The hunt for red deer “for vaba” gained popularity on Lake Baikal, in Siberia, in Canada, the USA, and Thailand.
Each animal is distinguished by its unique roar. But the most beautiful sound, according to hunters, is made by animals living in Transbaikalia. In addition, this species of animal is considered the most beautiful representative of the deer family.
What does red deer look like?
This is a fairly large ungulate animal. Its average size is 230 cm, height - 165 cm, and body weight - 220 kg. Occasionally there are very large males, whose weight reaches 260 kg.
Red deer, like proteins, changes color depending on the time of year. In summer, the animal’s hair turns red. In winter, it lengthens and becomes brown. The color is not even: it is lighter on the sides than on the legs and back.
The beginning of the roar hunt
The hunt for Manchurian deer begins on September 15 and lasts a month. In autumn, the male animal begins to attract the opposite sex with its loud roar, and also invites rivals to fight for the females that live in herds.
The roar of wapiti is difficult to confuse. He starts screaming from evening until early morning. The timbre of a roar is lower, the older the animal. During the fight, females watch the duel. Males, as a rule, do not kill each other, but simply show which of them is stronger. The female goes to the winner. Such a sight can be seen only once a year. This period is considered the best to start the hunt.
Factors affecting the successful course of hunting
Hunting for Manchurian deer is considered the most interesting. For its success, you need to find a place where the Manchurian deer spend their fights for females. Here the hunter needs observation as never before. During this period, the animals rub their horns against the trees and butt the Christmas trees. If the hunter noticed a torn bark, then the beast is somewhere nearby. The presence of the animal betrays and trampled grass.
As a rule, one person does not go hunting for Manchurian deer. The ideal option is three participants. One should roar into the chimney, and two should stand with guns. One of the important factors that contributes to the success of hunting is the correct use of the pipe and the taking of precise guidelines.
There are many other tricks to help lure the beast. You can only give a voice or run back and forth, portraying uncertainty, and roar into the pipe. Hunters with guns are located at a distance of 10 meters from the howler. As soon as they envy the beast, they begin to shoot.
Use of the pipe during the hunt
Of course, that the hunt for “roar” implies the presence of decoy, which is a pipe. Pipe for Manchurian deer is used for a long time. The length of the device is about 70 cm. In addition, it is distinguished by mowing.
You can blow into the pipe in various ways. There are decoys, the air from which is blown out. There are pipes in which air, on the contrary, is blown. In any case, the hunter gets the sound he needs. Diy decoy is made of various materials with its own hands. For example, it can be made from spruce or from a simple spool of thread.
Making semolina from a reel
A homemade decoy that attracts an animal can be made from materials such as roofing material, a plastic bottle, film, etc. The main part is inserted into the pipe. It can be made from a spool of thread.
In order to make a decoy for the red deer do-it-yourself you will need:
- glue;
- scissors;
- knife or razor blade.
Now we proceed to describe the progress of work:
- The edges of the coils are trimmed with a razor blade. They should be cut smoothly.
- Then a match is taken, from which half its thickness is removed. In the end, you should get two such matches. They are glued to the end of the coil parallel to each other.
- From bandage rubber or from a glove for surgeons, a 1 cm wide strip is cut off, which closes the cap with the hole in the coil and rests on the matches. Both edges of the rubber are attached to the base of the coil. The strip stretches and loosens.
The red deer decoy from the reel can emit a roar of different tonality. When you stretch the elastic, the sound becomes thin. When weakened, on the contrary - rude. The greater the thickness of the rubber used, the lower the roar. Very low sounds are not recommended to be made, as they are typical for older individuals.
Birch bark decoy
You can make semolina for Manchurian deer on birch bark. The procurement of material is carried out in mid-June, when the birch trunk is full of juice, and the bark easily leaves it. The tree should be chosen young. The trunk should be smooth. The notch is carried out by screws. The width between the strips is 15 cm. The length of the birch bark should be approximately 2 m.
When the birch bark dries, it should be twisted with the reverse side outward in the form of a dense spiral. Next, you need to give it the shape of a cone, the length of which should be 70–80 cm. The outer part of the birch bark has many growths and specks that must be thoroughly cleaned. The wide part of the pipe is fixed by a ring. So the cone will retain its shape and will not unwind. In order that the birch bark beetle was not subject to abrasion from the touch of lips, a wooden mouthpiece should be inserted into it. Such a device is very convenient.
