Mouflon hunting in Slovakia
Exchange hunt between The Three Musketeers
I’m writing this article regarding mainly my latest mouflon hunting trip. But since there has happened so much before this particular trip, I think I need to tell the whole story, at least in outline. The trip was virtually last part from the most interesting hunting deal I’ve ever involved. And the deal itself was an exchange hunt agreement between three guys - The trio, which reminds me a story about The Three Musketeers. Not relating to the deeper idea from the original novel by Alexandre Dumas. Just because of the friendship and muskets. We don’t use such a precious calling names like Athos or Porthos, just “Lucky Bastard” or “Funny Bastard”, and so on.
First journey
In 2013 I agreed an exchange hunt with a seasoned hunter, Mr. Daniel Pavlík from Cerová, Slovakia. Daniel, or as his friends call him, Dano, was interested to hunt whitetail deer and grouses in Finland. And he in turn, offered me a chance to hunt a mouflon. In addition, I had a chance to hunt red deer and wild boar, with also a small chance for a fallow deer. So there was plenty species to hunt on Dano’s district. This was actually a very good factor for my trip, as we didn’t get good weathers for the mouflon hunt. We hadn’t snow at all, which is necessary, until the mouflons starts to migrate lower to the district from the neighboring mountains.
My trip was successful, nonetheless. I managed to shoot my first red deer, a young spiker. And we got an invite for a memorable pheasant and hare driven hunt event on Klobouky, Czech Republic. This invite came from Dano’s very good Czech friend, Mr. Karel Gränz. During the day in Klobouky I met nice people and enjoyed the noble Czech hunting culture. I didn’t bag any pheasants, but I shot two hares, which were actually my first hares ever. There was also a very entertaining and festive season closing party after the hunt. So overall, I had a splendid trip. But although I really enjoyed my time in Slovakia and Czech, Dano was still bothered due to a lack of our mouflon chances.
Dano’s trip to Finland
As we started to plan our exchange hunt in a spring 2013, we got immediately a third party in our deal, already an experienced Finnish exchange hunter, Mr. Mika Kirma. He was also very interested to bag a mouflon ram someday. So later, almost a year after my trip, on October 2014, Dano made his trip to Finland. We agreed with the guys, that Dano stays first at my place, and the rest of his trip he will be hosted by Mika.
Dano stayed a week in Finland, and from my club’s districts he shot his first whitetail buck, a young six pointer. He shot also a challenging hazel grouse double. We got some bad luck with the weathers in order to hunt a black grouse the way we wanted. And despite our effort, we didn't get a chance to bag any. However, Dano managed to shoot a nice black grouse cock later with Mika. And from Mika’s place Dano bagged another six pointed whitetail buck. This one was huge, older one, with still velvet on the antlers on early October. Quite weird case.
Mika in Slovakia
On January 2015 it was Mika’s turn to travel in Slovakia, hoping to bag his first mouflon ram. But as he got there, a somewhat promising forecast turned to a depressing form. Mika and Dano tried very hard, but they didn’t bag a mouflon, so Mika left home with only experience and fresh air in his luggage.
Dano was quite stressed out about our unsuccessful mouflon hunts. So later on, kindhearted gentleman as he is, he offered us another chances for mouflon. This time we tried to get the timings as right as possible, especially regarding the weathers. On December 2015 Mika traveled to Dano’s place again. Dano had a license for one mouflon ram on his friend's good mouflon area. As Mika and Dano started their hunts, I started to wait anxiously a good news from Slovakia. And after a couple of earlier messages from the guys, I finally got the news that I really waited - Mika got his ram! I was very happy for the guys. After all the bad luck, they succeed! And yes, it felt like WE succeed.
My mouflon hunting in Slovakia – take two
On January 2016 Dano was monitoring the forecast intensively. Then he contacted and told me about the chances to have a good weather for a mouflon hunt. Mika’s setback from previous January was still very fresh in my thoughts. But after a serious considering, I decided to give it a try, and I booked the flights for a four nights stay, from Wednesday to Sunday.
