That’s enough. I saw dark circles in front of my eyes. I thought they could be just in the cartoons. But they were in the reality. I couldn’t move. The dull hammering in my head started again. I didn’t see anything. I couldn’t breath. Somebody asks to give him the carbine. I do it without any emotion. Suddenly the interesting thought occurred to me. I need to give up hunting. It's not mine!
How well it all began! It was my dream to hunt in Azerbaijan. The friends, from our Belarus Safari Club, had hunted there about 5 years ago. They told us that hunting there was the hardest in their lives. I wanted to try my hand and to know what am I good for?
Sergey Arkadievich agreed to accompany me. Our last trip to Kyrgyzstan gave us a lot of positive emotions. Artem Chernushevich took responsibility to organize everything.
The advantage of hunting in Azerbaijan is the direct flight from Minsk to Baku. It makes the gun’s transportation process easier.
The first day
Asif and Canon waited for us at the airport. The paperwork took just few minutes and then we moved to the hotel. It was getting dark. Patrick Estev, the legend of French rugby in 80s, joined our group.
I was admired by the night Baku! Telling the truth, I didn’t expect to see such beautiful city. When the trip was over I made sightseeing of the city and was impressed even more. I spent the day walking in the town and it happened to be amazing. The skyscrapers and the embankment impressed me most of all. I couldn’t but say few words about the Azerbaijani cuisine! But, all in good time.
Next morning we drove to the hunting area. The trip started with buying food on the local bazaar and a shot stop for a lunch. It took us about three hours.
The buyers were making fun of my friend, who made pictures of Eastern abundance of bazaar but didn’t buy anything.
- Will you be fed up in the evening just by pictures of fruits?
They couldn’t know that our outfitter Canon was responsible for buying products and knew how to do in the right way.
We met the rest of the team at the appointed time and place. The leader of guides was Nariman.
The second part of the trip started when we’d reloaded all equipment to GAZ-66 and moved to the Base camp. It took us more 3 hours driving along woods and mountains. A part of the road went by the dried-up riverbed. Today, I write about it as about an ordinary thing. The road .. along the dry river bed. But at that moment I treated to it as to adventure and the way to the base made me nervous. Was it real?
Nariman made a stop and suggested to test guns. Each of us made three shots and satisfied by results. The rifles worked well; we were ready.
The Base camp was located on the height 1600 masl.
For dinner our cook made tasty lamb on the bone. Delicious dish! It’s not a good idea to eat your fill when you are going for a hunt in the mountains. You have to carry just one backpack and it has to be on you back.
The second day
In the morning Nariman gave the instructions with whom and where we’d go. I rode by horses with the guides Sasha and Dadysh. Sergey and Artem went with Adyl, Azer and Boris. Patric left for a hunt with Nariman. Everybody felt envy for me because I was the only hunter who rode by horses while others went by foot.
First of all we had to ride down to 1100 masl. Then we needed to rise to 1600 masl and to go by foot to 3200 masl where the mobile camp was settled. The total distance of the route was 19 km, I measured it by GPS. It took us almost all day. We left the Base camp at 10am and arrived to the tents at 7 pm. After getting off horses we carried all food and equipment by ourselves. We were climbing along the grassy 60 degrees slope. It was hard but I slowly kept going up. I could hardly believe when reached the tents. I did it! I thought the climb would never end.
At the moment we came Sashe suggest to go and to check the salt flats. The next ascend and suddenly we saw.... We detected three turs! My heart leaped with joy- there was a trophy! My torment would be over! It seemed as I would be the first who finish the hunt.
- They are small, - said my guide without any emotion.
We went down to the tents, had dinner and went to bed…
The third day
It was 6.30 am when Sasha rushed into my tent and shouted.
- Turs are coming!
I tried to get ready but couldn’t wake up. We moved in the darkness and I could hardly understand where we were going.
Our way led to the ridge. The sheep smelt us and, as the guides said, ran to the ridge.
- Shoot!
- Where? To what? The herd of 15 animals was running just in front of me but I couldn’t differ males from females there. It's all happing so fast, that I couldn’t ask again.
Animals left…
Sasha and Dadash were upset. But I couldn’t fire at random!
We ate some snacks and began to go up.
Yesterday I thought that we reached the top. But I was mistaken. The top was above us. We were rising. But there was another one and even higher! We ascended and discovered one more top! It was endless…
Altimeter showed 3400 masl.
Sasha hurried me constantly.
- Faster, faster. The males are leaving.
There were about 500 meters to them. Three hundred meters. We were almost running by the rocks, faster and faster. I moved on all fours, climbing steep cliffs. And here they were! - we rose to the new ridge!
- Let's move faster! They are leaving! We can't catch them. - Sasha shouts.
We climbed the next ridge and he said that there were 150 meters to them.
They disappeared behind the new ridge while I’d reached it.
And so again and again.
