Ok - an 2013 opener:

Just back from a short hunt in Croatia - had fun with hunting boars by stalking.

Along with couple of best hunting friends we were hunting in Monjoros - Belje, Croatia:

Typical - flat swampy terrain...









Anyway - one morning -



just after I have shot a fox...with 9,3x62.

I've whitnessed a great 2 min display of a huge herd of trophy Stags scrambled by my shot that was on the way across a long meadow. Later on, when we were colecting boars from morning hunts - we bumped once again into a small part of that herd. When I pull my stuff together I will post the mentioned herd in full length - till then just an appertizer - for best view watch directly on You Tube in HD and Full screen:

Very cool pictures mouse, Did you get a Stag as well? Great hunt looks COLD!

.....seems to be a left-hand rifle.....maker??

Resalb

Ok here is the Main Course:



Conifer (as londonhunter) already guessed it is a "mirror" (lefthand) optioned Blaser. Offroad, 20" tracker barrel in 9,3x62, with Zeis Diavari 3-12x56 scope.

Rug it wasn't bad -5 deg C, tho with N wind it got chilly on occasions.

No I didn't get Stag - season for them ends at January 15th (if I am correct?), beside I would rather hunt Stag in rut time (September).

Here is a Top stuff that comes from that place (totaly natural (no feeding additives), free ranging stags don't get any bigger - 245 CIC points:



Ex Yugolslavian president Tito was suppose to hunt this on but died before...who shot it at the end was well kept secret then .

As a matter of fact I will give that option (Stag in rut) a serious thought - guys there are in a rather strange situation. While they don't have problem selling biggest trophies (CIC gold and silver medal stuff), there is a big amount of trully big trophies in bronze (up to silver medal) stuff, and they are ready to drop the prices on those quite dramatically.

Here is a nice 195 CIC trophy of an old 10+ years old stag:



Or something like this:

I agree mouse93

Croatia is truly a gem for hunting

Don't forget their teddies ....

I really wish I hunted in the Tito days

I was shooting in your country 02 years ago

And an old man showed me a photograph of

Chairman Mao and Tito sitting in one of his

many lodges in Bled

I must confess I do not know Yugoslavian

history but I though I knew about MAO

I Was sure that MAO did not visited Yugoslavia but I was wrong

I asked him where did he get the photograph and he said

I took it

I was the tea boy who served them both tea !

Tito was very disappointed that MAO did not hunt

Wonderful

I love the Balkans

I believe we have a few mutual friends in Slovenia

See you soon and thanks for posting these wonderful footages

Must come and hunt in china some day

Hey Mouse,

Great video!

I really want to know how you do the trick - all the large, capital Stags stop BROADSIDE at 9-iron distance when you are out hunting ......

Circus master ?

Dang. That's a lot of Stag! They never stop coming out. Great video. Thanks for posting it.

Gerry those guys know exactly that it is off season for them - so they don't mind to do some show off.

Wendell - actually it is quite a rare occasion to see them in such numbers. First it is mostly upon season - winter time they tend to make groups - tho smaller - up to 15-20 maybe. However sometimes those groups coincide with each other and you may witness a display as above.
It should be noted that almost all those stags are young to middle aged (up to 8 years old). Old bulls (over 10 years old) tend to hang in smaller groups - usually 3-4.

Another great (non-typical) trophy that hangs in the Hunting Mansion:

Great - thanks for sharing. That's a beautiful group of stags. How did you find the boar stalking? Sounds a lot more fun than high seat moonlight hunting.

By all means.

The most important fact is that there is no usual "civilized" press on the game. Place is isolated from all but foresters and hunters that are alowed to enter those premices. So game is very relaxed and you can see their usual day pattern - quite opposite than in most populated areas in EU.

Day would start by sitting on high seat as on pic



sometimes in the wooded terrain with view like this



waiting for boars that would be returning from night feeding toward their day rests.
You have to be quite sharp and fast, since boars would be passing those clearings without stopping - chalenging shooting stuff...you pass many before you manage to squeeze one in.

After 8 a.m. or so pigs would be already in their daytime dwellings and guides know those places alright. So you would be stalking those favourite spots (bases of huge old trees, thickets, remains of fallen old trees...). Ofcourse boars bedded down, out of sight, do spot you sooner or later - well before you spot them - and take off. You do your best and try to ceonnect with a shot - many times through some thick stuff, sometimes they pass the clearing however usually over 150-200m - trotting - tricky...On occasions one of the lot isn't aware quite what is going on and hesitates for a moment...consider it a gift!

This goes on till noon, when you retrieve to mansion and take lunch and a short nap till 1.30 p.m. when guide picks you up and you start your afternoon hunt by stalking toward feeders, that have been filled by your lunch time and boars are usually already on their feet, plowing around - chances are quite good you will stumble upon a lot and gave them some fire.

In any case, you would than proceed to the high seat and await dark. If boars would appear 1 hour before dark you would have a good chance for another herd to come in - taking two from one seating is nothing to write home about - no need to seat in the night, unless you are after trophy male boar. Now those are willy old birds - I have whitnessed many times them coming close to feeders and stand in some thick stuff totaly still for 1 hour or even more. They would come out only if everything is spotless, very late, many times in pitch dark. Here is one (as much as you can see of it)



Have bumped a couple of them by stalking - fair chance and great sport - if you are quick enough and have a thick wallet .

Anyway it happend so we have wounded a piglet and a friend that was with us employed his Bavarian Tracking Dog. Piglet shot in the guts with 7x65R and RWS Evo bullet made 1 mile "U" shaped track when we bumped it. Guy let his dog loose and finished it off - good chance to see how those trackings end up - tight thick close quarter stuff .

GPS data of the track



And a final approach with a Coup de Grace - Enjoy - it doesn't get much better than this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmtijV82jCY

Well done Mouse.
My group was there last season and the stags were on the full run than. They understand when we finish the season.