Wednesday. I flew into a Vienna, where Dano waited me again. It was a late evening as we arrived to Dano’s home. I noticed that there wasn't actually a good cover of snow on the ground. Temperature was a bit below zero, and the ground was frozen, with not more than a couple of millimeters of snow. Dano wasn’t too relaxed about the situation. And frankly, I was a somewhat worried also. But I kept telling myself, that I have no reason to be worried. Once again I had a chance to hunt wild boar and fallow or red deer also, so there was no doubt about good hunting trip in general. We had a late snack and we planned our becoming hunting day before the good night sleep.
Thursday. We woke up very early. After my morning routines I went to a breakfast into the Dano’s kitchen, and there my friend waited me with a wide smile on his face. He pulled the curtains aside from the window and there was a happy surprise outside - A lots of snow! It was snowed all the night, and there was maybe from five to ten centimeters snow cover on the ground. Our hunting morale improved immediately!
After the breakfast we drove to Dano’s district, and we started to walk along the familiar path towards the high seat and feedings. I was a little bit suspicious about the thoughts of immediate migration of the mouflons, right after the first good snow.
But there was no room for my thoughts very long, as we saw the first mouflon ram, just as we got nearby the high seat. - Shoot, shoot! Dano shouted. But the situation was over before it even started. The ram was nice one, but also very fast one. There were much trees between me and the mouflon, and I never got it properly in the reticle. Anyways, this was very encouraging experience. It was nice to notice that our timing was as perfect as it could be, after all.
After the exciting encountering with the mouflon ram, we had about three hours stalking session, which was enjoyably exhausting. Without a success, however. We also tried our small, two men driven hunts on the hills, and still without a happening. Afterwards we drove around the district and we checked the hills from the car, but we saw nothing but a bunch of roe deers. Anyways, even though we didn’t saw more desired game, the morning was quite promising. So we headed for a lunch and well-earned afternoon nap in high spirits.
During the lunch we got news from Karel, he wanted to visit us in the evening. I rested a few hours and later on, as we enjoyed our dinner, Karel arrived. It’s not probably necessary to mention that as we met again after a long time, there was a lots of discussion about hunting. But also about other priorities from our lives.
After the hunting we went back to Dano’s place, where Karel warmed his car and started his journey back to home. We didn't waste any important sleeping time with Dano, and we started to charge our batteries for a morning hunt.
Friday. We started hunting with a two-hour session in a high seat. Weather was nice, bit cloudy and the temperature was only minus five degrees. There was a fresh tracks of mouflons and red deer also, but less surprisingly only game animals we saw from the high seat, was plenty of roe deer. After the session, we started to stalk the feeding places, but we found nothing but fresh tracks from every one of these.
Then we arrived to a corner of familiar field. Dano told me to go downwards to a notch between two larger hills, by the small, steep and icy path. He went upwards to other hill, trying to drive the assumed game into my front direction. I found my post without problems, and it took only about ten minutes as there started to happen.
I heard a noise from the top left of the hill, and it didn’t take long as very nice red stag ran right in front of me. Well, at least on my scale the stag was very good. Anyways, I made some noise to slow the stag, in order to check him better. The stag stopped broadside against me, probably in a distance of fifty or sixty meters. I thought it was a right kind of stag to take a shot, but then I heard more noise from the stag’s route. I checked fast what’s happening, and I saw a herd of mouflons running after this red deer. I also saw immediately that there was a couple of good rams along. I had a difficult decision to make. Either to shoot my first good antlered red stag from the dream target, or try to shoot the ram we’re really after, but on the run. In a split second I decided that this was second time, when I came to Slovakia for a mouflon ram, and as I got some kind of a chance to shoot one, I needed to try it! So I moved the reticle away from the vitals of the stag, and I targeted this running ram instead. Second or two, and I squeezed the trigger. The ram dropped instantly, while the stag and all other mouflons disappeared in the forest.
The ram was lying on the ground, just about fifty meters away from me. The feeling was quite unrealistic. I was just bagged my first mouflon ram. The moment that I waited for a very long. Now there was no hurry at all, I just waited my friend to come down from the hill and to see what’s just happened.
