Our stringer Yuri Morozov took the interview from one of the most famous hunters in the world - Bela Hidvegi. He is Hungarian. We present you this interview.
The world famous hunter and businessman Bela Hidvegi was born in 1936 in the small town Nagyszenas, Hungary. The was a student of the Agricultural Academy in Keszthely when transferred and continued his study in England in 1956. He graduated as the specialist in the food industry and stayed to work abroad.
At the beginning of 70s he became the marketing director in the well-known American food company.
He lived in England when got acquaintance with the legendary gunsmiths and began to have his own weapon collection. At that time he also began to hunt in other places. The first countries, where he hunted except Hungary and Great Britain, became other European countries such as Spain, Austria, Chezh Republic and Romania.
At 90s he traveled to his first African safari and fell in love with the Black continent. He still hunts there every year or even twice. His favorite hunting species are screw-horned antelopes. Hidvegi hunted in the savannahs of Tanzania, mountain desert of Ethiopia, in the Zambezi estuary, in dry and rainy forests of Central Africa and Kameron, on the grass valleys and in the Bush of the South Africa and in Zambia’s swamps.
After Africa he went to conquer the north. His hunting way passed by Alaska to Brooks Range, by the endless wild space of the north and Rocky Mountains in the North America.
After visiting Pamirs and Altay from Mongolian side he opened Asia later. He hunted in Pakistan in the Hindu Kush and Karakorum mountains and spent two months in Himalaya. Then Iran.
In the mid of 80s he came back to Hungary and brought the colossal collection of hunting trophies. He gave is as a gift to the Natural history Museum of Hungary, exhibited in the castle-museum Gelikon in Keszthely.
That fantastic collection consists of hundreds of trophies and about 200 of them were taken not in Europe. Two trophies are still the world records and 25 are from the TOP 10 according the SCI Record Book. The collection presents the wildlife of all six continents. About 150 specimen made in the original size. They are shown in the habitat.
In 2007 he was awarded the most prestige Hunting Awards - WorldHuntingAwardRingSCI, in 2009 he won the prestigious “Triple Slam award” of the OVIS club. He is most proud of this award, because only the hunter, who won other three slams - GrandSlam, OvisWorldSlamи CapraWorldSlam, can get it. Nowadays only four European hunters have this Award. He was the laureate of the Carlo Caldesii award twice. That prize means a lot for all mountain hunters.
Hidvegi wrote and published three books: “Dream hunting”, “ The hunter on the top” and “ One the edge of the rock” He also made three DVD movies: "My dream", "My mountain hunting", and the documentary "From nature to the Museum".
The name Bela Hidvegi is inextricably linked with the Hungary SCI division and with the Hungarian hunting magazine Nimrod.
“The Magic of the Real Safari”: Bela will you allow to ask you some questions...
Bela Hidvegi: Sure. It’ll be a pleasure but you are clearly exaggerate my hunting glory.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Traditional question: When and why did you become the hunter?
B.H.: I can hardly reply this “traditional” question. I’m really proud that set foot on African soil for the first time when I was 50. It was my first hunting experience outside of Europe. Can you imagine that? The biggest trophies I had before were chamois from Austria and Romania. That's all! Most of the people began to hunt when they were about 18-20 years old. Nowadays they are kids of the rich parents who early have big money. I had to work hard to allow myself that fantastic world of impressions and emotions, victories and failures. I still regret that made a mistake and didn’t start to hunt in Africa in 10 years earlier. I was 40 when could hunt there but thought my business needed my presence and stayed on place and worked hard. Thus, my real hunting career started at 50.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Thirty years have passed and you got the great collection of hunting trophies...
B.H.: Yes, I can say with some pride that I have got more than 270 species, including the rare and exotic ones. Twenty five of them are from TOP 10 according the SCI Record Book. But most of all I proud my mountain trophies. I was lucky to get enough trophies to get the most prestige OVIS awards - VISSuper30 and CapraSuper30.
