Update:Latvia Stag/Boar hunt

[the nikster]

Finally completed my big hunt and really had a blast.
Got to go hunting with 18 of my best comrades for Stags and Boars. We harvested 1 stag out of 2 sighted, and 0 boars out of 8 sighted. Many good chances but only 1 stag permit and DANG those pigs run FAST!!!
This is us getting our morning instruction from the Hunt Organizer.http://www.hunttalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5838&stc=1&d=1201544234
Red Stag Hunt Latvia 008.jpg
This is me on the right with the successful hunter.http://www.hunttalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5840&stc=1&d=1201544234
Red Stag Hunt Latvia 022.jpg
Many hands make light work.http://www.hunttalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5839&stc=1&d=1201544234
Red Stag Hunt Latvia 019.jpg
After a long day of missing a lot and hitting a few, trophies begin to mount up.http://www.hunttalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=5837&stc=1&d=1201544234
Red Stag Hunt Latvia 030.jpg
I had a fantastic time and look forward to doing it again as soon as the snow flies-finally

 

[the nikster]

The story

First of all, someone either resize the photos or teach me (again) how to do it.

I got up to a Blizzard in Central Latvia Sunday morning. Only 1 degree C.
Wind was howling so I put on about 11 layers of clothes. Snowflakes were so big I nearly got a concussion walking to where my friend Ints was picking me up. We drove about 65 miles to his private concession on the Baltic coast. At about 4,000 hectares it was a huge area for this country. We arrived to find clear skies, temps around 6 and little or no wind.
We met up with the other hunters. Everything in Latvia is party hunting. We had 1 stag permit remaining out of the original 10 for the property and 31 pigs of the original 35 . Everyone had to sign in as hunting is very restrictive, then we received our directions from the leader of todays hunt.
#1. First we hunt stags, after the first shot, no-one can shoot at a stag until it is determined that we still have a permit, but boars are still open.
#2 Boars No females! Shoot little ones first (right)!
#3 Stay in shooting lanes.
I borrowed a 30-06 from Ints as firearms permits a tough to come by. A semi-auto which later caused me some grief.
First hunt/Game lasts about 1 hour. We all line up along one side of a forest and the pushers bring the dogs from the other side. Little dogs. Tiny terriers of some sort.
1, 2, 3, and finally 4 shots ring out. We got a Stag!! Then we gut it, and haul it back to camp. They tied a rope around a tree to give several men a chance to pull-very good idea. If you have ever put more than 2 men on a rope you know how you fight each other-see pic.
Beer, Vodka, more Vodka, and off we go for boars. They line out on a new area with me in a very good looking spot. I quietly chamber a round and I can here the dogs coming....They bark only sparingly till they are on one then it's a lot of noise. Suddenly only about 100 meters away they are really barking alot! I see them. 3 ghosts knifing through the brush about 40 meters out from my right to my left.
I move left knowing they have to come out in the open and they do. I am ready. The big pig is in my scope and I squeeze the trigger-click! The slide did not go all the way forward! I rack in another but they are gone.
3rd game we see 3 pigs with 3 shots fired-all misses. It is really tough with shotguns on a running hog-you usually only have him in the open for about 2 seconds. I was in a great spot with a small clearing in front of me. I had been there about 2 minutes when I notice antlers about 70 meters out laying in the grass. He layed there for 30 minutes with dogs barking, hogs running, men talking and walking and shooting before he got up and moved off. 3 points on 1 side 6 on the other.
The 4th game we saw nothing and fired no shots. We did see a couple of hogs as we drove around.
At the end of the day we went to the lodge where the Stag was butchered and evenly split up. and they made me eat the most awful fresh liver soup stuff you can imagine-and more vodka for them.
I had a fantastic time and hope to do it all again if the snow flies!

 

[noharleyyet]

Looks like quite an experience. Think I read an article recently that sounded almost identical to the hunt techniques you described. Thanks for the pictures.

 

[shoots-straight]

that's one mean little dog, His tearing out all the hair from the hide.
Oh, nothing like fresh liver flook to end an evening.

 

[MNHunter]

Congrats on a nice hunt. I was in Latvia in May 06, didn't even know they had any hunting there.