Figure 1 “Photo” Jason Hutcheson and his son Jackson David (3) with his 2013 Spring Gobbler.

By Jason (The Wildman) Hutcheson

Someone once asked me what it took to put my life on the line weekend after weekend. I smiled as I told them it was what I loved to do. It was my passion to get on some of the meanest, rankest bulls. If they had horns six feet across their head or no horns at all, it didn’t matter to me. The meaner and uglier they looked, the harder they bucked.

Bull riding isn’t something I grew up doing, nor was it anything my folks encouraged me to do. When I was very young, watching it on the television, I told them that’s what I want to do when I grow up! Of course no one believed me. Bull riding isn’t something you just go and do. Most kids are brought up in the sport of rodeo. They ride bucking horses, bulls, rope calves and so on.

I grew up on a farm in south eastern Ohio which by no means was the Wild West. The roughest ride I ever had was on a horse we called Cyclopes which was blind in one eye. I thought I was going to break her in to ride. In turn, I was bucked off and broke my wrist. I was in 4-H and showed cattle at a young age. I loved to watch the bull riding on a Saturday night at the county fair. The guys who rode at the fair were my idols. I wanted to be just like them! They all wore cowboy hats, boots and had belt buckles on.

As I got older and was able to go down to where they hung out, I noticed that they were not all they were cracked up to be. Many of them had no time for kids or fans. They were not big time cowboys, just locals wanting to be famous.

When I turned sixteen, I went to my first rodeo by myself. It wasn’t a full on rodeo with all of the events just bull riding. I was told before I left the house, that under no circumstance was I to even think about riding. Well I was sixteen and of course I was in the rebellious stage, so it didn’t matter what I was told. I had money burning a hole in my pocket and I was going to do it! I borrowed a bull rope, chaps and a vest from a friend’s step dad who rode. I got the number of the bull I was going to ride. My heart was ready to pound through my chest. I was so full of fear and excitement, I wanted to throw up. Never once did it go through my head, what if I got hurt? What was I going to tell my folks? Well my first bull riding experience went off without a hitch. I made the 8 second buzzer my very first time on the back of a bull.

A bull rope is a rope with a handle in it, to place your hand in. When it pulls tight you lay the flat braided rope across your hand which is in the handle of the rope. You wrap the tail end of the rope across your open hand and around the back of your hand and back over your open hand once more. Rosin is the sap from a pine tree that has been cured and hardened. When you break rosin, it becomes a fine powder which when put on a leather glove and worked into the rope becomes tacky. The more you work it, the hotter you get your rope.

There are several different kinds of rosin on the market. I have always preferred the black rosin over all the rest. It has more stick to it and if you use saddle soap on your rope, it builds up a sticky, tacky paste that you can’t wash off with a wire brush.

The chaps you wear are to protect your legs, while you are getting ready in the bucking chutes. And the most important thing you could wear is your protective vest. When they first came out, they were nothing more than a flak jacket. The safety of the riders was at their own expense and there were many of them who didn’t wear one.

As everything improves with time, the vest went from a heavy bulky jacket to a light weight durable vest made of high impact foam and hard plastic. It is designed to protect you so that if the bull hits you with a horn, you do not get impaled. Getting stepped on was a different story. The old style vest was good for horns, but not being stomped on. The new ones we wear today are made to break away from your body or protect you from a glancing blow. But to get stomped square on, well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you will be up that famous creek with no paddle.

When I turned 18, I was finally allowed to ride with little guff from my folks. My mom wanted me to have nothing to do with it at all. The first time I really got hurt bull riding in Eastern Ohio, the bull had thrashed me around in the bucking chutes bad. I finally got my hand tied in my rope and called for them to open the gate. As the bull exploded out of the chute, the only thing I recall was he had really big feet as he stepped on the side of my head.

Figure 2 “Photo” Jason, doing what he loves, looking for eight…

As I turned nineteen I made up my mind, I was going to join the Navy.  In June of 2000, I was off to Navy Boot Camp. Anything that was a challenge I was up for. I went on to my A School which was in Gulfport, Mississippi. I couldn’t wait to get my liberty pass and go off base and find somewhere to ride bulls. Well, the Navy and Uncle Sam didn’t think I should be doing that.

I arrived in California where I was to be stationed for the next five years. After I got settled in, I talked to some locals in the area and it didn’t take me long to find a place to ride.

I bought my PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) permit after I got back from deployment in 2001. By that time, the season was just about over, so I waited until October 2001 to buy my permit. The season runs from October to November of the following year.

In order to gain full card membership, you must win 1,000 dollars on your permit before you can buy your card. This was a bigger challenge than I expected. The bulls at that level were nothing like the bulls I was use to getting on. I had my ups and downs. I was bucked off more bulls than I was covering. It was time to make a decision on how far I wanted to go.

I went to bull riding school for a couple of weekends and learned the basics of riding bulls. After that, I went to my first competition and won some money. I was very happy with myself. Deployment called again and I was not able to fill my permit until my next trip back to my homeport.

