Not precisely referrng to this (my) specific example, but i like the following abstract by Gerhard Grosse Loescher ...
The hirschfanger was the main weapon for the royal hunt and for foresters. In the electorate Hanover George III. introduced two models of hirschfanger by royal decree. High-ranking hunting or forestry officials were provided with a hirschfanger with white ivory grip and prominent crossguard without clamshell (ill. 1). Lower ranking officials were prescribed a hirschfanger with wire-wrapped staghorn grip and crossguard with curved quillons (ill. 2). An unusual feature of both models is the collar on the quillon block which fits over the throat of the scabbard and is supposed to protect the blade from moisture. Both models remained the service hirschfangers to be worn with uniform until the abolition of the kingdom of Hanover in 1866. For full dress, the weapon was suspended from an embroidered hanger, for normal service it was attached to a fixture on the black leather waist belt (Leibkoppel). In the middle of the 19(th) century both models became smaller and more delicate. Apart from the regulation hirschfanger model, so-called 'couteaux de chasse' were also carried during service. These were short, knife-like sidearms incorporating elements from the hilt of the hirschfanger. The heraldic depictions on the blade: royal crown and Saxon horse running on pasture above the wolfsangel, support its attribution to Hanover. 'Couteaux' were recorded in connection with the Hanoverian royal hunt in 1855. The head of the administration of the Hanoverian forest, Heinrich Burckhardt, used the term 'couteau' and it can be assumed that apart from the official hirschfanger models, knife-like sidearms were used for hunting and forestry. Their design was not regulated but their hilt often incorporated elements of the official models (quillon, pommel, scabbard mounts etc.).
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