That's enough! I saw dark circles in front of my eyes. I thought they could be just in the cartoons. But they were in the reality. I couldn’t move. The dull hammering in my head started again. I didn’t see anything. I couldn’t breathe. Somebody asks to give him the carbine. I do it without any emotion. Suddenly the interesting thought occurred to me. I need to give up hunting. It's not mine!
I had a shot rest and climbed to the next ridge. I saw how the guides scampered up mountains like turs. They left further and further.
There were about 700 meters to the group when I heard the shots. One, two, three. It insulted me to the heart! How could I put somebody's trophy on the wall?! I will always go by and think: “It's not mine!” What had I done?
The guides came back. But none of the them carried anything. Sasha said that he shot three times but missed.
Thank you my God! It’s much better without the trophy than with another one.
I calmed and firmly said that would shoot the trophy only myself.
We took a breathe and went to another split. But there was fog. We needed to have rest. The sun was warm. Nice. I was tired but satisfied. I needn’t deal with moral compromise…
I woke up from a day-dream and noticed that the clouds lifted. The guides suggested to come back to the tents and to check the salt flats later in the evening.
In the evening the weather began to change. The clouds covered the mountains and filled all space between the separate tops. I wanted to jump there from above and to lay on such feather bed.
Day # 4
We climbed to the salt flat in early morning. There was a female tur. The whole picture looked amazing. It was a thrilling experience to watch the wild animal when it didn’t know about your presence. But the other animals didn’t come there. We decided to check the yesterday’s split once again. The only thing which I didn’t like, we had to climb. We’d ascended the ridge when heard the shots on the opposite slope. Probably it was Sergey, who fired. Just imagine what I felt when saw the herd of turs running close our mobile camp. We didn’t need to go anywhere, they came to us.
If I can predict future, I’ll live in Vegas- says a well-known proverb. Or we can say the same thought in other words. Had I known where I would fall, I wouldn't have come to that place at all. No sweet without some sweat. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow. It doesn’t suit to that situation…
We spent the day walking in the mountains. Once we even saw fem males but too far. There wasn’t any chance to approach them. We all were tired, not satisfied when came back to the camp.
Two hunting days left and then I had to drive back to Baku and to fly home.
Sasha was nervous. He said there were two variants to get the trophy. The first one was to wait the male near the salt flat and the second one was to follow the herd we saw. I had the feeling that next day we’ll get the result. Suddenly I noticed the optics joints were loose. The bracket didn’t fix well. There were lots of scratches and impact marks from the rocks on the front blend. I didn’t even notice when it happened. That’s the result of climbing. What had I do? I could fix it because had necessary tools. But I didn't have the chance to test it. I’d scare all animals around us if shot. The only way was to put the bracket on the same place and fix it. I hoped there wouldn’t be much difference in one hundred meters.
Day #5
It was fog in the morning. We went up to the small salt flat.
Sasha detected an animal and signed me to come. I’d got out and saw two turs. - What of them has bigger horns? - The right one is bigger and it stands well. The distance was not more than 100 m - it was good taking into account how I fixed the optics yesterday.
The Shot! The slap. I hit it!
One of the sheep ran to the right and another one to the left. They both were in the shadow and I didn’t them clearly but heard how one of them fall down. It fell and rolled down. I got it!
We switched on lights and went down. We were descended for some time. I felt how the tension grew up and began to pray not to lose the trophy.
Suddenly I heard Dadash. “I found it!”
Hurray! I got the trophy! The bullet tore into its shoulder blade. The offset was about 5 cm to the left. But it didn't matter. I got the trophy. It didn’t have the record size but it was mine!
The photo session became the last happy moment at that day. Then we hardly walked back to the camp though my guides were almost running. It took us an hour to go 2 km, according GPS. But I felt those two km like a thousand. We moved along the slopes with the 60 degrees. I was ready to ask to kill me when we reached horses. But we had to move further. I couldn't walk anymore but it was hard to ride by horse too. I was completely exhausted when we reached the camp. And not just me. The horse was also tired. Thank you very much to her.
Sergey, Artem and Patrick waited for me there. Sergey and Patrick took nice trophies and were really happy.
I was happy to take hot shower and to crawl to the party table.
Day # 6
We made pictures with the boiled horns. It was difficult to say goodbye to those beautiful mountains but we all were in a high spirit.
The way back to civilization was hard to me. Probably the reason was in plentiful food, I ate yesterday. I’d never forget the local driver who drove along the mountain serpentine on a high speed, steering with one hand and talking by phone all the way. All the way! He talked 2,5 hours! Later we knew that he talked with his wife.
Later in the evening Asif invited us to the luxury restaurant where we tried tasty eastern dishes. Day #7 was devoted to the sightseeing of magnificent Baku. I could see how the greatness of antiquity flows into modernity, and it looked harmonically. I’d never forget it.
To the conclusion I want to say thank you to Asif, Canon and Nariman for the excellent hunt organization. Thank you very much!
It’s strange but I miss.. The mountains.
I’ll be back.