Weekend after weekend, I burned up the road all over California. In 2005, I called for orders. I took the orders to Fallon, Nevada. The rest of my season in 2005 was cut short when I transferred. I started fresh in 2006, but this time I had bigger goals in mind. I was going to take on the PBR (Professional Bull Riders).

I started off with a bang in the PRCA and the PBR season started shortly after that. I was burning the fuse at both ends. The biggest thing in the sport of bull riding is not so much if you get hurt, but when and how bad.

In July 2006, I took leave and returned to Ohio where I had doubled up my weekend with a PRCA rodeo on Friday night and a PBR event on Saturday. The rodeo on Friday night went off without a hitch and I won some money. I was stoked about the PBR on Saturday night, due to the fact that my entire family was going to be there.

Saturday started out just like any other day I would go to a rodeo. I felt good, worked out that morning, stretched and off I went. I got to Cleveland, Ohio for the event and as always, I was one of the first riders there. I paid my entry fees, found my bull and got mentally focused for my ride. There was one small issue. No matter how hard I tried to focus my energy and mind on my ride that night, there was something eating at me. There was something that just didn’t feel right about that night. Of all of the bulls I had gotten on over the years and as many rodeos as I had been too, I had never had this feeling before. Was it because my family was there? Did I feel like I had something to prove to them? Was it the fact that for years, my dad had told me I was dumb for doing it? Well it didn’t matter, whatever the case was. My bull was loaded in the chute and I was getting on him, no matter what was going through my head. I had my rope pulled tight and tied my hand down. I slid up on my rope and called for the gate, that’s all I could remember.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in the sports medicine room on a flat board with a collar on my neck. I had no clue where I was and was fighting for my life to get off that damn board. My folks were at my side. Mom in tears and Dad with a look of disbelief on his face, as the doctor told me I was going to the hospital for x-rays and that’s all there was to it.

The x-rays came back with a hair line fracture on the C-2 in my neck. I was very, very lucky not to have broken my dang neck. Later that night, after I was released from the hospital I recall sitting in a Waffle House and my old man saying “Jason, are you done playing cowboy?” I really didn’t have an answer for him. I was still in disbelief of what had just happened and was wondering if my career was really that short lived.

I returned to Nevada sporting a fancy C-Spine collar, which I was told by the doctor to wear for 6 to 8 weeks. Uncle Sam was not very impressed. I buckled down in the Navy, since I was not the best at my job. I turned that around and was awarded sailor of the quarter in 2007.

That aside, I stayed away from rodeo and bull riding from July 2006 until October 2007. I would not go to any rodeos or even watch them on TV. I would watch the replay of what happened that night on the computer, since it was recorded. I watched it over and over to see what happened. From what I could tell, I did what they call “lost my feet”. It happens when you lose your grip with your feet. I was turned upside down and landed head first, almost like diving into a swimming pool with no water.

In October 2007, I was getting bored, so I went down to the local riding arena. I was helping out the high school kids and giving lessons on the basics of bull riding. I was not like those guys, I watched all those years ago. I wanted to help out and teach. If someone asked a question, I took the time to answer it. If some kid ran up to me and said his hero was a cowboy or a solider I would sign his program and smile and move on.

It was a cold sunny afternoon, in February 2008 and I was out at the arena helping some kids out. Something hit me like a semi truck that told me to get back on. Well it was either the stupidest thing or the best thing I could have ever done. But, I had to overcome the fear that I had inside of me. I went to my truck, pulled out my bag in which I carried all of my gear and put it on. I had a bull loaded, that none of the high school kids would get on.

Nathan was the guy who owned the bulls. It was on his dime as he rented time at the arena for these kids to get on bulls. He pulled me aside and asked, if I had lost all of my marbles. I rode the bull as if I had never been off for a day. I returned for a full season in 2008, in which I was in the top 5 standings for most of 2008.

The entire time I was in the Navy and rode bulls, I never forgot who I was and what I loved to do the most. Hunting and fishing are two things that I have enjoyed since I was a very small child. When I wasn’t off at a rodeo, I was in the mountains of California or Nevada hunting or fishing. Sometimes at the rodeo when I had time for a little break, I would drive down the road with my fishing pole. I would come across a neat looking pond, lake or stream and wet a line. I used my leave time to come home to Ohio and hunt for a couple weeks or go on hunting trips that I could afford.

I hunted Elk in Colorado in 2004, which was an amazing experience. I did not fill my tag, but to be on the back of a horse when the sun crested over the Rocky Mountains was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

I went wild boar hunting on the central coast of California. To be on the side of a mountain that over looked the Pacific Ocean with the sand dunes and beaches below as the morning sun reached its hands towards the water was breath taking.

The cold mornings in the aired Nevada desert glassing for Mule Deer or the sounds of hounds running a black bear through the mountains of Northern California, were reminders of where I came from and who I was.

