Scan Magazine | Business Profile | Jagttegn.net
Photo: Michael Sand
On the prowl for a hunting certificate In Denmark, you must qualify for a hunting certificate (or a ‘jagttegn’) in order to partake in any kind of hunting activity. Obtaining the certificate includes passing both a practical and a theoretical test in order to ensure that you will not cause unnecessary harm to your prey and surroundings. Jagttegn.net provides up-to-date, meticulous and adaptable learning opportunities, including e-learning, to make sure that its clients are properly prepared and respectful of their environment. By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Jagttegn.net
Though it was only set up in 2010, Jagttegn.net has grown to become Denmark’s largest provider of hunting certificate courses, training more than 25 per cent of hunting graduates in Denmark each year. Its founders, Gitte Bugge and her husband Klaus Hartmann, earned their own hunting certificates in the late 2000s. “We went into it almost coincidentally, thinking it was an interesting opportunity to learn an ancient skill, but quickly realised that we loved the outdoor lifestyle. The way you get to spend so much time outside, concentrated on your surroundings, was really lovely. It started off as a hobby, but before long we’d both finished training to become instructors,” Bugge recalls. “We were lucky in that we quickly realised that hunting was becoming a popu114 | Issue 109 | February 2018
lar interest even among ‘normal’ people like us,” Bugge explains. “I think this resurgence is definitely due in part to the new emphasis on living organically, naturally and self-sufficiently, which arose with the New Nordic movement – yes, we are killing animals, but we and our students take the welfare of the animals that we hunt very seriously indeed. We only shoot what will be eaten or to help authorities keep populations healthy. It is much less wasteful and I, for one, would much rather be a wild deer than an intensively farmed chicken or pig today.” Jagttegn.net’s team of experienced instructors covers all of Denmark, and they are all certified by the Danish Nature Agency, Naturstyrelsen, except for their British shooting instructor, who instead trained as part of the national
British shooting team. They have a flexible schedule as well as varied courses and class sizes to allow clients to fit in lessons when it suits them. For the same reason, Jagttegn.net has e-learning options available for the theory part, and students can join safety and shooting lessons when it works for them. Bugge and her team have received excellent feedback, and their students’ pass rates are ten per cent higher than the national average. “I’m really proud that we’ve managed to update the training to the 21st century and love seeing all our different clients pick up this ancient skill.”
Web: www.jagttegn.net Phone: +45 21 81 08 80