A year ago, Andrey and I talked about sheep hunting and he suggested to join the hunting trip in Bohemia. I got his offer and the offer from another Slovenian hunting outfitter simultaneously. The second offer price was very attractive and he promised high quality trophies Later on the popular Russian hunting site found the report about mouflon hunting in Bulgaria and was impressed by the possibility to combine hinting with the family vacation. It looked like the ideal compromise. Telling the truth, my wife gave me the ultimatum: to have vacation on the sea or I don't have to return home.
I tried to resist because was charmed by the hunting perspectives in Slovakia but my 4 years old daughter joined the battle and threatened to tell my Mother-in -Low about it. I had to capitulate. It's sure too expensive to argue with the girls.
I wrote to three Bulgarian outfitters and heard back soon. The first offer was too expensive, the second one didn’t suit me by the trophy quality, that he could suggest, and I chose the last one - Vasily Tabakov.
And so, we arrived to the country. Three days I spent with the family and then the representative of the hunting company took me from the hotel, where we accommodated and I moved for hunting. They provided me with CHZ 550 rifle, cal. 30-06, with the Meopta optics 3-12х50. I tested it to 100 m and we went for hunting. Three days in mornings and nights I sat on the hunting tower waiting for the trophy. I'd seen lots of boars and deer but all mouflons immigrated somewhere that's why we resolved to change the tactic and to go and look for them. The guides told me that it’d be easier to approach the group of sheep while they are feeding in morning or evening hours. There were just two opportunities to get the trophy. The first one was when the mouflons crossed the glade and my guide detected them through his Zeiss binocular. I tried to watch them through the one, I had, with a multiplicity of 10x32 EL, but couldn’t see anything. I didn't want to diminish the quality of Meopta optics but if I had my own rifle the sunset wouldn't come so fast.
The second chance happened on the next morning. We detected the group of sheep but the herd went into the forest and we took the position on the crossroads and began to wait. In an hour the animals went to the meadow. My guide Vasil examined them carefully and told me that there was not the male with 90 cm horns but suggested to shoot the one which stood at a distance from the group. He estimated its horns as 80-85 cm but wasn’t sure. I was full of excitement and adrenaline and decided to fire. The shooting distance was 240 meters. In a second before I shot Vasil whispered that spotted a good size male. It stood near the trees. I tried to find it and noticed the male, he said about, stood in half side to us, closed by females staring to our side. I waited for 10 minutes when there would be the chance to shoot but the females notice us and alarmed the herd. In a moment they all disappeared in the forest. So, my hunting in Bulgaria was over.
We arrived back to home but I still felt disappointment because had not get the goal, as it was planned. I have heart problems. It’s not good for me to be upset that's why I flew to Slovakia.
My friend organized everything. At the end of October, 2013, I arrived to Bratislava. The representatives of the local company met us at the airport and we drove to the hunting farm Baluki. The total hunting area of the farm is 2,800 hectares, of which 420 ha are used for the cage. We were going to hunt in the enclosure on the open territory. It was apparent at the first glance that the hunting area was too clean. I noticed many deer, they were everywhere. After arrival we accommodated in the comfortable hunting cabin. Later in the canteen I got acquaintance with my future guide Boris. He was a chief guide in the company, very calm and it was seen that he really loved what he did. I asked him a lot about trophies, local traditions and other hunters. The locals were bewildered when I refused to drink wine and suggested me vodka immediately. I said no and they interested if I was from Russian at all. My friend Alexey saved the situation. He tried the local wine and said it was good. I preferred the grape juice. After a lunch we went to test guns. They gave me the carbine CZ 550, cal. 300, with the old Zeiss optics. I tested it to 100 m and the bullets hit in 10-15 cm from the center. I resented because was used to hit in the center from 200 m but my guides assured me that it was not important for such distances and I agreed. Then we went for a hunt. I heard about the rut season but had never seen it before and was impressed by all those sounds and roars. We walked along the hunting ground and took the position on the hunting tower. I spotted plenty of animals. Their number increased in several times when the dusk fall. The mouflons, I desired to get, appeared from the forest. There was the opportunity to shoot in the first day but I refused to do it because couldn't see clear the aim. The hunt was rescheduled to the next morning and we spent that evening talking funny stories from our past. I liked the story, told us by the base manager Marian. Once he and his family traveled from Bratislava to Moscow by train. The border guards in Kharkov checked all papers, they had, and asked about the certificate of absence of sexually transmitted diseases. He hadn’t one and no condoms. So those fellows suggested him two variants: to leave the train or to pay them 200 $ and they’d go to the shop and buy him the condoms. He chose the second way. We went to bed late. Next morning Boris woke me and Alexey. We drank tea and left the base. I walked just 300 meters and stopped to monitor the deer feeding on the meadow. It was the unforgettable picture. Probably it was so because I saw it all for the first time. So we stood looking for the trophy size male when Alexey detected the group of several females and the male moving to their side. He told Boris about it. The guide looked to it through the binoculars and told me to fire. He was very excited. I caught the animal’s shoulder blade in the crosshairs and pushed the trigger. The recoil from 300 WinMag didn’t allow me to see the result but I heard Alexey's shout. I missed it. The male bolted. I reloaded the gun and wanted to shoot the second time but Boris stopped me. The male crossed almost the whole glade and stopped near the forest border. I was not in a good position to shoot. Then he suddenly turned out and moved to the females which were not going to leave the meadow. I didn’t give him the second chance. I didn't forget that bullets hit with the deviation 15 cm to the right and the male was moving from right to left. The bullet came through its body, it made just few steps and fell. Everybody began to congratulate me.
Then we went for the mouflon. Hunting for mouflon was not so easy as for deer. Those animals were more cautious. One time we detected the one but it ran away while we were approaching it. It was my fault because I wanted Alexey would make the epic video as he did when I hunted for the deer. After the failed approach Boris suggested to go back to the Base and to continue the hunt in the evening. On the way back he showed us the enclosure with Markhors. Two of the were nice and bigger than others. After a lunch we continued the hunt. When we were driving through the forest, it wasn’t dense at all, the guides detected the group of mouflons and one of them had trophy size. I trusted the guide who estimated the trophy size and took part in approaching. I told them in advance that wanted to get the trophy with horns not less than 90 cm. I didn’t know how long we chased the animals. It could be 500 m, one km or more. The excitement was growing by the minute. Boris asked me to calm and not to shoot to wrong one in the moment of passion. Soon I found it, the branches hidden the male from me and I started to change the position. The herd also began to move from left to right. Boris shouted that my male was running the last, then changed his mind and said it was the third from the end, then corrected me that it was the last! I chose the open place between trees and shot. The distance was about 70 m. I didn’t see anything once again and thought that I missed. Alexey was filming the process and said that the mouflon stopped for a moment after the shot. I was sure it’d fall on the place or to go 10 meters maximum if I hit it. But there was no a sign of the male. We rose about 50-70 m and went to the right, and soon I heard Boris voice. I got it. At first, I thought that he found the bloody track but the male was there in 30 meters. Later we guessed that it was running above us and rolled down the slope after hitting. It was a good shot to the back part of the shoulder blade. The bullet went through the body but it could run such long distance after it. It would be worse if I wounded it and it ran away. All's well that ends well.
To the conclusion I want to say that I've liked it. I want to hunt there once again. I’m satisfied with everything and the only two things which can be improved are the sizes of blankets in the house and the rifles.