I was just a little kid when I said I wanted to ride bull’s when I grow up and they all smiled and laughed.

It’s April 2013 and all I can think about is Spring Turkey season! The season starts here in Pennsylvania on April 27th. Since age 12, I have been an avid hunter. I am very fortunate to have taken a few Pennsylvania gobblers over the years. But since my Spinal Cord Injury, I have not harvested a Turkey.

Figure 1 “Photo” Greg Traynor hunting turkeys with his adapted hunting gear.

Hopefully this is the year I am able to fill my tag! More importantly, I would like to encourage you to mentor a friend or family member and take them out Turkey hunting this year. I would also like to ask you to consider taking a hunter with a disability out in the field.

Hunting with a disability presents many challenges and each individual requires his or her own detailed plan to overcome these obstacles. But with some thought and planning ahead it may be easier than you think.

Safety is always the number one priority when hunting. Please check your individual states hunting regulations and obtain all hunter safety certifications prior to starting the process.

Adapted equipment may be needed depending on the amount of mobility and strength of the disabled hunter. The Internet is a great source to obtain any necessary equipment such as adapted gun braces, adapted triggers (BMF Trigger Activator) etc. Take a look around and ask a lot of questions, before you purchase any items.

Hunters like me who use wheelchairs (power wheelchairs or manual wheelchairs) present another level of difficulty getting into the woods. I use a power wheelchair, an Action TrackChair that I believe is the ultimate off road wheelchair. The Action TrackChair is not cheap, but I have found it to be worth its weight in gold. It’s good to explore all your options, you may be able to transfer the hunter onto a mule or use a trailer to transport the wheelchair into your hunting area.

Ground blinds are an excellent set up for hunters with disabilities and provide room for the wheelchair and another hunter acting as an assistant/guide. Ground blinds also hide some movement, which helps when using adapted equipment.

Temperature is another concern when hunting with individuals with disabilities. I am unable to feel from my chest down which means I am very susceptible to hypothermia or frostbite. Not being able to feel my extremities presents a problem in extremely cold or hot hunting temperatures. Each individual is different so it is important to be aware of his or her limitations.

As in every other hunting situation, outdoor skills, scouting, preparation at the shooting range and knowing your effective kill zone play a large part in success or failure. When hunting with a disability, these challenges can be magnified but the memories and experiences are magnified as well. Be safe, shoot straight and don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can.

Figure 1 “Photo” Roe Deer (Rehwild) in nature – The most common deer in Europe, the Roe Deer is hunted all over Europe, from the English Isles to the  Caucasus Mountains. This is the “Whitetail of Europe” as Ricky Mills says. Available to every hunter and plentiful like the Whitetail in North America.

Roe Deer are grayish-brown to reddish brown, small and lightly built, rarely getting larger than 50 lbs.  Does (Geiss in German) have a heart shaped white rump patch with a tuft of long white hair emanating from their genital region. A buck’s patch is smaller kidney shaped and lacks the tuft. Male deer grow antlers yearly. A normal buck will have 6 points (3 per side) which attain a height of 6-10 inches. As they grow older, the antlers grow larger bases (called Rosen in German) and add texture called “pearling” to the antlers. As they get very old, the antlers start to recede.  The rut is generally is in July and August. Fawns, called Kitz in German, (usually two) are dropped in the following June, and are weaned at six weeks and sexually mature at 16-18 months. Young Roe are very curious.

Translation issue when hunting Roe Deer in Hungary. The word for doe or Geiß in Hungary sounds like “Shoota”. When you are in the field with your hungarian hunting guide and he says, “Shoota” he is not telling you that he sees a nice “Shooter buck” and that you should take it. You should of course confirm your target before pulling the trigger any time that you are out hunting. But for the inexperienced international hunter, this is a key thing to know before heading out the door on your first Roe Deer hunt in Hungary.

Hungary is the number one country to hunt the Roe Deer and many European hunters will hunt this deer in their own back yards in Germany and other European countries their entire life, only to pay a lot of money to travel to Hungary at least one time in their lives to hunt the infamous Hungarian Roe Deer! If your thinking about traveling to Europe to hunt this game, a trip to Hungary while your in Europe is a must.

Statistics:

Nature Status: Roe Deer are not threatened anywhere across their range. Strict management quotas to ensure proper sex management and a good harvest of surplus without overhunting are common in many countries.

Natural Predators: Wolves, badgers, cats, foxes, bears, and wild dogs are some of the predators to this animal. Fawns, or Kitz in German, are also vulnerable to birds of prey while still small.

Life Span:  Up to 10 years in the wild.

Habitat:  Lives in woods, preferably with access to water and small meadows and grassy clearings. They are diurnal and crepuscular, meaning they come out in low light, such as early mornings and late evenings in low light. They are active, but not hunted in full darkness. Hunting is generally 90 min before sunrise to 90 minutes after legal sunset.

Figure 2 “Photo” Robert Hembrook with a Roe Deer that he harvested in Germany.

