Hobby of many politicians

How SPÖ chairman Andreas Babler got into hunting

Andreas Babler in the hunting ground with his hunting dog "Ika"

(Bild: zVg)

Hunting is not exactly the most common hobby in left-wing circles, but there are passionate huntsmen here too. SPÖ leader and top candidate Andreas Babler is one of the tenants of a small hunting ground in the district of Mödling in Lower Austria. The "Krone" asked him about this and asked around to find out which other politicians have a hunting license.

"I did the hunting course as a young boy, at the age of 16," Babler told "Krone". His father, grandfather and uncle were also hunters or field guards in their spare time. The young Babler therefore enjoyed going out into the countryside as a child. "I was always there feeding the game and doing all the hunting grounds work," says the politician, who sees the protection of the diversity of game species, the preservation of habitats and species conservation as formative for his approach. As a six to seven-year-old child, he even wanted to become a forester.

Fellow tenant at a cooperative hunt for 20 years
His passion for hunting accompanied him throughout the rest of his life. However, the SPÖ leader, who otherwise likes to hunt the proverbial rich, emphasizes that he is not one of those wealthy people who own enough land to hunt for themselves. "I've been a tenant on a small cooperative hunt for 20 years. Sometimes I go to a friend's small hunting ground." The hunting ground is a classic small game hunting ground (e.g. pheasant, hare, roe deer).

The young Babler was often in the forest as a child and several hunters come from his family.

(Bild: zVg)

Babler has no use for "elite power networks"
But how does the clichéd image of the middle-class hunter in large hunting grounds, who is after the most prestigious trophies possible, fit in with the representative of a social democratic workers' party? The "Krone" wanted to know. Babler says: "Of course there is the bourgeois and elitist hunting of the wealthy with their huge hunting grounds, their expensive hunting shares and their trophy-oriented hunting approach. But I have no such understanding and have nothing to do with it." He also does not use hunting as a male-dominated power network for mutual favors and favors, says Babler. He is also strongly opposed to any kind of creel hunting.

In general, the Mödling native sees "no contradiction between social democratic politics and the preservation of hunting traditions that respect wildlife". Andreas Babler also has a hunting dog, specifically a Magyar Vizsla bitch called "Ika". He is considered a very good dog handler. He hunts, as he says, "far too rarely", last going stalking in the summer of 2023. On the hotly debated issue of how to deal with wolves, he admits "that the increased presence of wolves in Austria is leading to conflicts of use in some regions, especially in alpine pasture and grazing or hunting and tourism." He calls for a scientific study, as the circumstances in the federal states vary greatly. The financing of measures such as herd protection must be ensured.

Many hunters represented in politics
In addition to Babler, Tyrolean SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer is also a passionate hunter from the Social Democratic camp, as is Franz Schnabl, who stood for the Red Party in the last Lower Austrian elections. Former ministers Hannes Androsch and Rudolf Streicher are also hunters.

However, significantly more representatives can be found in conservative and liberal circles. For example, former Finance Minister Josef Pröll is the state hunting champion of Lower Austria. The current Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer also has a hunting license, as does his wife Katharina. Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig also goes hunting and, as the responsible minister, emphasizes conservation and care as an important component. Among the black members of the National Council, Johannes Schmuckenschlager is a passionate huntsman, as are Upper Austrian Governor Thomas Stelzer and Lower Austrian Provincial Councillor Stephan Pernkopf. EU parliamentarian Lukas Mandl also passed the exam.

In the Freedom Party camp, FPÖ Carinthia leader Erwin Angerer and Upper Austrian deputy leader Manfred Haimbuchner are hunters, as are Lower Austrian deputy governor Udo Landbauer (FPÖ) and Vienna FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp. Among the NEOS, for example, General Secretary Douglas Hoyos should be mentioned; his aristocratic family owns several thousand hectares of land in the Waldviertel.

Three female hunters in the ÖVP government team
However, hunting is not exclusively male: the current federal government includes State Secretary Claudia Plakolm, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler, while the Freedom Party includes Salzburg's Deputy Governor Marlene Svazek. Former ÖVP Minister Elisabeth Köstinger is also involved in hunting.

Hunting is also considered an important network in the business world. Many entrepreneurs like to go stalking. WKO boss Harald Mahrer is a hunter and fisherman himself, and top managers such as Mayr-Melnhof-Karton boss Peter Oswald and Verbund general manager Michael Strugl also enjoy being out in the forest.