The beginnings of Klaus Weisskirchen
As early as 1958, when he was a 14-year-old interested in nature and a budding young hunter, Klaus Weisskirchen became acquainted with the almost 150 years of experience of the Buttolo and Hubertus companies. He quickly learnt the art of producing sounds and animal noises with the available instruments, which delighted his teachers. In 1961, he obtained his first youth hunting licence and became a gamekeeper for a very well-known huntsman at the time.
This huntsman in turn had illustrious guests such as wildlife biologists, deer experts and hunting book authors, whom Klaus was allowed to accompany on hunts. In 2000, he came across an old hunting magazine from 1937 in which a recognised deer expert wrote about bait hunting. He was proud to be able to accompany this experienced expert for a year and learn from him.
What was once taken for granted has often been forgotten today, as have some other old values. Industrialisation and the accompanying changes have also influenced bait hunting. Factors such as recreational pressure, hunting pressure, climate change and the advancing technical possibilities of hunters have changed the behaviour of game.
The first own game calls are created
As game is proving to be ever "smarter", Klaus Weisskirchen felt compelled to break new ground. The old familiar decoys were no longer sufficient for him, so at the turn of the millennium he began to develop and build his own decoys. He used literature and handmade patterns from past centuries as a basis.
He was particularly fascinated by the fact that hunters in the 19th century had no long-range weapons or modern optics. They had to use creative methods to lure the game very close. The thought of how they achieved this occupied Klaus intensively.
The repertoire of decoys now includes 27 different models for a variety of game animals.
Learning from the master
With the development of the lure, more and more hunters were interested in learning and perfecting luring with the Weisskirchen lure. In the years that followed, Klaus travelled all over Europe to pass on his knowledge and improve hunters' skills in using Weisskirchen lures with practical tips.
When developing the game calls, Klaus was already looking for a reliable partner to help him manufacture the wooden parts. Klaus therefore called the Dresden Chamber of Crafts to enquire about resourceful woodwork manufacturers. He chose a wood turnery in Olbernhau, which has been producing the wooden parts ever since. The wooden blanks are then handcrafted into finished game calls in Ilfeld, on the edge of the southern Harz mountains. Here, too, Klaus has passed on his knowledge to ensure that the handmade game calls always sound the same and that consistent quality is guaranteed.
The Weisskirchen brand
Passing on knowledge and preserving traditions is very important to Klaus and to us. That's why we want our shop not only to give you the opportunity to buy a Weisskirchen decoy, but also to provide you with the knowledge you need to get started in the world of decoy hunting.
We have compiled decades of knowledge to provide tips and tricks using audio examples, videos and texts.
So you always have a reference book to hand and can pass on your accumulated knowledge to the next generation of hunters or nature lovers.