Hunting dogs are the most popular hunting dog breeds

What you need to know about moose

Elk is a fairly large animal; adult individuals can reach a weight of 600 kilograms with a body length of 2.5-3 meters and a height of about 2 meters. The head is heavy and large. The moose is often called “elk”; it received this nickname for the characteristic shape of its horns (short base and half-fan of horns diverging in different directions).

In extreme situations, the animal is capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 km/h. Moose swim well. An important feature that needs to be taken into account when hunting elk is its poor eyesight. From about 30 meters or more, the elk does not distinguish a motionless person from a tree. In contrast to vision, hearing and smell in moose are very well developed.

Dog hunting wild boar

To participate in a wild boar hunt, the dog must be thoroughly trained, because a wild boar, especially a wounded boar, is a dangerous and cunning animal; often insufficiently well-prepared dogs themselves become victims of such a hunt.

To prepare a dog for boar hunting, boar baiting should be carried out. Dogs that are good at hunting other animals may not be ready to hunt boar.

What is baiting and what are its features?

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Why Laika

There are 4 main types of elk hunting:

to the roar;
from the approach;
paddock;
hunting with dogs.

The big advantage of hunting using the latter method is the ability to approach an elk within shooting distance without any problems, since a trained dog tracks it fairly quickly. The most convenient type of dog for hunting elk is the husky. This breed is considered universal, because it is used for hunting both animals and birds.

Even despite the good natural predisposition of the husky for hunting elk, it still needs to be trained; the qualities do not develop on their own. In addition, each dog has its own preferences: there are pronounced moose cats, bear cats and even wild boar dogs. In order for a husky to navigate well when hunting elk, ideally it needs to be trained from birth. This way the dog will be more able to trust its owner and be trainable.

Preying on predators using hounds

The wolf is a popular object of hunting with the help of hounds. Up to 10 dogs are taken on a hunt, and they are angry towards the gray predator. They usually go hunting in autumn and winter. Wolves are caught due to the aggressive behavior of the predator. They attack, injure and even kill people, dogs and livestock.

The winter wolf becomes a vagabond and moves with the pack through the night forest in search of food. The hunters follow the tracks and find the wolf's lair and set the dogs there. The wolf faces one of two things: death from a bullet or from dog bites. But you don’t need many dogs to catch a fox. This is a beautiful hunt when a red-haired gossip is tracked down.

She is not given time to rest, as the hounds quickly find the trail and unravel it, even if the fox walks in circles and loops. If night fishing is unsuccessful, then the next day, with the help of hounds, they try to catch the fox during the day. Sometimes they do it differently.

The foxes' territory is flagged. She is afraid to cross the flags and will seek shelter inside the circle. She is not allowed to climb into her hole, having previously covered it with thick branches. The hounds will chase her inside the circle and in the end all that remains is to take the trophy.

Catching wild boar with hounds does not require such strong skills. The main thing is that the dogs are angry with the boar. This quality is found not only in hounds, but also in some mongrel dogs. Therefore, wild boar is hunted with the help of different breeds of dogs, including hounds.

After the start of the rut and the placement of shooters, the touched wild pig must be driven to the shooting line. A boar is a vicious animal and, in a state of rage, can even tear apart a pet. A wounded boar is especially dangerous. It can injure both the hound and its owner.

Hare hunting with a hound dog

Weapons and shooting tips

The optimal choice for hunting elk is a 12- or 16-gauge smoothbore shotgun. Different countries use different bullets. So, in Russia a popular choice is the Polev bullet, in European countries - the Brenneke bullet. The issue of weapons is purely individual, and in addition to smooth-bore guns, many people use rifled weapons. It has an optical sight installed, which, of course, increases the chance of an accurate shot.

The choice of a weapon for hunting, most often, depends either on the hunter’s desire to adhere to age-old traditions and use a gun without a scope, or on the desire to achieve maximum success in this matter (Moose, Tiger carbines). It is equally important to shoot correctly from any available weapon. An elk is a strong animal, and if you hit a point that is not lethal for it, then even a wounded animal can easily escape from the hunter.

