JAGD & HUND impresses visitors and exhibitors with its unique variety of products and events

Europe’s largest hunting show leaves people highly satisfied – and looking forward to 2026

After six varied and exciting days, JAGD & HUND drew to a close on Sunday evening (2 February). This year’s JAGD & HUND audience was treated over 700 exhibitors from 36 different countries. There was also an extensive supporting programme, exciting competitions, culinary highlights and plenty of hands-on opportunities to join in and try things out. What’s more, the large number of international associations represented at the trade fair once again made it an important platform for dialogue on hunting policy. The result was over 90% satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors, all of whom already have firm plans to attend JAGD & HUND 2026.

Dortmund, 4 February 2025 – In addition to all this good news, there was also an increase in visitor numbers. Sabine Loos, Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe which owns and operates the Messe Dortmund venue, can’t help but look back on the show with satisfaction: “We’ve shown once again this year that Dortmund in January is THE meeting place for the international hunting and outdoor community.  This is proven not only by the many visitors from all federal states – above all from Lower Saxony, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. But also by the fact that again around 10% of this year’s guests were from abroad. Once again, we’ve been able to offer visitors not just a unique variety of products, but also a great deal of added value – from exclusive exhibition offers and shopping zones to exciting show events, competitions and culinary highlights, not to mention an incredible variety of expert knowledge which was available to all at the show in the form of everything from dog breed demonstrations and interesting on-stage presentations to reports on the work being done by associations and our brand new masterclasses. Ultimately, it’s this mix that’s made JAGD & HUND a real recipe for success, and yet we’re continuing to work on it in order to honour the loyalty the community has shown us again this year. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2026.”

Grand opening
The opening event on Day 1 of the show was attended by high-ranking personalities in the industry and in the world of political decision-making, whose presence served to emphasise the importance of JAGD & HUND. The keynote address was given by Dr Martin Berges, Permanent Secretary at the North Rhine Westphalia State Ministry of Agriculture & Consumer Protection. “Hunters make important contributions to efforts aimed at creating healthy, diverse game populations and the protection of our forests,” he emphasised on the main stage in Hall 4. “It is therefore important that hunters, anglers and nature lovers continue to feel at home here in North Rhine Westphalia, and that we give them a good overall framework within which to operate. We want to support the hunting community and our forest owners with a view to finding solutions together. Good communication is key to this, because dialogue is the only way to keep on working on current issues and create good prospects.”

Nicole Heitzig, President of the State Hunting Association of North Rhine Westphalia, gave the opening speech as usual, with words of welcome also coming from Karl Walch, President of the Working Gundog Association, and Norbert Schilff, Mayor of Dortmund. International association representatives Dr Steffen Koch, Head of the German delegation of the CIC – International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation – and Laurens Hoedemaker, President of FACE – Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU –  also spoke.

Sabine Loos was also delighted to welcome high-ranking personalities from Africa who had made their way to Dortmund. As last year, these included Isaac Theophilus, CEO of the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association, accompanied by James Tebogo from the NCONGO (Ngamiland Council Of Non-Governmental Organisations) as well as Tinashe Farawo, press spokesman of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks). John-Thomas Dipowe, Ambassador of Botswana, Zimbabwean Ambassador Alice Mashingaize and Udo Wolters, the Honorary Consul of Namibia, travelled from Berlin.

James Tebogo and Isaac Theophilus spent several days at the show, saying: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the organizers of the JAGD & HUND 2025 for their exceptional hospitality as we proudly represent Botswana. We also recognize the presence of the Ambassadors of Botswana and Zimbabwe in Germany, whose participation underscores our shared commitment to enhancing conservation efforts along the KAZA corridors. As Botswana’s representatives, we recognize the importance of promoting sustainable wildlife management. Our presence signifies a chance to engage with European hunting outfitters and conservationists, showcasing Botswana’s extraordinary wildlife. This trip is crucial for building networks with the European market. We also aim to address misconceptions about Botswana’s regulated trophy hunting practices. We aim to promote sustainable wildlife practices in Botswana, ensuring that hunting revenues support local communities through community trusts. This funding improves the quality of life while preserving our country’s rich biodiversity.”

Satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors
As last year, around 30% of the 700+ exhibitors were from abroad – representing 36 countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Austria and Poland as well as the US, the Middle East and Africa. Around 93% of exhibitors said during the show that they would take part in JAGD & HUND again.

