.com/fileadmin/_processed_/5/7/csm_Parte_Fahrnberger_b71ae8f011.jpg "Photo: TVB Pyhrn-Priel/Archive | Party by Johann Fahrnberger") 1923 - 2 deaths & many questions ------------------------------------ In 1923, poachers encountered a group of hunters and policemen near the Mayralm. The hunter **Vinzenz Hobel** and the poacher **Johann Farnberger** were killed in an exchange of gunfire. The course of events and the perpetrators are still unclear today. ### **More about the Mayralm shooting** **You can hike along historical trails and visit the original sites ...**