Hunting for the European elk,
wild boar, wolf, European brown bear, the cock of the
wood and black grouse, Caucasian tur in the European part
of Russia.
Caucasian tur. Now it is considered
that there are 2 tur subspecies in the Caucasus: Caucasian
tur or West-Caucasian tur (Ñ. caucasica)
and the Dagestan or East-Caucasian tur (Ñ. cylindricornis).
Both species are large goats with the body length of 120-180
cm, height of 78-112 cm, male weight is up to 155 kg (usual1y
of 20-140 kg). Their colour is reddish-grey, but the Dagestan
tur usually has a well-marked dark "belt" on
its back which the Caucasian tur does not have or which
is not so noticeable; These goats differ considerably
in the structure of horns: the Caucasian tur's horns are
arched and their tops are directed downwards and inside.
The Dagestan tur has horns curved in the form of a spiral
and their ends are directed back and upwards. The Caucasian
tur is widespread in the western part of the Main Caucasian
ridge, and the Dagestan - in the eastern part. At the
area of about 400 sq.km., both tours meet together and
quite often form hybrids. Both tours have a very similar
habit of life. The tours live in the rocky areas of the
Alpine belt of mountains and in rocks of a forest belt.
During the year they move within the limits of one ridge
or a mountain spur, but they do not attempt distant movement.
In April - May when spring comes in the mountains, the
turs wintered in the Alpine belt, go down to the top border
of the forest and gather on the sunny slopes. The animals
which spent winter in forests also rise here. As a result,
both populations separated before that get together again.
In June-July most animals gather in the Alpine belt. In
the second half of summer turs are strongly attracted
by the areas where were there are snowfields and glaciers
near which they spend hot time of day. At the end of August
-September some turs, mainly females with young growth,
go down to the top border of the forest where there is
still fresh greenery on damp hollows and shady slopes.
At the end of October or in November, with the appearance
of snow, a group of turs goes down in the forest belt.
The other group rises above, at the wintering places in
the Alpine and subalpine belt and stays at the places
of "blowing" and "warming", whence
the wind blows the snow off or it quickly evaporates under
the sun beams and from the action of the wind. Lacking
mineral salts, turs willingly visit man-made saline soil
and cover a distance of 15-20 km to get it. In autumn,
winter and early spring turs graze in the daylight hours.
In summer they bed for daylight hours, from 9-10 o'clock
in the morning to 3-4 o'clock in the afternoon bedding.
It is very difficult to approach turs, especially a big
herd. Constantly one or a few animals become alerted,
raise their head, and at occurrence of the slightest danger
whistle sharply and thus give an alarm signal. Turs have
a perfectly developed sight, and they notice a man at
a very good distance, though usually they do not show
anxiety until they see danger. But as soon as the man
disappears in a gorge or behind a ridge turs quickly leave
the place. Turs also have a very well developed sense
of smell: they catch smell of the man at a distance of
several hundreds meters.
European brown bear. Bear hunting "at oats"
has a centuries-old tradition and has been practised till
now. In the end of summer and in the early autumn on the
fields of the European part of Russia oats ripen and bears,
and as well as wild boars, do not miss an opportunity
to regale themselves on sweet grains. For the purposes
of hunting at a roadside of such oat fields a "corn
chandler's shop" is built (as a rule, it is the closed
cabin made from boards, with one or two windows and which
is set between trees at a height of 3-6 meters for placing
one person or two people). One can well see almost the
whole oat field from the cabin. Oats in these places is
usually undersized, hardly above a knee. The hunter bypasses
such fields before hunting and searches for the evidence
of animal presence: imprints of paws, dung, the trampled
down oats with characteristic bear "twisting"
and with sucked panicles of stalks. At the places where
there is the most active leaving, the hunter sits down
on the "corn chandler's shop" in an ambush in
two hours before the sunset. A bear comes out on the field
with the twilight, listening attentively and sniffing
around the territory. Its coal black body is perfectly
seen against the background of light oats. It goes about
ten meters deep into the field and starts eating. At some
moments it goes more quickly passing the "bald patches",
at other moments it goes more slowly, sometimes it stops
and turns
at the place, eating oats. The bear often stops eating,
lifts its head, and even rises on hinder legs ("on
hind legs "), sniffing and listening. There are cases
when the bear without any preparation movements, without
lifting its head, suddenly jumps high upwards and sideways,
and in swift, long jumps overcomes the open space and
disappears in bushes. It once again proves the truth that
the animal is an animal, and hunting is hunting, and it
is impossible to predict its result it in advance. Therefore
the hunter should be very attentive, sit very quietly
and be ready at any moment to fire a shot at a place.
Wild boar. It is considered that the wild boar
stands apart other ungulate animals of the Russian fauna
both by its habit of life and aggressive character. This
animal is included as the third or the second number in
the symbolical "the great three" trophy animals
of Russia, i.e. a bear, an elk, a wild boar. Now scientists
recognize 26-28 subspecies. In the huge territory of Russia
there are five of them. They differ from each other in
some details of a skull structure, the average size, the
prevailing type of colour and other minor characteristics.
