Tips for succeeding in stalking & hunting wild boar

The hunting to the track and the tracking in general do not enjoy in Spain the predicament that in the rest of Europe or in North America; and, above all, that in Africa. Tradition or terrain conditions have not led the peninsular hunter down this exciting path. In addition, practicing it in the most ideal conditions, that is, with snowy ground, is prohibited in most of the territory.

Not so in the Pyrenees, where the exception is given that it is allowed, in this case, also with an arch.

Credits: wideopensenses.com

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) , I can say little about this animal that has not already been said.It is the species of big game (hunting) that has increased its population the most in recent years, inhabiting places where it did not exist before, causing real problems in rural areas and some urban centers and reaching the point of being considered a pest in many places in our geography and from the rest of the planet.

Hated by farmers for the damage it causes to crops, it is loved by hunters since their hunting arouses true passion among fans who practice it, being the most common and well-known and the one with the most modalities: batida, dog hunting , waiting from ground position or elevated, in feedlots, at the pass, with night watchmen, on horseback with lance, on stalking and on the trail with snow.

The latter is one of the least practical, but without a doubt it is one of the hardest and most rewarding for the hunter; But if we practice it in high mountain areas with spectacular landscapes in the heart of the Pyrenees, where the white blanket of winter covers its mountains, it becomes a unique and magical hunt both because of the difficulty involved and because of the unknown and uncertain result.

Snow hunting is prohibited in many places in Spain, but in the Pyrenees, taking into account that practically half the season snow is present in hunting areas, a change was made to the regulations adapting it to the area, where You can practice hunting as long as the snow cover does not exceed a certain thickness and does not condition the animal’s flight.

I have been fortunate to be the squire of one of the best boar hunters on the trail I know, my father; In his footsteps I learned – and to this day I still do – everything I know about this beautiful and unknown venatory art. Mid-November; the early snowfall had covered the mountains with white, a preamble to the long winter to come.

credits: https://gearjunkie.com

Although the quality of the snow was not ideal for practicing this type of hunting, since it was crusted snow (as it is called in the slang), hard and noisy that broke when stepping, exponentially complicating the task of get within range without being caught, you had to try. So, not too soon, at 7:00 am, since with this type of hunting it is not very necessary to get up early, I load gear and the bush.

The asphalt of the road gives way to the snowfall and the winding track that will take me to the hunting area. In the shady faces, the slippery terrain makes the advance ‘more fun’, trusting that the blockade and the good saps of the 4 × 4 will make me descend without problems.

About 20 minutes later I reach the valley that I intend to hunt. I leave the pick-up on a siding and with all the junk I start to go up the slope in search of some trace of activity of the boars in their night rambles in search of sustenance.

It was not long before I found some holes in the lower area ; They were fresh, not long ago, for the soil loose in the snow had not yet frozen.

I circle the loops looking for the exit of the trail towards the bed; In a few minutes I find her and I start to follow her. Knowing the weight by the size of the footprint is a complicated task and many times the footprint does not do justice to the pig’s bearing.

How to identify the tracks and tracks of the Boar:

Source: wikimedia.org

What is clear is that they are two and not very heavy, since their tracks are not very deep. The trail crosses the river and heads towards a forested slope facing south, very pleasant when the white mantle and low temperatures flood the valley.

I begin to gain height following the footsteps of the Suidae and, as the trail enters the lush forest of black pine (Pinus uncinata), the strides of the pigs are shortening, an unequivocal sign that under the cover of the thick feel more confident. I look back, I no longer see the pick-up and the murmur of the less and less rushing river is hardly heard anymore; I look at the clock, 1.70 km since I took the trail.

In this type of hunting one knows where it begins but not where or how it ends ; I have followed tracks for days without being able to find the boar and some, after a whole day following them, I have thrown them just a few hundred meters from where I started the trail!

The trail begins to flatten, inside the forest the snow layer is thinner, about 20 cm, but with each step that I make it crunches under my feet like glass, warning of my presence, which worries me since it is not my intention to throw a wild boar on the run with the bow.

At 5.20 km the trail splits and I find some very cool slight waves, a typical and unequivocal sign of the Suidae before bedtime; I slow down, check the direction of the wind, which continues to hit my face, and pay more attention if possible to everything around me since I sense that at any moment I will find them.

This moment is unique and perhaps the one that generates the most nervousness: the uncertainty of what the meeting will be like, will they be under a fallen log? Will they surprise me with a snort and a fleeting run? Or tucked into a thick thicket?

Using the loop of the rope , I put a little pressure on the trigger so that the leather strap fits well with my wrist and when anchoring it is as solid and compact as possible.

Two more steps and in a peek … there they are !, lying ass to ass with ears raised just 15 meters away.

I bend down, turn on the camera on my head, make sure that the viewfinder is placed at the shortest distance to the one I have adjusted, I open the bow squatting and little by little I get up; I am peeking, I hope they are still there, I repeat over and over again while I finish peeking.