An initial evaluation of the visitor survey showed a high level of satisfaction here too, with 90.2% of visitors – a similar number to last year’s 91.5% – saying they intended to come back next year.

New informative offerings well received by visitors
The informative supporting programme at JAGD & HUND had been joined this year by the new Masterclasses powered by Geartester. A total of 16 different informative events featuring top speakers took place in the congress centre right next to the exhibition halls. Topics such as ‘Precise wild animal examination in 6 steps’ (Rebecka Schulz), ‘First aid for gundogs’ (Wiebke Obst), ‘Getting better with the shotgun’ (Markus Gemeinder), ‘Night hunting – hunting with night sights and thermal imaging equipment’ (Eike Mross) and ‘Gun safety’ (Reiner Schemel) proved especially popular.

Live training was also on offer at the new butchery showcase at the Friedr. Dick stand in Hall 5. The various demonstrations on topics such as ‘Professional cutting and sausage processing’ and ‘Cleaning, hygiene and cleanliness’ attracted so many visitors that at times it was nearly impossible to get through the stand.

Competitions
The ‘European Hunting Photo of the Year 2024‘ competition was also a first. Avid hunting and nature photographers had been able to submit their photos in four categories during the run-up to the show, and the finalists were even allowed to present their work to show-goers in the interconnecting covered way leading to the North Entrance complex. The winners were Felix Klein-Bösing (Big Game Hunting category, awarded in absentia), Cordula Kramer (Small Game Hunting category), Sophie Linckersdorff (Portraits category, awarded in absentia) and Evamarie Hillmann (Game Utilisation & Food category). They received their awards on the main stage in Hall 4 on Tuesday afternoon from Messe Dortmund Managing Director Sabine Loos, FACE President Laurens Hoedemaker and Kathrin Puelacher from sponsor Swarovski Optik. The awards came with high-quality prizes from Swarovski and a calendar containing the best entries to the photo competition, which visitors to JAGD & HUND were also able to purchase in the North Entrance complex during the show. The audience award – show-goers were also able to vote on the finalist photos on display – went to Finn Bienias.

The German Deer Calling Championship, held this year for the 26^th time, is already a tradition in its own right. As ever, it proved to be one of the big crowd pullers, and, as in previous years, one man emerged from the competition as the resplendent winner, with Fabian Menzel from Bavaria winning the championship for the fifth time. Remarkably, runner-up Thomas Soltwedel from Mecklenburg & Western Pomerania and third-placed Jerome Böhm from Lower Saxony also managed to defend their titles, and all three will now be travelling to the European Championships in Lithuania this October. The championship is organised in collaboration with WILD UND HUND magazine published by Paul Parey Zeitschriftenverlag.

Two other contests were back again this year after their débuts in 2024. The deer callers were followed on Friday afternoon by the ‘Luring Championship – Small Game Calling Contest‘ organised in conjunction with hunting magazine ‘Unsere Jagd – Im Revier zuhause‘ published by Deutscher Landwirtschaftsverlag and the OVIS hunting store. The winners were Benedikt Triptrap (category: Crow), Julian Lewis (category: Fox), Cris Neumann (category: Grey Goose) and Manuel Guminga (category: Duck). At the KIDZ FIEP World Championships organised by Hunt on Demand on the HORRIDO stage, Carl Friedrich, Matthias and Noah were delighted to take Places 1, 2 and 3.

Last but not least, exhibitors in the KNIFE ZONE in Hall 5 had the opportunity to apply for this year’s Knife Award. The winners were honoured on Saturday afternoon, with first place going to Forgeworks and its ‘Indomitor Swedge’ model, second place going to the UG Tools TiNy with a Damascus blade from Utsch und Gierse Tools GmbH and third place going the GT-01 (Extreme Version) from Manufaktur Solinger Kotten UG.

Great satisfaction among associations
What would JAGD & HUND be without the support of the many associations in attendance at the show? First and foremost, of course, the two conceptual partners of the show, the State Hunting Association of North Rhine Westphalia (LJV) and the Working Gundog Association (JGHV) which attracted visitors not just to their own stands but also with an informative supporting programme on-stage in Hall 4, the event area in Hall 3 and the Young Hunters’ stage at the LJV stand. As every year, numerous other associations were also involved. Members were all very satisfied with the six days, with LJV President Nicole Heitzig summing up the final day of the show, saying: “JAGD & HUND 2025 was a great event for our team from LJV NRW with great encounters and lots of fun. The good mood among the show-goers was very evident, with many joining our like-minded community then and there. I was particularly delighted with the ‘wild living room’ created by the Young Hunters, and with the motivation shown by the 250 stand helpers and the LJV team. We’re already looking forward to JAGD & HUND 2026.”