The Central European wild boar lives in the western and
central parts of the European Russia. He is not large,
of homogeneous, dark or dark grey colour. The average
weight of adult males is 54-77 kg., the maximum weight
is between 150-230 kg. The main weapon of the adult male
is fangs. They are long and sharp in the lower jaw and
short and thick in upper jaw. Male's fangs start growing
from the first year of its life, and by the time it is
three years old they are already well developed. The stomach
teeth have trihedral section and are scimitar-shape, old
boars might have the protruded part of the jaw from 10
to12 cm long. Many people have heard about enormously
big boars, fights with which not always end in hunter's
favour. Mixed and deciduous forests, preferably with oak
in the main storey are the main habitats of the wild boar
in the European part of Russia. In addition wild boars
like to stay in lowland, in riverside thickets and reeds
where the ground is particularly soft. Animals can go
far enough on feeding from the place of day's rest. Solitary
male boars go far enough, leaving for 4-8 km. They have
hunted for the wild boar from the earliest times and a
lot of ways of hunting have been mastered for a long historical
period. At present the best known and popular ways of
hunting for this animal are the following: bringing to
bay, waylaying on feeding, from the approach, or "hiding",
with dogs. An adult wild boar is a wonderful, enviable
trophy both as memory of the fact of getting it and because
of its fangs which are the main characteristics of the
size and strength of the gained animal.
European elk. The elk as the object of hunting
is extremely interesting, and first of all because it
is the largest representative of deer who live nowadays
on the Earth. Though it is a deer according to all systematic
characteristics it differs significantly from the usual
appearance of the deer. The elk is quite widespread, at
present its natural habitat in the Old and New World is
so big that it does not go in any comparison with the
natural habitat of other deer. The elk which lives in
Eurasia and the one in American continent belong to the
species of Alces alces, and there are seven subspecies.
European elk. It is widespread in Europe, in the Urals,
in Western Siberia (up to Yenisei) and in the Altai. East
Siberian or Yakut elk. It is common in Siberia, to the
east from the Yenisei, except for Priamurye and Primorsky
Region, in the north of Mongolia. Its natural habitat
the elk populates quite unevenly. In Russia the European
elk has the biggest habitat. The occupied territory amounts
about 2/3 of the overall elk habitat in Russia. These
subspecies are represented by the individuals of average
and quite large size. The body length of elk is up to
270 cm., height at the shoulder is up to 216cm., and weight
is up to 500kg; it can be more as the exception. As a
rule, antlers sometimes have a very well developed shovel
and reach 135cm in spread and the skull weight of 20kg.
(without a skull). The East Siberian elk is larger than
the European subspecies. The body length reaches 300cm.,
sometimes even more, height at the shoulder is up to 240cm.,
weight is up to 570kg. However, there are exceptions to
the rules, there are individuals with the weight of 655kg
and 728 kg. Antlers are quite big and massive. As a rule,
they have a form of a big and wide shovel with great number
of short peripheral prongs. Their spread reaches 160cm.
A burr circle is up to 42cm. As among other deer, elk
antlers are considered to be the main quality characteristics
of a trophy. Elk antlers are extremely changeable and
vary in form.
They distinguish three main types: the first type includes
paliform antlers with numerous peripheral prongs on the
shovel, with the exception for the the side directed inside,
i.e. to the head and neck. Shovels of antlers can be very
wide, sometimes up to 60cm. More often prongs are turned
upwards, as though they are extending the curved figure
which is formed with a shovel. The whole antler looks
monolithic, without division into sections. - the second
type also has a wide shovel, but in this case it is noticeably
divided into two sectons: the smaller one is front with
the vigorous prong doubled at the end, and a big one which
is back, separated from the front section by the deep
narrowing. In other characteristics antlers of the second
type are similar to those of the first type. - the third
type - antlers differ significantly from from the first
two first by the absence of shovel. This type is called
deer. Their shove is not formed, sometimes it can be seen
only in rudiments. Short and thick beams branch quite
symmetrically in the horizontal plane, forming the prongs
directed forward, sideways and to the back and are slightly
turned up. On the whole they look small and light. During
the development of trophy hunting in Russia two ways of
hunting, which meet most of the selectivity requirements,
were picked out: bringing to bay and "on groan"
during the rut. Beyond question hunting for elks during
the rut can be considered the most trophy.
Wolf hunting.
Wolf hunting requires preliminary observation for a long
time. Hunters circle wolves after their finding with flags.
As a rule, wolves do not run outside their limits and
when beaters raise them, go along the flag and face on
hunters- shooters.
Cock of the wood and black grouse.
Perhaps there isn't a bird about which there are so many
rumours and legends, as about the Cock of the wood. Partly
these rumours have grounds. During mating strong cocks
can attack foxes, wolves, and... even people, putting
them to flight. "The highest mind" won't leave
without wounds and bruises. Films are made about all that.
Weight of cocks usually varies within 3.5 - 7 kg., and
the last weight can already be considered as great luck.
Black-billed capercaillie. It is a Far East species. It
is smaller, (except for a tail) more slender and... it
is not deaf at all so hunting for it in a traditional
spring way loses its sense. Cocks loftily and sedately
walk before each other and... do not go into action. The
biggest cock got in this region weighed 7kg.
Travel duration is:
7 days (Moscow/Moscow) 5 days of hunting.
Regions of hunting are:
Tver, Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Novgorod Region, Kareliya,
North Ossetia, Krasnodar Territory;
Accommodation:
hunting camps, guest hunting houses, rural log huts..
Travel route:
travel by motor transport, either by plane or by train
from Moscow to the nearest hunting place, station or the
airport. Then you go by motor transport to the hunting
place;
Additional charges:
tickets Moscow -local airport/station - Moscow; Hotels
are paid according to the fact; Additional service is
paid according to the fact;
