Day 1: Kutina hunting grounds Early the morning, the hunting-tour operator drives us to the Kutina hunting ground. On the half-hour journey, we pass through small, snow-covered villages until we reach the hunting lodge. There, we meet up with the leaseholder of the Kutina hunting ground, Marian Balasko, and his […]
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Ardennes: The Cross-Border Boars
Mythical, nay mystical, the Ardennes forest attracts visitors as much as it impresses them. In the depths of these woods, crouches the black beast which gives this place its reputation. Approaching the Ardennes from the south, before delving into this eponymous forested massif, the region offers a most beautiful wooded […]
Read More“Wild boars in the corn!”
If I had to name one type of hunt that really excites me, I’d say: in summer grain. At night, observing the damaged areas in the milk-ripe wheat with a thermal camera, stalking the boars if they come to feast, and possibly taking one down – that’s incredibly appealing to […]
Read MoreAncient collective hunt today
It is the end of the hunting season. Winter days are combined with a few scattered spring warmer ones. I am driving towards Zaragoza, which is one of the coldest cities in Spain. It sits below the Pyrenees and even if it gets really hot in summer, winters get icy […]
Read More¡Viva la montería!
In Spain, it’s as important as driven hunts are in France – it’s an institution. Let’s set out to discover the montería, a form of hunting that also earns a lot of criticism… not least due to ignorance. On the Iberian Peninsula, the hunting season for large game ends on […]
Read MoreStalking Ibex in Spain – Part 1
In Spain, we have got 3 different ways of game hunting. Firstly, driven hunts which can be either large hunts with 30 or 40 hunters, the so-called „monterías“ or smaller hunts with less than 15 hunters, the so-called „batidas“. Secondly, there is trail hunting where you track and follow the […]
Read More“Brothers in Hunt” – A Spaniard hunting in Germany
I recently had the opportunity to join a traditional German driven hunt on the Leica Hunting state, where all traditions and regulations were strictly and proudly followed. I noticed several differences from the very start of the day; however, the spirit and the feelings were fully alike. A silent gathering […]
Read MoreMonteria in the cold season
November is my favourite hunting month. The sleeves draw a magical landscape: intense yellows, squeaky oranges, ocher, dark greens and white sparks from the morning dew. As the nights are quite cold, the game tends to look for refugee at the milder bottom of the valleys. It’s the autumn’s apogee, […]
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