Interested in hunting driven (and over highstand) wild boar in Europe.....anyone book those kind of hunts?

Bill,

I sent you an email. Please let me know if you rec'd it.

Sincerely,
John Barth
Adventure Unlimited, Inc.
safaris@trip.net

Same here. Just moved from EU to Canada, used to run a booking agency there. I'll give some feedback on the options, if you so require.

Frans

By the way, the e-mail I sent through the link provided on this forum bounced. I then used the "private e-mail" option, but you may want to check your info.

Frans

DB Bill,

There are tons of booking agents in Europe, just like there are in the US. A lot are good, some are not so good... Most charge a booking fee - which is unheard of in the US. But hey, you can always compare prices you are offered in the US to European prices. See further below.

It really should not be a problem finding some boar hunting. If you are looking for a BIG boar - maybe even for a mount (as opposed to just the tusks mounted), this is what I'd look for:

- if a BIG boar is on your books, forget driven hunts.
- if you want to have a good chance at a BIG boar, you have to go to Eastern Europe or the former Sovjet Union - perhaps include Turkey as an option? In general, the further East you go the biger the boars, but the less organized hunting may become. Bulgaria or Rumania may be good bets for big boars and still well organized hunting. Bellarussia (sp?), Russia itself or Ukraine may have bigger boars but you *may* run into some problematic hunting (e.g. poaching - which I have experienced in the Ukraine).
- you have to go late - November-December, to try to catch the rut of the boars.
- you have to try to go just before or just around full moon. The moon comes later every night after full moon, so don't leave it too much later!
- you have to try to go to a place cold enough for snow to be available. This has the added advantage that a boar in full winter hair has got to be one of the most impressive mounts on this Earth! In summer hair they look like sh**...
- you have to choose a hunting area where they are experienced and willing to go to the effort of doing good baiting for boars - not as easy as one may think! E.g. you often won't get pigs to come to bait stations in too open country. Need the best of high seats, the more closed the better, if you can sleep on them, even better. Need lots of pigs too!
- you have to come prepared to sit up quiet most of the night - boring, until a pig shows up, then your heart beats like crazy!
- you have to have a reasonable size gun - minimum is about a .30-06, bigger is better. In particular bigger caliber is better. Ideal is something approaching 9.3mm (e.g. .338, 9.3x62, .375 H&H etc). You need first class bullets - pigs are hard and dangerous when wounded!
- you have to have the best optics available - preferably European optics with a 56 mm objective lens and even a lighted reticle. Only the best will do! In some countries, you *may* even be allowed to use lights, in which case (if you consider this sporting), you may want to look into the options for lamps, filters etc etc.
- quiet clothes - wool preferred
- LOTS of luck!

If you are lucky enough, you may get a trophy of a lifetime!

You can also choose to go on a driven hunt - in which case a lot of the information above is of limited value. Just don't make the mistake of hoping for a BIG boar on a driven hunt. It does happen, but so does winning in the National Lottery. A driven hunt is for the fun of the action, but not for being choosey about trophies... Either works if it is what you are looking for. In the case of driven hunts, Hungary or Poland would begin to show up my horizon. Hungary does not have a lot of big boars, but they have a very highly developed driven hunt tradition...

OK onto the issue of booking agents:

try

Artemis Tours

They don't have an English web-site, but I know Sylvia Gabauer has dealt with US customers before, and she has a good reputation. Give her a call maybe. She offers boar hunts in most Eastern European countries. See what fits your budget - often you expect to have to pay for trophy size!

Antother is:

Mistral Jagd

Anton Ulmer does not necessarily have the ultimate reputation, but I have used him several times and have always been happy with him. Also not much of an English web-site...

Diana in Denmark is a big agency:

Diana

The Hunting Consortium was well known in trophy hunting circles for many years. Still sends a bunch of people Marco Polo hunting etc... It is run by an American, maybe that is an advantage??

Hunting Consortium

Don't know if this is their US or European (German) webpage, though???

This is another of the bigger booking agencies in Germany:

Westfalia Jagdreisen

There are just too many booking agents to mention them all. In general it is in Europe like it is in the US: don't expect to get the absolute cheapest prices with a booking agent (and maybe even suffer booking fees ), but you buy into a lot of experience and a reputation for sending people to hunt in good locations. I would not try to arrange this privately - e.g. via the net - if I was you (i.e. without booking agent). Unless you have some inside information, the risk of getting burnt is too large, and I suppose you only have limited time (and $$$) to spend on your quest for a boar for your wall??

Weidmannsheil! - mike

[ 06-03-2003, 17:17: Message edited by: mho ]