I'm fond of hunting in Africa. There are some not usual African species which are rare now: the mountain Nyala, Lord Derby's Iland, an elephant with over 100 pounds tusks , hunted in the wild. Africa now isn’t so wild as it has been. There are many ranches with corraled territories. It’s not my hunting. I love it for real emotions, you feel when hunting in the jungles for... the screw- horns antelopes. I consider those animals with spiral horns to be the aesthetic perfection among the natural forms. I have 25 species and 22 subspecies of them. I wrote a book and one of the main chapters is devoted to them.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What can you say about mountain hunts?
B.H.: I learned about mountain hunting in 70s. We lived in Austrian and I hunted for chamois and ibexes. Later I came back to England and the friend of mine was going to hunt for Marco Polo and then to hunt in Mongolia. I joined him. I was drawn to the mountains like a magnet after that trip. I was charmed by mountains ungulates. Telling the truth, I still went on to hunt in Africa and even finished DiamondLevelпо by SCI system.
The main thing, I like in antelopes and mountain ungulates, are their horns. As told above, I’m not indifferent to the spiral horns and markhors are my favorite ones. I have all three species which can be legally hunted but now the forth one has appeared - the Bukharan markhor. I hope to get it in the next year. But this is the expensive hunt and I must not forget about my age. I haven’t been in the mountains expeditions for a year or two and not sure how I’ll feel myself. But I love these screw-wrapped horns! That's the reason why I like Eland, Bongo, mountain Nyala...
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What from the mountains hunts was the hardest one?
B.H.: I think it was my hunt for the Blue sheep and Tahr in Nepal. And of course Caucasus. It was tough but I like such hunting though we had a rough time there. It was the most memorable hunting expedition, I took part in. I got there all my three turs.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What of the mountains hunts did you like most of all?
B.H.: It’s so easy to reply this question as ask the parents of five kids, whom do they love more. But I prefer markhors. About 14 years ago I got my first hunting license for the Astor markhor. The hunting for this species was prohibited for thirty years. There were about 30 individuals of these animals when the hunt was closed. Can you imagine that? Its population grew enough during all these years. I received the first license but met just small size males when we arrived there for hunting. Now there are trophies with 40 inches horns. My trophy was about 29 inches. But its’ no matter. We didn’t have good optics that time. The male was in 400 meters from me and I couldn’t understand what place I’ll hit it. The crosshairs obscured the target. The Shot! The guide told, the bullet flew above the animal's back. That's all The hunt was over! I had to wait one year and to pound the pavement the North Pakistan authority to get one more chance to hunt there. Just imagine: 15 state officers sat on the floor and discussed, was I worthy to get one more chance to hunt without extra payment or not. The final vote decided the case in my favor - the most part of the officers agreed that I was a good guy and was worthy to get one more chance. In the next year, It was 2001, I got the biggest trophy at that moment. It happened thank to the preliminary scouting. But the adventures were not over. The hunt was just finished when my guide came and said that he got a call from Khan Karakay. He asked me not to leave because the war in Iraq began, the Americans canceled all hunts and I had the opportunity to get the Kashmir markhor for a half price. My guides Riza and Mehmet helped me to take the trophy of the Kashmir Markhor . We just descended when Khan called once again and offered to stay for the Sulaiman Markhor hunting with the same conditions. Thus, I took two markhors for the price of one.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What are you plans?
B.H.: Plans.... I’ll be 79 in the next year and not ready for the serious hunting adventures. But I have one goal concerning mountain hunting. I’ve wanted to get all trophies for the Triple Slam, then have dreamed about Super20, Super30 and now I have 31 sheep and 32 goats. It seems that there is nothing more to dream about. But! One more dream was born. I won’t talk about in now. First I’ll try to make it true. Your magazine will be the first one whom I’ll tell about it. If I don’t do it no one will tell that I divided the skin of an unkilled "bear".
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Thank you for the interview and Good luck!
B.H.: Thank you! Good luck for your magazine and your readers!
