Отчеты охотников

The animals were taken by stalking. The shooting distance was 425 m for the Marco Polo Argali, 730 m for the Brookei Argali, and 750 m for the Mid-Asian Pamir Ibex.

The hunt took place at the end of September in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic on the territory of the state experimental hunting reserve. It was the third attempt to harvest this subspecies of bear. Two bears were successfully taken by stalking.

Goats were taken by stalking.

The sheep was taken by stalking.

Добыт с подхода

In September, I set off for Kolyma in search of snow sheep. The hunt was conducted from the sea. We travelled by boat along the coast, scanning the coastal mountains. On the second day, near Siglan Bay, we spotted a group of five sheep on the slope of a steep mountain. Two of them were trophy-class. We decided to pursue them, reached the shore by dinghy, and began the ascent. After forcing our way through the dwarf pines, we approached the point where the slope curved, with the sheep grazing just beyond. The team on the boat radioed that the sheep were slightly above our position and that we should be able to see them. However, from our vantage point, it only appeared that way from below. In front of us stood a sheer rock face, obstructed by a narrow vertical ravine, invisible from the water. We’d have to climb higher to bypass it. And that’s exactly what we did. Finally, we reached the slope we were aiming for. As we approached the edge, where we expected to be within shooting range, Sergey cautiously peered over and immediately crouched down — a good sign — it meant the sheep were there. I carefully crawled up next to him. Sergey said, “The sheep are in place, all clear. See for yourself.” I slowly lifted myself and saw the sheep. The distance was 200 metres, the wind light, and the angle of incline minimal. I made the necessary adjustments to the scope and got ready to take my position. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind, and the sheep started looking in our direction. The cameraman, crawling up behind, slipped and slid over a rock with the rustle of his Cordura gear. We were on the verge of a complete failure. We froze in place, waiting. The moment of truth! It was all or nothing. After a moment, we decided to take another look. Luckily, the sheep were still there. I set my rifle on the bipod, ready to shoot, and waited for the cameraman to signal that he was ready and the sheep were in frame. Sergey said, "Shoot the one on top, it’s standing with its back and side facing us." I could see it clearly through the scope – it was mine! The shot startled the sheep, but the suppressor muffled the sound enough that they weren’t frightened, just disoriented. I heard the hit. The sheep, after running a short distance, stopped on the slope, as if trying to figure out what to do next. Sergey shouted, "Shoot again!" I searched for my sheep through the scope. Where is it? Sergey said, "It’s under the rock." I found the sheep under the rock and asked, "Is it facing left?" "Yes," Sergey replied. There was no time to hesitate. I fired again and heard the hit. Jean shouted, "It's rolling down!" Sergey fired, and the second one rolled down too! How could that be? I shot one, intending to finish it off, but two fell! We congratulated each other – the sheep was down, but there were complications! From the sea, they confirmed that two sheep had fallen. Incredible! We started to figure out how that could have happened. Sergey suggested it might have been a ricochet. It happens! I agreed. Anyway, we were all running on emotion, and the adrenaline hadn't worn off yet. We had to get down, and as they say, "the autopsy will reveal the truth." The descent wasn't easy; it was more challenging than the ascent. Once again, the safety ropes that Sergey had thoughtfully brought with him came to our rescue. We finally made it down and walked along the beach toward the gorge where the sheep had rolled. It was getting dark. There they were! While we made our way down, Alexander had pulled them closer to the shore from the boat. One of them had its belly ripped open. Well, it’s definitely a ricochet! Alexander said, “While you were coming down, a bear came by, and it’s possible it tore the carcass apart. Should we drag the sheep to the water?” “Why?” I asked. “We’ll tow them by water to the sharket,” Sergey replied. I didn’t know that sheep could swim! They hoisted them from the back of the boat like whales, using ropes to pull them on board. The sheep had absorbed water and become much heavier, but still retained some buoyancy. This was a surprise for me—I had never seen anything like it before. At dinner, the entire discussion revolved around the hunt. Luckily, we had video footage, as we were filming for the Wild channel. On the screen, we could clearly see that the first shot had hit the kill zone. The sheep reacted as expected, crouching briefly, running a little, and then standing under a rock with its head turned away from us. But the second sheep did the same—it ran and stood under the rock, just below the wounded one. I shot with the rifle scope at maximum magnification, in the heat of the moment, without adjusting it after sighting in. If I had lowered the magnification, I would probably have seen both sheep and identified which was which. There was no time to figure it out; I saw a sheep with similar characteristics in the scope and fired. The video clearly shows that I hit the lower sheep, and, as luck would have it, at the moment of my second shot, the upper sheep lost its balance and fell, rolling over. It certainly looked like I had hit it. I didn’t see the second one fall, and the camera didn’t pick it up either, as it assumed everything was filmed with the first sheep. However, we ended up with a double sheep hit! Luckily, I had a second licence, but I still wasn’t thrilled with the turn of events. I hadn’t planned to shoot two sheep, and the joy of a successful hunt was overshadowed by this ambiguous situation. Nevertheless, what’s done is done, and anything can happen on a hunt—I consoled myself! The sheep proved to be of trophy quality, with impressive horns measuring 85 cm and a base of 33 cm. One was thirteen years old and the other over twelve. This marks the sixth subspecies of snow sheep I have harvested in Russia. I would like to emphasise the crucial role of the club in promoting hunting tourism in the country. In my pursuit of various sheep in Russia, I had the opportunity to witness the northern and eastern parts of our vast homeland firsthand! I am truly grateful for this. The North is beautiful and deserving of attention!

The trophies were taken by stalking.

I took a maral during the rut in Altai Krai.

I harvested a Siberian roe deer in Altai at a distance of 320 metres.