18 of us flew out of Dublin to Budapest on January 22nd for 2 days driven shooting in N.Hungary. Sadly the start of the trip was marred by the death of one of the hunters,John Creedon,in his sleep at the age of 63,two days previously.
Unusually Customs inbound was a complete doddle.There was no one there! We hung around with our European Firearms passes,stacks of guncases and ammo boxes etc for a couple of minutes and then legged it into the arrivals hall.
We were met by Krisztina,our interpreter and general problem[of which there were few]solver.
A coach was waiting for us and we piled aboard for a 2 hour trip to our hotel in Balassagyarmat on the Slovakian border.
We arrived suitably refreshed after a pitstop for a case of beer.You should all appreciate that air travel is dehydrating.
Our host Zoltan Nagy met us to tell us that breakfast would be at 0545 and leave at 0615.
I would like to say that we were all mature,responsible adults and retired early to bed with our cocoa.I,ll be truthful,there was no cocoa.
A 35km drive had us at the first estate we were to shoot.We received a welcome and safety instructions translated by Krisztina and drew for our posts for the 1st drive of the day.
I drew a high seat which gave a great view and shortly roe deer started moving as the hunters took their places.
After a while there were 2 rifle shots in quick succession to signal the start of the drive.
Shots broke out,singles,doubles and I must admit my mouth was a bit dry with anticipation when a shot sounded nearby.
I saw 3 boar in the first drive,too far away to shoot at.The drive was long,excaberated by the snow and a few fights between the boar and the dogs.3 dogs were sadly killed in the first drive and 7 were taken to the vet

These dogs were chilling at lunchtime and bear a few fresh scars.Several bowls of goulash soup fortified us for the afternoon This first snap is fairly typical of the cover I saw.
We ended the day cold and with 8 boar and 3 foxes on the parade. Back to the hotel for dinner and bugger,again they were out of cocoa!
We had an extra 15 minute lie-in on Sunday morning as we were shooting a revier 15kms away.Still it was -15C at 6am,that woke you up ! Getting kitted up at the hunting hut.This day Zoltan placed us as the popular vote was that that those who hadn,t had a shot or seen game would get prime positions.
Of course the best laid plans go astray.The ghillies,Dodi and Gabor had been tracking the boar for 2 days and they had been beding down in one particular area.The fall in temperature overnight had meant they moved overnight to heavier cover close to the start of the drive.I couldnt hear it but others tell me there was a right old rumpus as the dogs and beaters tried to get them out of this towards the rifles.Eventually one stuck its head out to be shot by Pat Scully[AKA 4 boar Scully]This caused most of the boar to break back through the beaters.There must have been a lot of weaving and dodging I think.
However on this revier red hinds,calves and roe deer were on the list We finished up with 3 boar,7 reds,4 roe and 3 foxes for the day. Another typical view of the landscape.
The afternoon drive was a bit of a washout.We moved a few [2] klicks but it was evident that the boar had legged it from the sound of the gunshots judging by the fresh tracks in the snow.Several shots were fired but as wew were widely spaced out I only saw 2 foxes collected The traditional beating of a wild boar virgin ! A group of happy hunters !
In traditional Irish fashion we then proceeded to drink the hotel out of every drop of alcoholic beer only stopping when we reached the nonalcoholic beer.We experimented with the homemade palinka[plum brandy]. You could pour it on the bar counter and light it but what a waste.
Monday somewhat gingerly we returned to Budapest for a visit to the Diana hunting shop on Roscza ut and a superb lunch in Restaurant Kehli www.kehli.hu well worth a visit for 30 euros a head for one of Mrs Miggins beanos !
This was my first trip for a driven boar hunt.I only managed to shoot 5 foxes,got 2 shots at boar,drew blood on one at least.The second shot was a sitter but I couldnt explain to the beaters I had shot at 2.My Hungarian is miserable and always will be !
The bag for the weekend was 11 boar[1 more seen dead from a highseat but not recovered]6 foxes,7 red deer and 4 roe deer.
Some[2] hunters saw no boar,several saw a good few.I,Kevin,on his first trip abroad shot 2 crackers of boar on the first drive with a borrowed drilling in 16bore with an 8x57 slung underneath.1 was the biggest boar of the weekend at about 150kgs,a good trophy.
We fired about 80 shots in the 2 days.
Not everyone gets to shoot at a boar,not everyone gets to see a boar.It is a collective experience.
If you havent done it you are missing out on something !
Weather plays an important part in it.Zoltan tells me that -1to-2C with 3 to 5cm of snow is good weather for boar.
Yes we are going again next winter !

quote:

If you havent done it you are missing out on something !

You can say that again, It’s a thrill to hear the noise and then, see the boars coming toward you.

Great report, Sika. Weidmannsheil on your exploits!

Sorry to hear about your mate!

quote:

Originally posted by SIKA98K:
3 dogs were sadly killed in the first drive and 7 were taken to the vet

Wow, that must have been some rambo piggies!

- mike

quote:

Not everyone gets to shoot at a boar,not everyone gets to see a boar. It is a collective experience.

If you havent done it you are missing out on something !

Outstanding trip report & photos.

As for the above Quote - this is IMO quite true of Drive Hunting; if you can accept this you're on your way to a really good time.

Sadly, you fellows pay for and participate in one weekend a year with high expectations. When the opportunties occur throughout the season you get used to "the averages"; one weekend nothing and then the next Diana is smiling at you.

I fancy a trip to Hungary this year but am having a job finding a group or agent to arrange it with.
I have been contacted by one guy that recommends 'Sevako Kft' as an 'all inclusive' trip. It is a bit more expensive than I usually pay but then that could reflect the quality of the shooting grounds.
There doesn't seem to be any reference to 'all inclusive' trips on the web site so am hoping to find sombody else that has knowledge of the outfit but with no luck so far.
If anybody has anybody any first hand info of this outfit I'd much appreciate it.

Sevako ( http://www.huntinginhungary.eu/ ) is probably the largest Hungarian booking agency. They book pretty much all the best areas, and then some.

I can't comment on the "all inclusive" arrangement, but I would have no trouble if Sevako recommended an area for hunting. Prices vary quite a bit from area to area in Hungary. Better areas are normally able to charge more.

I believe Sika98 hunted with these guys: http://www.nagyvadhunting.hu/. They are in Northern Hungary, which is normally good for pigs. Prices are also pretty good.

- mike

Great trip report. Thanks for the pics as well. Saw a nice wildeschwein rug (like a bear rug) once at the Rod & Gun Club in Vogelweh - it's on a long list of to-do's...