It was my dream to hunt in Europe ( Bulgaria is the member of Euro Union) and to add the trophies of Balkan Chamois and European Mouflon to my collection. Artem Chernushevich - the most trustworthy hunting agent in our Belorussian Club, selected us a suitable variant and I and my clubmate Sergey Volochkovich arrived to the Black Sea.
That spring weather wasn't typical. The depth of snow cover in the mountains was about 10 cm, the day temperature was near +5C though the outfitter said that usually it was +15-25C.
We went to the hunt just after landing.
Telling the truth I was disappointed when we went to the mountains at the first time. The snow fell in large flakes, and there was no any possibility to find the tracks.
Next day we divided into two groups and solved not to come to Base for a lunch that's why we took some food and left the camp for the whole day.
Somebody on the sky waited for it and soon we revealed the bear tracks. When Bulgaria entered the EU the bear hunt was prohibited that’s why we were interested in its tracks as theorists. But there were tracks!
The weather changed each thirty minutes. It was the bright sun, then it was snow or rain. The hunt was organized in the foothills area. The average altitude there was 1500-1800 masl. We hiked about twenty km at that days and thanked to God the the ascents and descents were not steep. Once we even detected the Chamois tracks and its excrements. There was a game! My mood rose. We went down a little bit and detected the group of chamois, consisted of three females and a young male. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the trophy size. But that meeting added some positive tone - the life became better!
We made few more radial hikes when the guide from next area contacted us by radio and told that found the group of trophy size males. We all immediately went to that direction. The herd pastured on our slop while the guide monitored it from the opposite one. We were slowly descending from the top when met the lonely young male, it blocked the road and we stopped. The herd would run away in the unknown direction if we frightened that male. We could nothing but wait.
The thirty minutes passed. Then thirty minutes more. The guides advised to come back and to try to approach the herd next day from the opposite slope if hunting luck was on our side.
We ascended once again. We trained hard before that trip and it gave the result. We could easily walk and breathe there.
The radio came to life. Sergey got his chamois! The friend's luck gave me new motivation and I felt that I would take me trophy too.
We went and I enjoined the nature about us, admired the beauty of soft outlines of tree crowns on the slopes of the Balkan Mountains and breathe deeply. I had enough strength to walk and fresh tracks beckoned me.
Suddenly the guide suggested to move to the region where Sergey had hunted already. The mountains there were lower and there was not so much snow. The chance to get the trophy there was higher.
It was rather towards evening. We reached the rocks. The guide was always in tension checking each ledge. We went to the ridge and hiked along it to the side where we had not been yesterday. In few minutes the PH stopped and began to study the split on the right side from us. The result was nothing. I decided to check the next one but I couldn’t see it well from the place where I stood and had to go down a little bit. I almost stepped on the slowly moved black and yellow lizard. Later I found in the Internet, it was a Salamander that belonged to amphibians, not reptiles. I sagged away the leg because it looked scary. Later I knew it was absolutely harmless.
I looked through the binoculars but didn’t see anything. I always look from the left to the rights and back. Unexpectedly I noticed a movement. I turned the binoculars back and spotted chamois. The masking worked on all 100! If it didn’t move the head, I wouldn't noticed it. It had big horns. Probably it was a male. I brought the gun to the shoulder and thought: “What would be the best way to shoot from hands or standing up?” It was clearly seen the male turned to my side and whistled alarming the other animals. I had no time to think. I removed the safety lock and pushed the trigger. The shot ranged out and the chamois fell to the side. I got it!
But a seed of doubt spoiled my mood. It could be female.
I went down as fast as it was possible. I ran at the angler about 60-70 degrees and all grass under me feet were wet. The soles of good mountain boots kept the foot firmly on the slope and didn’t slip.
The Male! It was the male! It had good horns! I couldn't describe how happy I was.
My guide Elijah congratulated me but reproached. He didn't understand what happened when heard the shot. Who shot and where? It was a secret for him until he saw the trophy.
The preliminary measurements proved our thought that it’d be awarded by medal and it was. It was awarded by the Bronze medal.
At the same day Sergey could move to another hunting area and took the mouflon there.
I got my mouflon on the third day. We found the animals when they warmed on the on opposite slope. We argued long time to what of the animals I’d shoot - the left or the right one. The shooting distance was 160 meters. I decided to fire using the bipods. It was a nice shot!
Thus, I got the trophy of the European mouflon. One more sheep to my collection. It wasn't big but it was the male sheep!
In conclusion I'd say that it was the easiest mountain hunt in my life. But I overreacted because the next Russian hunters who arrived after us didn’t see any sign of chamois during four hunting days and couldn't get it.
Thank you very much to the local outfitter Stoyan Trifonov for the excellent hunt.