Maybe ten minutes later Dano walked into my post and said that he heard a shot. I pointed the ram on the ground, and as Dano saw the mouflon, he filled with the joy and happiness. “FINALLY – MY FINNISH FRIENDS ARE MOUFLON HUNTERS!!!” - He shouted out loud. A genuine reaction, which showed me how important our success was to him.
And yes, in the end of the day, it was just one mouflon ram. But it was a special one - My first one. And there was a good amount of trying and bad luck, until we succeed. This fact only improved the experience.
We dragged the mouflon up to the corner of the field and we took a little break. I sent the good news to Mika. He congratulated us, and demanded photos about the ram as soon as possible. Dano left to pick up the car. I waited him and enjoyed a nice Slovakian winter morning. And the fact that we just got our reward!
We stopped by a Dano’s parents to show the ram to his father. At Dano’s home I took a hot shower and long cold beer, which tasted exceptionally good. After a lunch we started the car and we headed to a Czech side. We visited Karel first. He congratulated us warmly, and served a couple of classic schnapps for me, while Dano skinned the mouflon. Then we drove to the workshop of Dano’s familiar taxidermist, Pavel. We left my mouflon to him, and we got Mika’s trophy along, which I promised to deliver to Finland on my way back.
On our return journey we went to eat in the place which Dano called Hunter’s Restaurant. For a hunter it was seriously a luxurious place to eat. There was plenty of mounted game animals and skins on the walls, and the massive timber walls created a cozy atmosphere in the restaurant. Dano ordered us a plates of Hunter’s Mac ’n’ Cheese, or at least that’s how I called these portions. The food was very tasty. As I finished it, I had barely a room for the rest of my beer. Not a chance to take another one. We planned to celebrate our success in a local brewery pub nearby Dano's home, but we we’re so exhausted that we just discussed about everything and enjoyed a couple of beers in a Dano’s hunting room instead.
Saturday. We had the same plans as a day before. We spent again a couple of hours in a high seat, without the result. After the session we tried to repeat our success from Friday. I walked right into a same spot, where I shot the ram. But this time we had a bit of bad luck. As Dano started the drive, the mouflons we’re quite near to him, and I was maybe 15 seconds late from the post when the mouflons arrived. I had a quite difficult chance to shoot a nice mouflon ram, as the herd ran nearby the post, but I decided not to take a shot, because the risk was totally unnecessary.
After the hunt we relaxed at Dano’s home. I took an afternoon nap, then shower and couple of beers while we watched very entertaining football match between Norwich City and Liverpool FC. Dano is a big fan of Liverpool, and there was a quite nice feeling in the living room, when Pool made their fifth goal, on the fifth minute of overtime. The final result was 4-5 in a very action-packed match.
In the evening we went to hunt a wild boar from the high seat. This location was new to me, and there was a yearling wild boar in the feeding place, as we arrived nearby. We tried to climb in the high seat without making too much noise, but for some reason the wild boar left before we got in the stand. The wind wasn’t too favorable, so maybe this sensitive animal got clue from us by the air. Or maybe we weren’t so silent after all. During the session we didn’t saw more wild boars, only some hares and foxes. But the evening was quite pleasant, even though the weather was periodically a bit challenging because of heavy snowing. We returned to Dano’s home, relaxed a bit and I packed my bags for the home journey.
Sunday. It was the departure day. In the morning we had an early wake up again. After the breakfast Dano drove me back to Vienna and helped me with Mika’s mouflon trophy. It was a time to say goodbyes. As my friend left the airport, I went to grab a snack and buy some souvenirs for my dear girls.
Overall
As I wrote earlier, my first trip to Slovakia was splendid. My second trip was as perfect as I can ever imagine. Indeed. This exchange deal with three eager participants has been truly memorable.
Exchange hunting is a seriously worthwhile way to hunt abroad. You can always buy a nice hunt for yourself, but I’m quite sure that you can’t get true hunting friends with the money. And this is the case. Big thanks to Daniel and his lovely family! And thanks also to everyone else who’s been involved in this great exchange deal.
Lovu Zdar / Waidmannsheil
Markus H.