Figure 1 “Photo” Wild Turkey in nature – If all five subspecies of wild turkeys are harvested, a hunter can obtain the North American Grand Slam. To score an American Grand Slam only four subspecies have to be harvested (Eastern, Rio Grande, Osceola, and Merriam’s). To count, all turkeys must be long bearded mature toms, called in and killed with a shotgun or bow during the spring seasons.

The 5 subspecies of wild turkey are the Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam’s, and the Gould’s. With each subspecies is variation in color, habitat, and behavior. The wild turkey
makes very unique sounds, including clucks, purrs, yelps, and gobbles.  Toms have spurs on their legs and beards hanging from their chests.  It is possible, but rare, to have a hen, with a small beard.

To further raise the bar, a hunter can go after a World Grand Slam by harvesting an Oscellated Turkey in South America!! To learn more about the Oscellated Turkey read Henry Browning’s hunting article titled “Hunting Turkeys in the Jungle”, available on this website.

Statistics:

Appearance: Gobblers: Iridescent red, green, copper, gold feathers, with brightly colored nearly hairless heads.  Hens: Drab brown and gray feathers with a gray blue head.

Nature Status:  Not considered threatened or endangered.

Natural Predators: Humans, coyotes, cougars, foxes, eagles (adults), raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, rodents (eggs & nestlings)

Future:  Support is still needed to continue efforts to conserve wild turkeys the most predominant is the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Foundation)

Figure 2 “Photo” Christie Bonniwell and a Wild Turkey that she harvested in Delaware, USA.

It’s always a great feeling when you raise a young man to appreciate God’s words and his great outdoors. Levi asked me again today, how many days till I can go turkey hunting? I told him it starts tomorrow morning son. I got dressed and went to roost the turkeys. They flew up just outside my property line. I came back inside and told him, we were ready for opening day. You should’ve seen the big smile he gave me. He asked if he could take my 410. I said take the 20 gauge, so he went and pulled it out and put it on the table.

The next morning at 4 am, I was starting the coffee when he said it’s time to turkey hunt. Yes son it’s time, I said. I had a friend Randy Moore and a youth Jamey Cantwell that were joining us. They pulled up excited and ready to start hunting. We sat for a little bit, drinking coffee and talking about what I saw the night before.  Then we got the equipment ready and headed over the hill and into the ground blind. We set up the camera and got the shooters ready. When we started to see the first signs of daylight and the sky brighten, I knew it would not be long.

Half an hour went by and I pulled out my glass call and did a few loud yelps. Man did those toms gobble and gobble! I was smiling from ear to ear. I looked at Levi and he was asleep, I had to chuckle. I looked at the sky, and then did a fly down with a fly down call. I waited ten minutes and then heard the turkeys flying down with hens yelping. I called back and heard nothing. As soon as they hit the ground they stopped talking. A couple minutes later I called again and heard nothing. Ten minutes later I called with a mouth call, and heard a gobble. Boy was it close!

I got Levi ready and looked at Randy; he was ready with the camera. So I yelped softly to make him think the hens were leaving. Soon after I heard a tom spitting and drumming outside the blind, but I could not see him. A minute later we saw a couple hens and behind them was this huge tom strutting and drumming. Levi’s eyes lit up like light bulbs, and I whispered, wait till you have a clean shot. I heard the safety click off and Randy had the camera on the tom ready. I told Levi when you’re ready shoot. He waited till the tom was 10 yards away and pulled the trigger. The tom went straight to the dirt.

Figure 1 “Photo” Charles Moore and his wife, admiring Levi’s first ever Spring Gobbler.  Congratulation’s Levi !

Editor’s Note: Here at Wild Jaeger we value family and the great outdoors.  If you have a child or can be a mentor to a child, we encourage you to spend time out it nature with them.  Get that child his or her hunter safety certification, teach them the respect all weapons deserve and take that child hunting.  Make memories that will last a lifetime for your family, respect the game animals, be safe and shoot straight.

When someone is taken out of their culture and their comfort zone, they look for familiar things that make them feel comfortable. This helps to ease their apprehension with living in new surroundings. When I moved to Germany in September 2009, I searched for the local hunting community. I had read about the different styles of hunting in Europe, having visited briefly twice before. I was intrigued and eager to learn as much as I could, to begin a new chapter in my hunting career.

In spring 2010, I enrolled in the German hunting course for American military members, dependents and civilian employees. It was required to obtain a Jagdschein (German hunting license) and held at the Kaiserslautern Rod and Gun Club. For 10 weeks, 2 nights a week, 3 hours a night, I learned about the hunting culture, conservation management, rules, regulations and game available to the Jaeger including the biology of each animal. The Germans are very proud of their traditions and culture and are held in high regard by the public. Eight centuries of hunting this land has been honed to an efficient and time honored past time.

There are many different species of animals to hunt, most of which Americans have never heard of or know very little about. Game is categorized into two groups known as Hochwild (big game) and Niederwild (small game). Although I started on small game as a boy, I grew into hunting big game as I suppose most do. Here in Germany, I wanted to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity and began pursuing the local Hochwild.