There are many arteries on the elk's neck, so this is one of the places where you need to aim. From other places, experienced hunters distinguish the brain, heart and spine. But here there are nuances: the animal’s brain is small and the hit must be very accurate; a shot in the spine does not kill the elk, but only immobilizes the animal.

Traiting a dog to a wild boar

To prepare a dog to participate in boar hunting, you should start training it. For this, the following conditions are met:

The dog must be at least 1.5 years old so that the dog has self-control and perfectly follows the owner’s commands
Excellent physical shape of a dog is a prerequisite for its participation in hunting.
Knowledge of such commands as “Come to me!”, “Near!”, “Aport!” and “You can’t!”, and also responded to her nickname
The development of such qualities as hunting passion, viscosity, the ability to bark at a wild boar for a long time can occur naturally (if the dog has these qualities by nature), and artificially (if these qualities are poorly developed, a dog with these qualities is used as an example)

Laikas are often preferred to participate in wild boar hunting , because these dogs have a number of qualities necessary for hunting this particular animal:

Laikas are distinguished by their mobility, which is necessary, since an angry boar is capable of sudden and unexpected movements.
The sonorous bark of this dog allows you to detect the animal and determine its location
The viscosity of the husky, that is, the ability to pursue an animal for a long time, is also rated as good and makes it possible to pursue an animal for quite a long time
Most huskies are characterized by hunting passion and courage, which are also mandatory qualities in wild boar hunting.

Among huskies, it is preferable to use West Siberian, Russian-European and Karelian-Finnish huskies in wild boar hunting.

Excellent for hunting wild boar and dachshunds . In addition to the listed qualities characteristic of huskies (loud barking, hunting passion, courage and mobility), they are small in size and, as a result, have excellent evasiveness, because the tusks of an angry boar are a very dangerous and deadly weapon for inexperienced and insufficiently trained dogs. Also, the small and compact size of dachshunds often does not frighten the wild boar too much, which, when running away from them, does not develop the highest speed. And this, in turn, gives the hunter an excellent opportunity not to miss.

the Latvian hound when hunting wild boar . It has a number of qualities that make this breed suitable for wild boar hunting:

Excellent loud voice allows you to easily determine the location of the dog and the animal
Safely lifts the beast
Easily searches for a wounded animal, following its trail

In Spain, Great Danes are used to hunt wild boar , which drive the animal into exhaustion. Then the hunter comes into play.

Jagdterriers are also used in this type of hunting; their size and agility give them the opportunity to dodge the tusks of a boar. The bark of Jagdterriers is not as loud as that of huskies, but their hunting passion and viscosity make them also good companions and assistants in wild boar hunting.

Which dog is the best for hunting wild boar?

Hunting places and dates

There are officially permitted time frames for hunting elk. Legislatively fixed periods:

September 1-30 - hunting for adult males;
October 1 - December 31 - hunting for all groups of elk is allowed;
January 1-15 - hunting for young individuals (up to 1 year).

Moose live in swampy areas in the middle zone of our country. Some trees can also serve as a certain “beacon”. Elk prefer willow, birch, and in some cases aspen. Of course, these preferences are related to feeding. In addition, now there are many hunting grounds that provide elk hunting services.

We must not forget that every armed person going hunting must have a weapons permit and a valid hunter's license.

The Supreme Court confirmed the ban on walking in the forest with dogs

There are similar explanations in the resolution of the plenum of the Supreme Court of Russia “On the application by courts of legislation on liability for violations in the field of environmental protection and natural resource management.” The document also clarifies some hunting rules, for example, when a hunter risks being charged with a criminal offense. And when he does not risk anything.

Let us remind you that criminal liability for illegal hunting occurs in the event of major damage. Just walking through the forest with a gun at the wrong time is not a prison. But if the shooting caused major damage to the animal, the hunter faces an article of the Criminal Code.

As the plenum of the Supreme Court explained, the damage caused by illegal hunting is large not only in terms of the number and value of the animals hunted, but also taking into account other circumstances of the crime. In particular, it is necessary to take into account the ecological value, significance for a particular habitat, and the population size of these animals.

