I've always wanted to interview Nikolai Smirnov- the hunter and cameraman who is the author of many documentary films about hunting. He makes worthy movies which show hunting as it is in reality. The process of making films about hunting is just as interesting as hunting itself but can be even more difficult because the author has to be a hunter, a zoologist and a cameraman into one.
“The Magic of the Real Safari”: Nikolai, when I watch your films, I feel that they made by the man who is a real hunter at heart and understands everything. How have you become a hunter?
Nikolai Smirnov: I was born and grew up in Moscow. The father of my best friend was a game-biologist. Once he invited us for a hunting. We hunted with the sitting duck. They gave me a rifle and explained what I should do and I got my first wild drake. I’ve been fifteen and still remember it. That hunt excited me.
“The Real Safari Magazine”: What is you favorite hunting?
N.S.: I could hardly select my favorite one. If we talk about hunting in Russia, I like bear hunting on oats when the approach. Definitely from the approach. Such kind of hunts are more dangerous and exciting! I always want to come as close as it’s possible. You can make a shot from the long distance but I don’t like it. Some of the hunting farms sow with oats the 500-700m lines and leave a narrow sand path between them. You should look around when walking there. It keeps in suspense!
I don't like corral hunts and hunting from the towers. I like moose and deer hunting in the roar when the result depends on your skills only. It's you who call the moose male and it comes to your voice but it can happen only if you can deceive it! I called the males many times when making movies and tried to make them to come close. It made me to feel the situation and to change tactic, sometimes it was better to crackle, sometimes to call. I tried to imitate the young bull voice.
Not far ago I and one more hunter traveled to Kostroma. I could call six bulls! Another hunter was so surprised that didn’t make a shot but I'd managed to make 45 sec videos while the last one didn't disappear.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Why did you start to make films?
N.S.: I began at the end of 90s. I wanted to save those hunting moments to myself to watch them later and to experience it again Later I started to film not only trophies but people, animals in their natural habitat to show the atmosphere of hunting. And edited those parts at home. It was only hobby.
When I achieved some recognition in that sphere Oleg Malov, the editor of Russian Hunting newspaper called and asked to help Nikita Mikhalkov. He needed to montage a movie, filmed by his operator Elizbar Karavaevev. They hunted in Tanzania with a famous outfitter Zdenek Wagner. Hunted and filmed. To say that I was surprised is to say nothing: who was I, and who was Mikhalkov! Probably they didn’t have time. I dreamed to make a TV program about hunting at that time. It took us a month and a half to montage that video. I tried to make each film frame perfect. Dobrodeev, Yastrzhembsky and Elisbar watched the pilot version and decided to start the TV show. It didn't happen but stimulate me much. Plenty more fish in the sea. There was not many films about hunting at that time. I decided to devote my time to it. We registered our own studio Nick’sHoliday, got brand and began to make films with the common name “Bandolier of Wanderings” and sold through the hunting shops. We started from videotapes then DVD. It’s difficult to sell film through the shops now because of the bootleg distribution in Internet. I mostly work with the personal orders.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Who dominate when you make movies: a hunter or a cameraman?
N.S.: I learned that quick that they were two entirely different camps. Though, I tried to make several attempts. I thought that could fire and make video from the tower. I put the camera on the tripod and prepared. The small boar male came, I switched on the camera. I aimed, prepared to shoot when noticed that the boar came out the frame! Ugh! Put off the gun and pointed the camera. It’s in the frame. OK. It almost left while I was aiming. It made one step, then another. Each time when I pointed the camera, it changes its location. I made a wide-angle lens and aimed. I got it. And made video. But I can’t call it hunting or filming.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: How many movies have you made now?
N.S.: You can buy about 20 series of the “Bandolier of Wanderings” but we filmed much more. We work with the private clients who want to have films about their hunts.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What regions do you work?
N.S.: I took part in about forty mountain hunting trips in different regions. And same number of times in Africa. I filmed movies in Australia, Island and other countries.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Tell me about mountain huntings. What region did you like most of all?
N.S.: Our Caucasus! The most beautiful mountains. They are not the hardest for climbing and not so many ungulates habitat there but I feel their energy, something touch me personally there.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: In what mountains did you film?
N.S.: I was in the Caucasus a lot of times, six times in the Altai, Tajikistan, Nepal. I like Kazakhstan. We'd got good trophies of ibexes there - with 1,40 and 1,45 sm horns. I was struck by the Charyn Canyon- it's like the Grand Canyoun! It’s the ancient 300meters cliff with the fantastic relief and relict plants.