When luring with a pipe made of birch bark, air should be drawn into itself. Such a decoy for wapiti with your own hands can be made for any user. But to play on a wooden device made of a bar, only owners of a wide chest and strong lungs can.
Bar decoy
Such a home-made decoy is cut out from the bars, the length of which is 40 cm. Each side of the workpiece is marked in a mirror order so that a wide part of the pipe converges in diameter.
Making semolina on Manchurian deer from a bar involves cutting a hollow horn from a tree, which is polished, and its edges are carefully adjusted. There should be no gaps between the wooden halves of the pipe. When everything is aligned, the edges are smeared with glue and applied to each other. For a stronger fixation, the wood pipe should be wrapped with insulating tape. Some craftsmen even carve beautiful patterns on such semolina.
You can also insert a mouthpiece from a spool of thread into the pipe. The device is designed to breathe air into itself. If the coil is equipped with an elastic band, then in this case you should roar from yourself.
What does an elk look like?
Moose is considered one of the largest and most powerful animals that live in the territory of the former Soviet Union. On average, the weight of sokhaty is 200 kg. There are individuals whose body weight reaches 500 kg.
Males, unlike females, are owners of magnificent large horns, which they change annually in winter. New ones grow by the end of summer. They become powerful weapons in the battle for the female. It happens that in a duel one of the males kills the other to death.
How is the elk hunt
Hunting these animals in our country is prohibited. However, those who want to kill a male moose have the opportunity to participate in the annual selective shelling. Only old males are allowed to be killed. Hunting is carried out in the autumn-winter period. The right to participate in the event is given by a license taken from the Hunting Department.
Moose hunting is a fascinating sight. It is carried out “on a roar”, by surge or raid. Sometimes hunting takes place with the participation of huskies.
Using decoys on moose
Hunters prefer to lure moose "to a moan." However, an indispensable condition for a successful hunt is the ability to use decoy.
Some hunting participants are able to imitate the moose roar quite plausibly without any adaptations. They make a shout with their palms and pinch their nose with their index fingers. Some moan in the gun barrel or glass from a kerosene lamp. Many people use a bottle without a bottom.
There are not so many hunters with such experience. Therefore, most resort to the use of special devices.
Making a decoy on an elk from a can
In order to make a decoy on moose with your own hands, you will need:
- a can of coffee or baby food;
- a cord or clothesline of medium thickness, about 60 cm long;
- an insulating tape or a piece of skin that is equal in surface area to the can.
Capacity will suit any size. The hole should correspond to the thickness of the taken cord, which is pushed into the hole at the bottom. A knot is knitted at its end so that it does not fall out.
The cord is wetted in water and clamped by the thumb and forefinger. Fingers drive along the rope from top to bottom. The can holds on to the base. Do not touch its walls. The sound of a wet rope is very similar to the moan of a moose.
The moose decoy will be more functional if you wrap the jar with leather or tape. The sound will be more natural. In addition, to give naturalness to the artificial voice, the bank is advised to fill with loose moss.
Tips of seasoned hunters
To hunt moose was successful, you must adhere to a number of rules:
- It is not recommended to go to moose in the rain. The most successful will be a clear morning.
- An inexperienced hunter must act in tandem with another shooter.
- You should be prepared to carry out an accurate shot.
- If a moose approaching a roar stops behind thick branches and cannot be seen, then you need to lie low for a moment and give a voice again or make a crunch with a dry branch. This time the moose will definitely come out.
- During the hunt and before it should not be smoked. Moose has a wonderful scent.
- Group hunting by the method of surge or round-up requires attention and caution. For its implementation, it is better to choose the winter period, when it is easy to notice traces of the animal.
- Fresh elk hunting is akin to sport. It all depends on the attentiveness and cunning of the shooter. This hunt is carried out with the onset of the evening, when the animals rest. To this end, they choose woodlands at the forest edge. Seeing the beast, you should shoot accurately. A wounded animal can easily leave.
Factory-made electronic decoys
If the hunter has not mastered the art of luring the beast with a pipe or other devices, then in this case it is recommended to resort to the use of factory-made decoys. They operate on the basis of electronics and are able to simulate the voices of all animals and birds.
The decoy for hunting on an electronic basis differs in compactness, resistance to blows and resistance to moisture.
Today, the Russian market has a wide range of similar products. Even there are models equipped with an LED screen. Pre-designed equipment is the key to a successful hunt.