Of the local game available, the most popular tends to be the Roe or Reh Deer.  Much smaller than our Whitetail in the states, there are numerous Reh Deer which I believe are more skittish than the Whitetail. An adult male may reach 3 1/2 feet in length and 30 inches at the shoulder with a live weight of 35-45 pounds. Females are normally about 10% smaller.

There are no large predators left in this part of Europe, with the exception of the odd Brown Bear that may wander over from Croatia occasionally. The only naturally occurring threat to the Roe is the fox and the wild boar. There are reports that wolves are on the rise in Europe, but currently don’t have the numbers to seriously threaten the Roe. Due to strict laws regarding pets, feral dogs and cats are not permitted and may be shot on site. For these reasons, the Roe population and corresponding harvest tend to be the highest of all the Hochwild.

Hunting for Roe begins in April, shortly after most bocks have shed their velvet.  If bocks are found still in velvet by July, it is considered a genetic failure and they are shot to prevent passing along inferior genes. A healthy, mature bock in his prime will grow three points to a side. They are referred to as a “sechser” with antlers reaching 11 inches considered exceptional. Antlers that are 8-9 inches are excellent.

Due to multiple work issues and conflicts, I was unable to hunt until spring 2011. But, I was eager to begin and started looking for places to hunt. Ultimately, I hunted on the property of my senior hunting instructor from the course. Max Butler is retired Air Force and married to a very nice German lady. I didn’t have my own weapon yet. When he invited me to hunt with him, he also loaned me a weapon, an old Mauser 98 in .308 Winchester. Other than it being right handed, it was a very nice rifle with an extremely smooth action, all topped with a Schmidt & Bender scope.

The first evening he put me in a stand that was in an elevated box blind overlooking a right-of-way cut through the forest. No deer were seen that evening, but I was entertained by a young fox. On the way out of the forest, we saw a sow Wild Boar and four of her young cross the road 20 yards in front of us in the headlights. One of which felt brave enough to run up to within 5 yards of the vehicle and challenge us by sticking his nose up in the air. He was brave until his momma called him. He turned and ran into the woods after her.

He invited me back the next week. This time I sat in a different stand, about 200 yards from the Autobahn. I could overlook multiple open fields where the Roe might come out. As the afternoon wore on, I watched a rabbit and a pheasant in a field about 150 yards behind me. Eventually, a fox began stalking down an open creek bed trying to catch a meal. It was fun to watch. But I think the fox went hungry that evening, as I never heard or saw any commotion from that direction.

About an hour before dark, a Reh came out into the field about 350 yards away. I wouldn’t take the shot, which would cross a walking path that many people were on that evening. It was not worth the risk. About 15 minutes later, I glanced down the edge of the field and got my first glimpse of a Roe deer up close. And not just any Roe deer, a big sechser! I couldn’t believe he was coming out only 100 yards from where I sat. As I got my rifle ready, I scanned the background and area behind him and saw no walkers. I watched him graze for a few seconds then lift his head to look around while eating. Slowly, he eased out into the field taking a few more steps.

At first, I was a little nervous, “Bock” fever maybe? But as I watched him for a little while, I felt a calm come over me. I regained my composure and began to line him up in the scope. When he was about 15 yards from the brush line, he came out and I fired! I dropped him in his tracks. The Barnes 180 grain TSX did its job superbly. After I reloaded and watched for a few seconds the excitement and the shakes began. I couldn’t believe I had my first Roe!

Figure 1 “Photo” Kyle Shaffer and his first ever Roe Deer.

The first thing I did was to send a text to my wife Terri in the states. I wanted to share the moment with her. Then, I called Max to tell him what happened. He said he would be there in a few minutes. I got down out of the stand and walked over to the deer. He was down in the 20 inch tall grass. He was even prettier and better than I thought. I paced the steps back to the stand to measure the distance. By the time I got my backpack, Max showed up. He congratulated me with “Waidmannsheil” (Hunters Good Luck) and I replied “Waidmannsdank” (Hunters Thanks), as he presented me with the shooters branch that I put in my hat, after placing the “last bite” branch in the bucks mouth.

Figure 2 “Photo” A close up of Kyle’s trophy Roe Deer.

After a few photos (I couldn’t stop grinning) we field dressed him. We took him back to Max’s house to wash him out and weigh him. Field dressed he weighed 38 pounds, bigger than I expected. He was a beautiful deer, especially for a first one. I truly did have Waidmannsheil with my first Roe!

After talking to several friends and looking at photos of other Reh, I decided to have it scored by Safari Club International Master Measurer and retired Air Force Captain Bob Peterson. It scored 40 7/8 inches and made the record book as a bronze medal buck. Not bad for a first Roe indeed. He tasted better than he scored. He was succulent and very tender, the reason why I wanted him in the first place. I’ve never been a trophy hunter, rather hunting for the experience and the nice meat. Making the record book, was icing on the cake!