Friedhelm Röttgen, Vice President of the Working Gundog Association, told us: “We regard JAGD & HUND as an essential part of our association’s work. Our recognised breeding clubs have  the opportunity to present their gundogs to the public as ‘family dogs with careers’. We also very much  welcome the new edition of the ‘WuH-Kids show rally’ as we’re delighted to welcome both two and four-legged offspring. Happy to return.”

Despite the hunters’ demonstration in Hanover on 30 January, which took place at the same time as the show, the German Hunting Association was also present with a stand at JAGD & HUND. Subsequently, President Helmut Dammann-Tamke was especially concerned about one thing: “I especially want to thank the JAGD & HUND show and the State Hunting Association of North Rhine Westphalia as conceptual sponsor for their great support in terms of the large-scale demonstration in Hanover. The German Hunting Association regards the show as a key meeting place for the industry – for dialogue with a wide range of partners in the worlds of business, associations and political decision-making.”

The German Bowhunting Association (DBJV) was also thoroughly up-beat about its appearance at the show. Numerous hunters and trade visitors showed great interest in bowhunting as a useful addition to modern hunting operations. “The outstanding response shows that bowhunting is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable and humane form of hunting. What was particularly impressive was the openness of the hunting community to take an in-depth look at the possibilities and advantages of this traditional hunting method,” said Christian Weiken, Head of Trade Shows & International Collaboration at the German Bowhunting Association. “Many visitors recognised that bowhunting can be a valuable addition in certain hunting situations – especially in sensitive areas such as hunting near residential areas and settlements, and for selective regulation of game populations.”

Fundraising campaigns for animal rescue and the environment
“Every shot a hit!”: Visitors were able to demonstrate their marksmanship once again this year at the shooting range of hunting and ammunition manufacturer RWS GmbH. A sum of EUR 4,600 was raised for the NRW Wildlife & Biotope Protection Foundation. The cheque was presented by Rolf Knäpper (RWS GmbH) to Nicole Heitzig, President of the State Hunting Association of North Rhine Westphalia and Chairwoman of the Foundation. The ‘Schieß die Sau’ hog-shoot at the stand of ‘wild butcher’ Conny Baierl at the WILD FOOD FESTIVAL in the Westfalenhalle was equally successful, giving whole new meaning to the expression ‘a game of darts’. On the final day of the show, Conrad Baierl, Sven Gerdhenrichs from L & S Wild GbR, Tobias Wagner from the German Hunting Association’s ‘Wild auf Wild‘ (Game for Game) initiative, and others handed over a donation of EUR 6,000 to Nicole Heitzig, Executive Director of the wildlife rescue organisation.

New date now revealed
When one show closes, the run-up to the next one gets underway. The dates of the next JAGD & HUND have now been published, with Dortmund’s exhibition halls once again set to be the centre of attraction for all hunting, country pursuit, outdoor adventure and dog enthusiasts between 27 January and 1 February 2026.  And this much can now be revealed: the first space bookings for JAGD & HUND 2026 are already in!

>>> Click here once again for the curtain-up report on JAGD & HUND 2025 containing detailed information on the programme line-up and the highlights of the show.

>>> Find out more about waht exhibitors at JAGD & HUND hat to say in the appendix.

 EXHIBITION AT A GLANCE 

JAGD & HUND – EUROPE’S LARGEST HUNTING EXHIBITION
Once a year, Europe’s largest hunting exhibition JAGD & HUND opens its doors to the public, offering hunting and nature enthusiasts a universe of hunting-related opportunities at Dortmund Exhibition Centre’s superb indoor and outdoor facilities. As well as showcasing a comprehensive range of products, the fair is also characterised by a varied supporting programme which makes JAGD & HUND very special, turning it into a unique shopping and leisure experience for people of all ages. Meanwhile, the tandem culinary WILD FOOD FESTIVAL gives visitors the opportunity to meet professional, TV and celebrity chefs revealing modern, tasty and varied ways to prepare game dishes. For anyone looking to experience a unique mix of modern hunting practice and cultural tradition at first hand, JAGD & HUND is surely the place to be.