I’ve been in Kyrgyzstan about 10-15 times. I traveled there to hunt to my old friend Alexander Barykin- the head of the local community of hunters and anglers. There is good hunting farm and ground. Unfortunately, he was killed two years ago by the gunmen (we wrote about in in our magazine №4/2014 -ed. note). He was a good guy, a great hunter and a mountain expert. I remember how we sat on in the tent on the top of mountain and he told me endless stories from his life: how he saw Bigfoot trails, or was catching snow leopards for zoos and others. He knew mountains like the back of his hand, knew animal's habits and how to catch them without making harm. He’s told me that if you cover the head of snow leopard by the jacket and it doesn’t resist, you can do whatever you want. We were going to fly to him to hunt for Marco Polo when the tragedy had happened. Well, that was it. He lives in my films.
I was in Pakistan three times. We traveled all the country up and down. Tough hunts. Difficult mountains with lots of dangers. We were first of Russian who explored Karachii. We left them and in two weeks the war began. It's an interesting country but I don’t want to go there anymore. The terrorists shot the bus with the English tourists just before our arrival.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Where else have you been?
N.S.: Kamchatka, Magadan. I like Magadan more. The unique region. I think, it’s more Russian and more severe. Telling the truth, I like Russia much more than other countries. But it frustrates me when I see how we treat to our nature. There is not any piece of paper, any trash in Africa. They put all trash into special place and burn. But in Russia … We hunted for a bear and elk not far from Vladivostok and I was shocked how many junkyards were there! How can this be done?! It’s clean not where people clean, but where they don't litter.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Did you take part in unusual hunts?
N.S.: I traveled to the mountains with archers several times. Once we spent a week there, the guides helped the client to approach 35-40 meters eight different flocks. I did great video but the archer never hit the target. Though we got three trophies with the carbine. I took part in several hunting with a bow but saw just once when the hunter hit the boar. The animal ran about one km with the arrow. We could find it just the next day when it had been rotten already. After it I became the opponent of the hunting with a bow. It’s not mine.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: On what heights did you film?
N.S.: I did movies on the altitude 5600 masl in Kyrgyzstan and 5200 masl in Tajikistan. Telling the truth I feel the altitude starting from 4000 meters. You should take mountain hunts very serious. Everything has to be extra quality: your clothes, equipment and your weapon. Physical training is also very important. If you don’t train enough, I’m not sure that you’ll get a good trophy.
It happened in Kazakhstan. The guides led the hunter to the herd of animals. There were about 400m to them (a normal distance for a mountain hunting). There was no wind, everything was ideal. A magnificent ibex laid just in front of him, I had never seen such goat before. I guessed that it was a world record. He was aiming for forty minutes than shot and missed. He fell down with a carbine in a day before and didn't test it after it. When we checked and tested it later, the bullets flew in 80sm to the side. I asked him: “Why didn’t you tested it after your fall?!” He: “I was tired”.
There are laser cartridges for a "cold gun shootings". You can take your caliber and check if optics is well or not.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What can you tell us about the height?
N.S.: I've noticed that my condition can differ in different mountains and the altitudes where I can feel the mountains sickness, are also different. I breathe easily in the Caucasus mountains but don’t feel well on the same altitude in Nepal and Pakistan. They are banal words but you have to treat it seriously. The body adapt much better when you climb gradually on multiple tracks. Once we were in Tajikistan, the way to the base was 400 km or 21 hours’ drive. The rest of the guys decided to fly by chopper. I tried to dissuade them, said that it’d harm them but had not rights not persisted. The Base was located on the altitude 4200m. We arrived there and devoted one day for the adaptation. Next day they’d arrived. I saw how one of the hunters left the chopper, made a breath and fell down to snow. They loaded it and flew down. The hunt for him was over. Next time in Kyrgyzstan the client got a pulmonary edema because didn’t spend enough time on the height before climbing. We should have to evacuate him as soon as possible. Mountains make us to treat them seriously. We should train muscles and respiratory system. But from the other side you never know how your body will react to the altitude whether you will run by stairs or not.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: How do you train and prepare for hunting?
N.S.: Few times I got the invitations to take part in the mountain trips in the last moment. My backpack with a camera and other equipment weights from 25 to 30 kg, I has always to be in a good physical form. I try to ran twice in a day- in early morning and in the evening.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What are special features of the operator's work on mountain hunts? What moments you have to film?
