The sunny morning again! It was like summer weather and even with mosquitoes. Everything looked so easy.
After the breakfast we saw off Anton and Vadim who rode to their camp. It’d take them the whole day. Nikita, Kostya and I discussed our plans for the day, agreed to spend it in the test regime, checking the surroundings and walking not far and not for a long and left the camp. We went up.
This is how things got started. One km, by the coordinate system of our guide, multiplied by a half of an hour in his time meaning was the most reliable way provide the hunter with unforgettable experience from the very beginning. Kamchatka taught us from the first time. I'm sure that most of the readers known what I’m talking about. Chumuntick looked at us with the sad fatalism.
Warmup
I listen to my recently operated knee and went on climbing. Our group consisted of me, Nikita, Gena and Radik. The last two were very experienced Koryak who hunted a lot a that area.
I was still weak after a week intestinal disease and needed to take care about myself. That's why we started very slowly. We were ascending for 15 minutes after a 5 minutes rest. At last we reached the top where stopped and began to monitor the surroundings. Landscapes around us were so picturesque that I was ready to spend weeks there just enjoying them. The area was quite typical for the sheep habitat. The miles circuses with alpine meadows replaced each other. There were open areas with rock above. The sheep had enough place to eat, to hide and to have rest there.
Three hours later we climbed the first ridge. The altitude was 850m. There we made a stop for a lunch and to observe the mountains. Each mountain hunter will confirm my words that there is nothing better on the highlands than a cup of hot tea with the chocolate.
We carefully tested first few ravines and detected the sheep tracks but old ones.
In an hour we moved to another side of the ridge and studied a few more circuses. There were not tracks at all. No matter. The first step was the only difficulty.
By the time, the strong eastern wind sprang up, we were cold (there was snow in the deep ravines) and decided to stop in a ravine and to eat something. It was 1 pm.
The distance, we hiked, was enough for the test climbing. The guides suggested to move back to the camp, walking along the ridge. Thus, we had chance to check a few more ravines. The dense clouds began to cover mountains while we were eating. It was so unusually after so many sunny days! Everything was strange, a cloud could cover us and we sat for 5 minutes in a milky fog and couldn’t see anything. Then the wind blew and there was the full visibility all around.
Thus we were going along the ridge and look around but without any result. It was about 3 am when we decided to talk by radio with the camp and to notify about coming soon. We just switched on the radio when heard Kostya was swearing. At last he could tell us that the group of males was grazing not far from the camp within line of sight. We were angry that didn't’ switch on the radio earlier and tried to plan what to do. The ravine with the sheep was in two ridges from us, the direct distance was about 2km. But that was in a straight line! We had twice to go up and down! It sounded terrible! I could just go down and that’s all.
That was supposed to be a light walk. It was always the same. The first day! What a shit!
What had I do? We ate the last piece of chocolate, gathered our strength and went.
The first climbing we did well, because we were full of enthusiasm. The willpower helped me to overcome the second one. It was about 5pm when we reached the rocks. We all were cold and tired because left the camp at 7am. Suddenly the clouds lifted and I detected the group of sheep.
Kostya send one of the natives Sergey to correct our approach. The group of 13 sheep had rest. All of them were the adult males. But two sheep stood out from others by the body and horns size. They were not less than 15 years old. They even had different color- darker in comparison with the others.
It was about 1 km to them. Each 15 minutes the thick clouds covered us or them. We tried to decide what was the best way to approach them. The sheep had chosen the place on the hill far from the ravines or stones. It was impossible to come closer than 500-600m. It was too far for my wayward HS Precision. We had a great consultation and came to the conclusion that the sheep would move to our side when it’d be time to eat. Their tracks and the wind destination confirmed that idea. Thus, we decided to wait.
It was the idyllic waiting but Kostya from time to time threatened to take the gun and to shoot all sheep straight from the camp.
It was past six o’clock. There was no more than one hour of daylight left. We were cold and hungry. The sheep still laid on the slope and just a couple of the young ones grazed and fought from time to time. Siesta. But we had time to study each of them and to choose the biggest one. The chosen male and the sheep which was also old but had shorter horns laid apart from the main group.
How long had we to wait them?
We discussed the situation once again and the guides agreed with my scenario. Gennady and I should try to approach the sheep when the clouds covered the slope. We noticed that the average cloudy period was about 30 sec. We had to ran all that time and to cross the maximum distance. But when clouds would lift we had to fall the land and to hide behind the stones, waiting for the next time. The aim was to come as close as it was possible. There was not any variant at all.
Just did it. We switched off the radio, took the rifle and the scope only and ran using nebula as the veil. The main goal of that running wasn’t to reach the place but not fall safely. We succeeded to run about 200 meters under the first cover. It wasn’t bad! We had hide behind the small scattering of stones and waited when clouds would cover us once again. Soon it happened and we ran. 100 meter behind. I carefully looked out the stone. Its size wasn’t more than 30 to 20cm (there weren't bigger ones around us). Our sheep was still laying. The rangefinder showed 308 meters. I hadn't to make a mistake. But there were a couple of problems.
