Okay, as this may cause some debate I will translate this article in full.
Translation of article in Billed Bladet #1, 2012.
I lære some jæger - Apprentice hunter.
Written by Ken Richter.
Crown Prince Frederik can look forward to having a permanent hunting buddy in the future. The new hunter is his own son - six years old Prince Christian. The little chap has in the past couple of years been allowed to sniff at what it means to be a hunter. Prince Christian has attended game parades, where his parents have told him about the dead animals.
Now Prince Christian has also tried to attend a hunt. That happened at Frijsenborg Slot (manor), near Hammel (small town), where the Crown Prince Frederik between Christmas and New Year went pheasant hunting at fief-count Bendt Wedell's.
After some quiet Christmas days at Marselisborg Slot Frederik drove early in the morning to the hunt at Frijsenborg and later in the forenoon Crown Princess Mary also drove out to the manor together with Prince Christian and Princess Isabella. Here mother and children had a cosy time with fief-count Bendt Wedell's wife Pernille and their two boys, Tido and Hannibal.
In the middle of the afternoon an excursion to the hunt was arranged, which at that time had reached a hunting-ground at a sunny field close to restaurant Pøt Mølle in Frijsenborg Forest.
Here each hunter was allocated a post, from where they could shoot the pheasants that were scared up by the clappers who makes the pheasants take off. Together with his mother, who held Isabella's hand, Christian stood close to his father and each time the Crown Prince Frederik hit a pheasant which fell to the ground, the little Prince ran all he could to the dead bird and picked it up.
One single time Prince Christian stopped at a pheasant, which he carefully poked and at once the bird woke up and flapped the wings and flew away.
After half an hour of hunting Prince Christian had picked up five-six pheasants which he proudly and with fresh red cheeks carried across the field and over to the car where the prey from the hunt was collected. Then it was back home with mother, while dad continued with the days hunt until the sun went down.
- Okay, over the years I've known Ken Richter to be a journalist who reports what he sees, no more, no less. So I believe thing happened as he decribed it in his article.
I have no qualms about hunting, I consider that a necessity. Nor do I have a problem with children attending a hunt. Children have attended hunts since we climbed down from the trees and meat don't grow in super markets.
However, I have two problems with this.
When hunting fowl each hunter is allocated a field of fire. You shoot high and as the birds are flying over you. Simply to avoid danger to the clappers and retrieving dogs in front of you and also the hunters next to you. Preferably the birds drop behind you.
I
do not like it when children age six run around at a hunt, even if it's behind the firing line, in full view of the parents! You let the dogs pick up the birds or you walk yourself with your child to the bird that has dropped and pick it up together. Period!
Children that age don't think. If a bird drops in front of Frederik Christian might just as well dart out to retrieve that bird. - It only takes an eager fool or someone who accidentally discharge his shotgun on the way up, and.....
The other problem I have is with birds that are not killed outright. Most birds are stunned or preferably shock-killed at once, but in case they are not, (that happens to even the best shot) you don't leave it to a child to deal with a shot and flapping bird. A child who is a couple of years older than Christian can ring the neck of a pheasant, but not an inexperieced six years old.
I know, I know, Frederik is no worse than so many other hunters who introduce their children to hunting, but I don't think he handled this well at all.
This a a Google view over Frijsenborg Manor, the restaurant Pøt Mølle and parts of Frijsenborg Wood (Hammel Skov), nearest to Pøt Mølle:
Frijsenborg Slot & Pøt Mølle restaurant & Hammel town - Kopi.JPG - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage
. Looks like they all had a great time.
The twins are so big now. All that padding!
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