Damage will be considered major, for example, when shooting elk, red deer (deer, wapiti), musk ox, brown and white-breasted (Himalayan) bear.

The Criminal Code also punishes illegal hunting using a mechanical vehicle or aircraft, explosives, gases or other methods of mass destruction of birds and animals. Catching birds and animals is also considered a crime, hunting which is completely prohibited. In addition, hunting in a specially protected natural area or in an environmental disaster zone or in an environmental emergency zone is punishable.

The plenum of the highest court explained that such crimes are considered completed from the moment the commission of actions directly aimed at searching, tracking, and pursuing for the purpose of obtaining hunting resources begins. In other words, as soon as the poachers go hunting, they can be taken. The arguments that they didn’t manage to kill anyone will not be accepted as an excuse.

As stated in the resolution, hunting in violation of the requirements of the legislation on hunting is illegal, including hunting without the appropriate permit for the extraction of hunting resources, outside designated areas, outside the timing of hunting, etc.

Mechanical vehicles mean cars, motorcycles, motorized scooters, snowmobiles, boats, motor boats and other vehicles driven by an engine. A person who hunts in the forest using any of the listed means will automatically be considered a poacher.

The Plenum explains that a citizen can be found guilty of illegal hunting using a mechanical vehicle or aircraft only if they were used to search for animals, track them or pursue them for the purpose of production. Another jurisdictional option is that vehicles were used directly in the production process, for example, birds and animals were shot from a vehicle while it was moving. You can also be charged with illegal hunting using vehicles if the vehicles were used to transport illegally hunted animals.

If hunters in transport were only getting to the hunting site, this in itself is not illegal. These actions, if there are grounds for it, can be qualified as complicity in illegal hunting in the form of aiding and abetting. Let's say, if people come in cars to the forest to shoot and have all the licenses and permits, the law will not have any claims against them. If there was no permission, they may be charged with illegal hunting using vehicles.

A separate question is how to distinguish between illegal hunting and a simple violation of hunting rules. If the first is a criminal offense, the second is considered just an administrative offense. For example, being in hunting grounds with a weapon during a forbidden hour is considered a violation of hunting rules until a person shoots a special valuable animal. The plenum confirmed the principle that even ordinary dog walkers are punished for walking in the forest. The fact is that, according to the letter of the law, the presence of people in hunting grounds with hunting tools and (or) hunting products, hunting dogs, birds of prey without the appropriate permission is considered a violation of hunting rules. So even for walking with a dog in the forest they can be punished administratively. This practice exists, and the plenum of the highest court supported it.

The Criminal Code also punishes illegal logging of forests and destruction or damage to forests. The Plenum explained that these articles may cover not only logging in the forest, but also in the city. Protected from arbitrary axes, for example, are plantings in parks, alleys, separately planted trees within the city, plantings in the right of way of railways, highways or canals. At the same time, the Supreme Court emphasizes, it does not matter whether the trees, shrubs, and vines were planted artificially or whether they grew without purposeful human efforts.

In general, the plenum concerns all crimes against nature. An interesting point: people who have suffered from bad ecology have the right to demand compensation for moral damage. Those who ruined the environment, for example, hazardous industries in the district, will have to pay. “Compensation for moral damage caused to the health of citizens by the negative impact of the environment is carried out regardless of guilt, if such damage was caused by legal entities and citizens whose activities are associated with an increased danger to the environment (Article 1100 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation),” says paragraph 44 of the resolution.

What to watch out for

Don't forget about precautions when hunting. The moose is a large and strong animal that can be angered.

In a rage, the elk can not only kill the dog, but even attack the hunters. This must be taken into account and never forgotten.

Other hunters can pose no less, and perhaps even greater, danger to people while hunting. The basic rule is not to cross-fire at the animal. Before making a shot, you need to look at its trajectory, and only if there is no one further away, you can shoot.

If you have never taken part in a hunt before, but are determined, it is better to watch videos, of which there are quite a few on the Internet. Watching it will help you better navigate the situation and understand how to behave while hunting.