The first one was that mine sheep laid in a full face to us. That position didn't suit for the shooting and the sheep could see us. Later we thought that it didn’t have a sharp eye because of its age. The second problem was in the ground around us. There was not any space to take the comfortable position for shooting. We had nothing to do but wait for the next sky camouflage. But the weather began to change, the wind died and we waited 20 minutes to the next fog. Then we went down 20 meters to the flatter place when the wind finally died down. Thus, we used the only chance to approach the animals. But it wasn’t enough, we needed the moment to shoot not to miss.
It looked as the sheep was going to stay there for a night. This was not part of our plan. 5, 10, 15 minutes had passed. Gennady and I still sat behind the stone and watched to them through the magic glass of the scope and tried to decide what we had to to do. "Good idea comes after the".
- Gena - I said. - Be ready to throw down a small stone. The sheep will interest what have happened and it stand up. I’ll shoot it.
- Clear! He didn't need to ask twice.
My heart rate was more than 150 per second. I was watching the male through the scope and heard Gena lifted and threw the stone.
The sheep rose the head, pricked up its ears, and began to stand up. It did it slowly, stretching the legs. My carbine and I became one. It was the part of me. You couldn't tell where the shoulder ended and the butt began. The eye was a part of optics. I couldn't blink or breathe, caught the feeling of infinity, aimed to its shoulder blade and pushed the trigger.
But something was wrong.
- Higher! Higher! Higher! - Gena was screaming.
Even I saw how the soil exploded above the male. I could hardly realize what had happened.
The herd took off and ran away from us. They passed 5-10 meters in a second. I had one more chance to shoot.
- I see it. It's the right one! Shoot one more time! - Gennady broke into a scream.
I heard the notes of desperation in his voice. We were on legs from 7am, it was our chance to get the trophy and I missed it. I could understand him. All those thoughts came to my mind while I was leaping my feet and tried to catch in the crosshairs our running sheep. At last I caught its ass through the sight. My hands were shaking and the sheep in the sight was shaking too. The distance increased by 50 m and became 350 meters. I was due to shoot in a half of meter higher. I gathered myself and fired.
- You hit it! Hit it! Hit it! - I heard the hysterical scream.
Are you sure? It can’t be so. There’s no way. It was running. I shot with hands. The distance was 350 m and I hit to its ass. Unbelievable. If I had 100 more chances to shoot, I’d never hit it again. But our sheep, definitely our sheep, fell to slope, rolled about 30 meters and passed away.
Then the very strange thing happened which none of us has seen before. The second oldest male, which ran near our one, noticed that its friend didn’t move, stopped and stayed near it for a long. Then it lowered its head and slowly moved to the side, opposite to the herd had run. It happened after the shooting. Probably, it was real sheep male friendship!
But we were not up to it. Gennady was happy like a child. He told me while we were coming to the body, that saw shots for 500 and 700 meters but had never seen how the hunter hit the running aim. I could hardly believe that it happened in reality. I was sick for a week; we spent that day hiking by the mountains and I did such incredible shot. Moving ahead I’d say that have realized how difficult it was only a few days after it.
Nikita and Radik joined us in a half an hour. All that time they were in the thick cloudiness and didn’t see how I got the trophy. The radio by Kostya's voice demanded the immediate report. I was absolutely sure that he had danced in the tent when heard the news, then drank and smoked.
The photo session took about thirty minutes then we cut meat and went back to the camp. Nobody was tired.
Kostya waited for us and met us with the traditional glass of vodka, and Russian pancakes with red caviar. But the best thing was hot shower. Then we ate sheep liver, drank alcohol and talked till 2am. I fell into a dead sleep, the first time during the last years. But none of us forgot to load guns and put in near the bed. The dog was barking during all evening and it meant that bears were not far from the camp.
Preventorium
Now I could have rest. The soft warm wind patted the edge of the tent, and the sun heated through the waterproof cloth when somebody called us for breakfast. It was 10am. I still felt some kind of the aching pain in my legs and thoughts mixed in my mind. I was fully relaxed. We didn’t need to go anywhere.
It was an ambiguous situation because I carried out the main task and reached the goal, that's why I could slowly pack the things and to go home. But my fellows just started to hunt and had a few days.
I decided not to waste time but to take part in a bear hunting, fishing and to pick up Rhodiola rosea, which was known as a golden root. It’ a very good thing. Highly recommended. In the first day after the sheep hunt we went for fishing to the small river, not far from the camp and I caught two one-kg chars. After the hot shower in the evening we ate fresh fishing soup. As you know the difference between the fish soup and the soup from a fish is in vodka which you need to drink while eating. We did what we had to make that soup much tasteful.
Next day was devoted to the bear hunting. It was August and bears' skins weren't good quality but it was silly to lose such opportunity for the hunting. In several days Nikita would celebrate his 18th birthday and he really wanted to take part in such hunting.
We climbed the highest hill in one km from the camp and spent the whole day monitoring the surroundings.
Tea, the interesting book, fresh berries and clear air were My components of happiness at that day.
We saw bears but all of them were far from us and didn’t have trophy sizes.
In the evening we took hot shower, drank a little bit and talk till night. Then I checked the gun and went to sleep…
Later in the evening our friends connected with our camp by radio and said that Anton got his trophy while Vadim was still in the process. That's why we went on having rest.
To be continued.