N.S.: It depends on the audience, who will watch it. The personal video, filmed for a hunter differs from the movie about hunting. I should show the beauty of nature, mountains and animals habituated there. I like to present all hunting process such as approaching, gun testing, hunting itself and shooting. I always try to give some useful advices for people who are just going to the mountains. We don’t know everything but our experience allows us to give some advises.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: For example?
N.S.: How to keep safe the trophy if you are going for it. It can be damaged easily if the staff is not professional enough. You’d better control the primary processing yourself if don't want to butcher the trophy. You need to monitor they will cover it with the salt to keep safe eyelashes and other nuances.
“The Real Safari Magazine”: Is the shot the climax of the movie?
N.S.: Yes, it is.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What is more important to show how the hunter pushes the trigger, his emotions or the moment when he hits the animal?
N.S.: You has to try to show everything: how he shoots, pushes the trigger and the hitting moment. But some moments can be montaged or filmed separately. Or to use frames when he was testing the carbine. They are our directing techniques.
All hunting are different and I often change camera angles. The most advantageous one is from behind the hunter’s shoulder.
In any case you audience shouldn’t be tired to watch the film. It must not boring that they’ll want to smoke or drink tea. If you can make it, it'll make the film really exciting.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Do you have the same feelings as the hunter when make a film?
N.S.: I'm worried I try to support him if he misses.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What were the most dangerous moments?
N.S.: It happened in the mid of May, on the Caucasus, in Arkhyz. We were going to hunt for a tur. Our group ascended to the height about 3000 m and set the tents. The next days the storm had began. The wind speed was more than 30 m/sec, we couldn’t see anything. I still remember that night when the wind has been tearing our tents. We woke up each time when the silence came. In the morning, the snow cover was more than one meter but the wind continued to howl. What a hunt there was! We left everything there, took only rifles, equipment and went down to the Base camp, sinking waist-deep in snow. It took us the whole day. I filmed that all: the beauty of nature, its power and the wind. Next time in Arkhyz we were caught in a heavy rain. We should leave urgently. The car was carried by the current when we were crossing the river. It floated. And we were inside of it. Fortunately, it was caught by something and we could get out.
One harder and more dangerous trip was to the north of Pakistan. To Himalaya, to the north – Karakorum. There are several famous eight-thousand-meter peaks-K2 and other peaks. The expedition lasted 18 days. Several times we were hit by rockfalls that blocked the roads. We rose mountains with yaks and Sherpas. One of them almost fell off the glacier. We got the ibex. But had one more license for a blue sheep. The storms forced us to come back.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What mountain hunts were the most interesting?
N.S.: When I was lucky to see and even filmed a snow leopard! I saw them twice in Kyrgyzstan and on the Pamir. In Kyrgyzstan the leopard went long by the slope in 800 meters from us. It was so interesting to watch! But it was too long for making video.
The second time it happened on the last hunting day on Pamir. We got two trophies of Marco Polo and had one more license for an ibex. At the end of the day, I detected a group of ibexes. We set the scope and spotted a snow leopard, in two km from us. I desired to get a better look at it. Still, such a rarity! I asked the client to approach it what if I could make a video. And we drove. The leopard noticed us. But I managed to make 20 sec video how it was leaving. I wouldn’t forget how it descended, stopped for a moment, looked at us and left away. We came to the place where it was and found the killed lamb. These 20 sec. mean a lot for me. Then some of us rose the head and detected the group of ibexes. Some of them were really good. And we resolved to shoot and got the it from 874 m distance. The snow leopard brought us to the ibexes. I put off gloves while filming and my hands frozen so much that I couldn’t feel anything. And soon the sun set and the frost hit. I was as cold as I'd ever been.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: What was the longest shot?
N.S.: The shot, I’ve described you above, was one from the longest. The hunter got the ibex with Blaser 300 UltraMag. But the longest shot was done with Prechtl (we wrote about that rifle №7/2015). We got the trophy of Marco Polo with 61 inches horns from 980 m shooting distance.
“ The Real Safari Magazine”: Is the trophy size important for you as for a hunter?
N.S.: The hunting process is more important. But I want to get a good size trophy in any case. But I care not for it. My main trophy is a film what satisfies me. But I know what the trophy hunters feel. It’s a hard work and a real hunting.