Thanks to Max for his hospitality and introducing me to Deutsche Jagd. It wasn’t just about the kill. As Peter Hathaway Capstick said, “Getting the golf ball into the hole is the conclusion of the challenge. How one gets it there and how many strokes it takes is the challenge itself. The putt is to golf, as the shot is to hunting.” It was about learning the rich hunting customs of Germany and enjoying quiet evenings in the stands. Watching the wildlife and taking it all in, made it more worthwhile. It brought me back to my comfort zone. It also once again helped me to appreciate my surroundings, and the peaceful affect that hunting has on me.

Although the Hungarian nation is traditionally an archery-nation, modern archery hunting is only 13 years old in our country. Only 5-10% of the Hungarian hunters use a bow for hunting purposes, which is no more than 3,000-5,000 people. If you want to hunt with a bow, in addition to the hunting license, it is required that you pass an archery hunting examination which includes a theoretical and a practical part.

There is still revulsion towards archery hunters that is rooted in the lack of knowledge about archery hunting itself. Most of the “normal” hunters think that an archer is wounding a lot more than a hunter with a rifle, just to give an example. If you take a look at archery hunting from the side of the hosting company or hunting group, it is much harder to get an animal with a bow than it is for a hunter with a gun. An archer needs more time, special hunting devices and even the terrain must be special to organize a successful archery hunt.

If we look at the rich livestock of game in Hungary, this country is certainly a very alluring destination for archery hunters of any nation. The Hungarian hunting organizers know this, that’s why the number of territories are growing where an archer is welcomed and the host can guarantee a successful hunt.

The most important game in our country is the Hungarian “big five”: red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon and wild boar. It is indeed possible to hunt these animals with the bow, although you need to know some basic facts about hunting them.

Red deer:  To get a stag, the best time is the rut, which takes place in September. During this period, the stags are moving a lot, and there is a possibility to call them. A good way to do this is to stay in a tree stand with a bow and call the stag. You will have an opportunity to get him into shooting range. The population of red deer is very big in Hungary. In the wintertime, it isn’t hard to harvest a hind or a calf. The season for red deer stag opens on 1 September and ends on 31 October. You can hunt for hind and calf till 28 February.

Fallow deer:  Bow-hunting of a fallow deer is nearly the same as that of red deer, but the rut is in October. There are huge populations of Fallow deer in the south-western part of the country (districts Somogy, Tolna and Baranya). The season for fallow stag starts on October 1 and ends December 31.

 Figure 1 “Photo” Fallow Deer taken with a bow by László Hefter in Hungary.

Mouflon:  Although mouflon isn’t autochthonic  in Hungary, you can find plenty of them in the mountains of Bükk and Mátra (north-east part of the country, districts Heves, Nógrád and Borsod). The living-space of the mouflon is always a mountain territory. You need a good “Kirrung” (feeding place) with a tree stand to have a successful hunt for mouflon. The season for mouflon opens on 1 September and ends on 31 February.

Roe deer:  The roe deer are the most common game found in every corner of the country. If you want to get a buck with high SCI-points you need to visit the plain land. (Great Lowland is a huge plain territory stretching from the river Danube to the eastern borders). It is very hard to get a good buck in the plain lands. You have no cover, not even a tree or a bush. That’s why I recommend visiting an area, where the bucks aren’t that huge, but there is more chance for a bow hunter to get a good buck. The season for roe deer opens on 15 April and ends on 30 September.

Figure 2″Photo” A great Roe Deer taken by László Hefter using his bow.

Wild boar:  We have a lot of wild boar all around the country. But, it is the most difficult species to hunt with a bow. Originally the wild boar was an animal that was active during daytime hours. Due to population growth, it has turned to into an animal that is more nocturnal. This makes it very hard to get a wild boar in the daytime. Even if you are sitting on a good “Kirrung” (feeding place), it isn’t guaranteed that you will see them in shooting light. That’s the reason why a lot of Hungarian bow hunters use a lamp. You need even more practice to hunt successful with a lamp on your bow. In the summertime, the game is causing a lot of damage to the agriculture. You will surely have an opportunity to take a shot on a wild boar in a cornfield. Wild boar can be hunted all year, but most of the territories use limitations for hunting sow.

I also have to mention bow hunting of small game in Hungary. Nowadays the archer clubs are organizing driven hare hunts. These hunts are great fun, but you can only attend them with a traditional bow. We are also hunting winged game with the bow, mostly pheasant.

If you are a bow hunter and you want to visit a country with a rich live-stock of game, definitely take a trip to Hungary!

Once again it was that time of year when I went up to the Highlands of Scotland for an all important and vital hunt, culling red hinds.   It was the end of October and my 4×4 was packed with all the essential gear, rifle in .308 calibre, ammo, binoculars, camo and a bottle of whiskey.  The journey is always a long one, but the scenery is spectacular as the road winds through mountains and forest. After nine hours of driving I was back at the cottage situated on a beautiful Highland estate.

