Overview

• Bavaria’s cabinet approved Eckpunkte to revise the Jagdgesetz, adding wolf and golden jackal to the state’s hunting law and signaling Berlin to align federal rules with looser EU protections.
• The reform pivots deer management to a green–red regime set by a Forstliches Gutachten; green areas can forgo formal cull plans with documented annual forest walks, while red areas require hunting concepts and a legally anchored kill record, with the next assessment due in 2027.
• Hunting seasons shift earlier: yearling does and bucks may be hunted from April 16, with kids and does from September 1; seasons end October 15 for bucks and January 15 for kids, does and yearlings.
• The Economic Ministry was tasked to draft the bill, as reactions split stakeholders, with Bund Naturschutz warning of weaker forest protection and farmers’ groups calling the agreement a breakthrough.
• In Brandenburg, Minister Hanka Mittelstädt plans to place the wolf in the hunting law by late 2025 or early 2026 after a stakeholder forum, leaving any quota or area‑based limits undecided and moving to replace a state secretary over controversial remarks.