Moment of the shot taken with the camera of the head, in which the boar is seen from the front in the red circle

One of the boars is already on alert as he is standing facing my position, while the other is still lying with his back to me.

credits: www.fera.co.uk

In tenths of a second I have to choose my objective since I don’t know how long they will last without snorting and starting to run; Neither of them offers me a good target but I decide to shoot the one who’s chest, I think it will be easier for my bolt to reach some vital area.

I peek a little further, just enough for the arrow to pass; I put the pin at the base of the neck while I finish consolidating the anchor and, while collimating, I start to embrace the cold trigger, as highlighted by the yellowed optical fiber of the visor in the dark fur of the animal; and, without realizing it, the release surprises me: fuubbbb!

source: pinterest

In slow motion I see the flight of the feathered woman and how it impacts the animal, which embarks on a clumsy race dyeing the white cloak of the ground in carmine red as it passes.

At 20 m from the shot I see the animal in vain trying to erratically and uncoordinated follow its fellow, but it turns around and collapses, sliding down the snowy slope, to stop on a fallen tree stump.

I sit on the cold floor; While the forest is silent, I am assimilating what happened, it will never cease to amaze me how lethal a well placed hunting arrow can be.

It’s 11:40 minutes. More than four hours and 5.50 km after finding the first holes in the valley floor, I have successfully completed one of the most beautiful sets of my life.

I sit up, shake the cold snow off my pants and slowly get behind the trail. Although I know that the boar lies dead, I always like to follow the trail left by the animal in its flight, this will help me on other occasions to interpret its behavior after receiving the impact of the arrow.

The scandalous and abundant nature of the trail is magnified by the snow, which leads me step by step towards the animal. Minutes later I can finally touch it, it is a male two and a half years old and about 50-60 kg of weight, well fattened.

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I take the required photos, some videos and prepare the animal to drag it. I will lower it whole to the car since, since it has a neck shot, it will have a perfect meat carcass and I prefer to gut it at home so as not to dirty its meat and be able to make the most of it.

The layer of snow makes the task of dragging the animal more bearable, an hour later he was loading the boar in the pick-up box. Obviously a solitary pig is not great, nor is he the bearer of a great trophy with large knives and thick grinders, but this cold morning in mid-November, at the bottom of that valley covered by the white blanket of snow, with the imposing peaks Pyrenees as a background, that boar for me is the best boar in the world.

 SOME ASPECTS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT

In this modality there are many more factors to take into account than in any type of conventional stalking, which will be decisive for the success of the company.

A snowy ground can be a great ally if we know how to interpret the signs that the suidae in their night rambles leave in it, but it can also be a nightmare if we are not able to interpret these signs or choose the hunting day or the quality of the game poorly. cloak, causing the hunter to give blind sticks through the bush (I say this from experience).

In my opinion, these are the key points to keep in mind:

• Snow quality.

credits: www.redbull.com

The quality of the snow is very important, since it will depend on whether we can approach our objective without being heard. According to the Innuits, there are more than 50 types of snow; unfortunately my knowledge is not so extensive.

But the best snow to follow a trail is cold, dry powder snow, the one that when you take it with your hand you can’t compact it and when you blow it it looks like cotton; that will allow us to follow her trail with hardly any noise.

On the contrary, the worst is the snow transformed into a crust, that which due to changes in temperature or the action of the wind has changed its state and becomes brittle and noisy, especially the first layer in our path, making our footsteps can be heard hundreds of meters in the bush.

• Interpret the footprints.

Credits: https://www.countryfile.com

Being able to assess whether or not it is worth following a trail will save us a lot of time and effort.

– Know if the flakes are fresh or not

– If it is an entrance or exit trace of the bed

– If it is a herd or a lonely male

– If the trail is a flight to the race or the animal goes to the quiet pace (many times the footprints in the snow are deformed and do not usually do justice to the carriage of the pig

– The best reference to get an idea of ​​the size is the stride that the boar gives when walking)

– If it is a season of heat (if we find a herd it is easy for a male to follow closely)

– Know how to differentiate between the foraging for food or the typical shallow foraging in a circle that they do before bedding …

All this will make us sharpen our senses since the meeting may be imminent.

• When to go out to follow trails.

Not every day is appropriate to practice this type of hunting. The best days are those that after 48 hours have passed since the end of a snowstorm, time gives a truce and clears; since the animals, when the bad weather worsens, cease their activity to take shelter under the cover of the mountain, to start it again when the weather improves.

After 48 hours, we will find more signs of activity and more recent, with the addition that, if we follow trails on a snowing day, it is very difficult to interpret them and it is quite likely that the snow will cover the trail before we are able to find the animal.

• The moment of the cast.

A good shooting technique, standing still and in motion, together with a good knowledge of the anatomy of this animal, will facilitate the outcome of the set, since there are few occasions when the encounter will be with the animal crossed and still, being habitual shots from the front, from the back, with the animal bedridden or in motion, the hunter having a few seconds to assess the situation and make an effective shot that reaches the vital organs of the suido.

These parameters and a lot of patience and tenacity, without being in a hurry or afraid to go back and start again if we are not clear that we are on the right track, will make us know a little more about this unknown but beautiful hunting modality.