The hunt that starts on the Monday is not a trophy hunt where fine stags are taken, but a vital management hunt. Females that are old and with poor conditioned hinds are taken to maintain the healthy well balanced population of red deer.  Sunday afternoon brought a knock on the door. It was Graeme the estates head stalker, followed by “time for a wee dram” and a smile. We sat, had a few beers and a dram of whisky or two and caught up with what had been happening since we last met.

Monday started with zeroing the rifle. This is always done at the start of the week before heading out, to make sure the rifle is shooting perfect and confidence is high. As we headed out to the hill, I could see snow on the tops. This reminded me of a few years ago when there was so much snow, we couldn’t get out. Hopefully the weather would be on our side this year. We glassed the hill with our binoculars and spotted a group of about 20 hinds.

We decided the wind was in our favour. We only needed a short crawl and then we would be in a burn out of sight and with the wind in our face. When we got to the burn, there was a fair amount of water running fast from the snow melt. This helped to muffle any noise we made as we got nearer to the group. We carefully crept out of the burn and crawled as flat as we could to get closer and set the rifle up for a shot.

The rifle was set up with a bipod out and a bullet loaded into the chamber. A quick assessment of the herd and several hinds were marked for culling. I moved slightly forward and put the rifle in to my shoulder and took the safety catch off. The cross hairs were lined up on the shoulder of the first hind and as I gently squeezed the trigger that satisfying crack of the rifle was heard and the first hind was down. I quickly reloaded and the second hind was down. The rest ran, but I kept an eye on them. In the confusion they stopped and looked, and a third hind was broad side and good for a shot. With three down, the group was now too far to take a humane shot. Plus, we now had the work of getting these beasts off the hill.

Figure 1 “Photo” Adrian Banks and two of his three management hinds taken in the Highlands of Scotland.

The three hinds were gralloched (field dressed) and bled and left on the hill while we went and got the Argo. The Argo cat is an 8 wheeled all terrain hill machine. It certainly makes it a lot easier to get deer off the hill. As we walked back, a blue mountain hare sat and watched us for a short while before he decided to bolt. You could see he was just starting to change to his white winter coat for camouflage in the snow.

Figure 2 “Photo” The argo, a much needed tool in the transportation of game from the field to the table.

The rest of the week seemed to go just as well. We even stalked the woods after a few successful stalks on the hill. A roe doe was stalked and made a perfect alternative to stalking hinds, a very old hind was also encountered. She was very thin and had a tear in her ear. This was a perfect animal to cull. For once the thick of winter comes, the snow and cold is here to stay for a long time and she would not make it through. She had caught sight of us and we froze. At this point, no shot could be taken so all we could do was stand without moving an inch. She turned and moved off through the wood. We gave her a few minutes to move away and then started our stalk, hoping she had not taken off out the area.

We slowly moved forward, glassing the wood. Had we taken the right direction? We spotted her and she had her back to us. She seemed totally unaware that we had crept up on her. We were close now and could really see how much she was deteriorating. There was a tree in front of us. If I could get to that, then I could use it as a rest to take the shot. I edged forward ever so carefully, making sure not to make a sound. I carefully raised the rifle. At this angle, there was another tree covering her vitals. Again, no shot could be taken and I could not go any further. All I could do was wait, since I needed her to move a few steps forward. It seemed like ages, but in reality it was only a few minutes.

She made those few steps I needed unaware what was to follow. Again I pushed the safety catch forward and took a breath, then squeezed the trigger. She fell at the shot, I reloaded ready to take a second shot if needed. I waited for a short time and once satisfied I moved in closer. I touched her eye with the barrel of my rifle. There was no movement so I put the safety on my rifle and unloaded it.

Figure 3 “Photo” Adrian Banks and his management deer, taken after a short stalk.

The week wasn’t all busy with stalking the hill and woods. There was work in the larder to. Each day the deer shot was loaded onto a 4×4 and taken back to the game larder. Here each deer was cleaned, inspected and tagged ready for the game dealer to take away. Every deer taken goes into the food chain unless on inspection something is found to prevent this from happening. For my personal treat, I like to take a kidney, slice and fry it with an egg and toast for breakfast.

By the end of the week, we put 18 deer through the larder, 16 red hinds, 1 Sika hind and a roe doe. Not bad for five days stalking. Although tiring, it was very enjoyable and the Scottish highlands are certainly a beautiful place to hunt. Even though I was finished, there were still a few more hinds taken to finish the cull. As usual again next year, a deer count will be done and a management plan put together to determine how many will need to be culled next season. I will take another trip up there again, which could be yet another story.

m.cervantes@wildjaeger.com

Figure 1 “Photo” a Mouflon Ram and his two Ewes in the wild.

Mouflon are the big horn sheep of Europe. Although Mouflon are exported around the world as “exotics” from Hawaii to Texas, they originated in Asia Minor before being hunted to near extinction in southern Europe 3000 years ago. Native populations existed from Turkey to the Balkans, but were never in Western Europe as they are found today. Current Mouflon populations are transplants from the last natural remaining herds in Sardinia and Corsica. Although thousands of years ago the sheep were hunted to near extinction, everyone from modern hunters, the Yugoslavian dictators Tito to the Romans have reintroduced them across the globe.

Figure 2 “Photo” Peter Hochstein and his trophy Mouflon ram, taken in November 2012.

Many arguments surround these wild sheep as to whether they are the stock of the modern domestic sheep found on farms across Europe and America. Mouflon colors vary from red to brown, black and a white saddle. Adult males are called Rams and adult females are called Ewes. Body weight can vary from 70-100 lbs or 30-45kg and can be from 24-36 inches or 60-100 cm at the shoulder. Horns can reach up to 36 inches or 95 cm with an average length of 70 cm or 28 inches.

Nature Status:

Although large populations exist in some areas, the Mouflon is listed overall as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Few natural predators exist within the same biotopes, the majority of bears, wolves and big cats have been eradicated. At present, eagles are one of the main predators for juvenile Mouflon.

Life Span:

Average life span is between 8-11 years in the wild with zoo specimens surviving up to 15 years.

Habitat:

Mouflon live in herds in rocky and mountainous terrain in the Tatras, Carpathians or the Dalmatian coast. But, they can also be found in the forested meadows of central Europe to exotic game farms in arid Texas.

Hunting:

Mornings and late afternoons are the most successful time to hunt as the sheep graze with noon being a time of rest.

*Disclaimer:

Regulations and laws vary greatly from country to country and state to state. Please contact the local game management office for exact details and regulations pertaining to the area you are hunting.

European Mouflon

Ovis aries orientalis

Action Card

Considered to be one of the most beautiful sheep species in the world. Native to Europe and Asia Minor.

Preferred Caliber: .270 Win, .280 Win, .308 Win, 30-06 Springfield, 7mm Rem Mag, 7x64mm, and .300 Win Mag.

Rifles: Bolt actions, and semi-automatic.

Archery:  Although archery hunting may be prohibited in some European countries, in the US compound bows with a legal minimum of 35 lb. draw weight is required. Crossbows for seniors and disabled hunters with a minimum draw weight of 25 lbs. Brodhead with a minimum 7/8 inch cutting diameter.

Optics: High quality optics with a high magnification to allow for long range shots. 10×42 Binoculars, Spotting scope and a laser range finder are recommended.

Notes: Breeding season known as the “Rut”, is late fall to early winter depending on the geography and altitude. Dominant rams fight by butting heads.

Method: Preferred method is spot and stalk since rams graze widely during daylight hours.

Figure 1 “Photo” Wayne Davis and his 2012 buck.

Rocky 8” Lynx Gore-Tex boot. Item number: 7363

These boots are extremely warm and comfortable. As an avid hunter and outdoorsman, I rarely can sit for more than 2.5 hours without having numb feet. I was able to sit in my stand for three hours in 30 degree weather without getting cold with my Rocky boots.

The 800 grams of Thinsulate in these great boots contributes to their warmth, but so does the moisture wicking features in the lining. I walked several miles in them during turkey season and my feet stayed dry and comfortable. The boots slip on easily, but lace up tight for excellent ankle support.

Rocky 5” Outback Brown Moc-toe Boots (Gore-Tex). Item Number: 8723

I love these boots. They are probably the most comfortable pair of boots that I have owned and they are waterproof. That’s saying a lot because I have owned and used a lot of boots in my life.

Broadhead Jacket and Pants  Jacket item number: 600290 , Pant item number: 600295

This jacket and pant combination is silent, light weight, and warm. It is just what I wanted for bow hunting. As light weight as they are, with a couple of layers underneath you will be able to sit in your stand for several hours without getting cold. The jacket is made for the bowhunter. It has a double zipper that can zip up tighter when you have fewer clothes on during warmer weather. It also has expanded zippers on the sides that also can be zipped up tight depending on how many layers you have on.

The pants are very comfortable with a comfort stretch waistband. One feature that I particularly like is the side cargo pocket that has a second zipper pocket behind it that allows easy access to whatever gear that you put inside.

One thing that you will have to keep in mind while wearing these is the suede fabric is not made for walking through any brier patches. If you plan on beating the brush you may want to wear a set of chaps over these pants.

Level 3 Waterproof Glove. Item Number: 605887

These gloves have the same qualities as the Broadhead Jacket. They are silent, lightweight, and warm. Made with 100 grams of thinsulate. It’s really amazing how warm they are. If you are walking with these gloves on then your hands can easily over heat. Plan to help regulate your body temperature, and keep from overheating, by taking the gloves on and off as needed.

Prohunter Waterproof Glove. Item Number: 605058

Good gloves for stalking on cool wet days. They are quite, warm, and waterproof just as advertised.