Croatia/Slovenia Hunt.

This year while at DSC, besides obtaining Tanzania hunting information, I was also looking for a European hunt too. I picked a hunt from an Agent in Slovenia – Pasat d.o.o. (The owner [Jozef] is an interesting guy. He graduated as a veterinarian, taught veterinary medicine at the University in Ljubljana for 8 years, received a Ph.D. in Fisheries and then spent 24 years as Director of Fisheries for Slovaina.) He offered a European Grand Slam in Croatia & Slovenia - Red Stag, Fallow deer, Roebuck, Brown Bear, Wild Boar, Mouflon and Chamois with pricing for Representative, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Based on time and after some discussion I settled on Red Stag – Gold, and Chamois up to gold, Fallow time permitting bronze or better and time permitting Mouflon bronze or better. After I returned from my vacation this year, flying from IAH, my wife wanted to go but not make another drive to Houston for a BA flight, I booked ticket from AUS, in Premium Eco. Austin is the most expensive city in Texas to fly BA, so it was Premium Eco. For a few more hundred dollars each we could have had Business out of IAH (the Cheapest BA flights in Texas). After a couple months, we checked for an upgrade, but Business was 8k each out of Austin so much for an upgrade. After a leisurely drive to Austin, we arrived at the BA ticket Counter to check-in. My gun was in the system, (it’s rather easy, I called a few days after the reservation and they entered the gun into the reservation, then 72 hours before the flight a call to confirm that it’s approved, and it was). However, when checking-in only one person at the counter could check it in, when she arrived to start processing my paperwork and went to collect the firearm handling fee of $165 and the Credit Card machine would not connect to the reservation. She was on the phone with ARC (Airline Reporting Corp) for about 30 + minutes and they were finally able to connect the machine to my reservation. Paid the fee and then the Baggage Tag would not match to the reservation. She was back on the phone to ARC, they applied the fee to my suitcase and not the gun, once that was straighten out all was good to go. Only took an hour. We flew Premium Eco on an A350. Nice and quiet plane, landed at Heathrow T3 and headed to the Centurion Lounge for some food and drinks before the next flight. We flew into Ljubljana, Slovenia. The last time I was in Ljubljana was 1985 when it was Yugoslavia. We have both been to Slovenia and Croatia before a couple of years ago. My wife had never been to Ljubljana before, so we had a couple of sightseeing days at the start. Unfortunately, it was rainy most of the time.

We next motored to Krizevci, Croatia for Red Stag hunting which was a free-range hunt with KTC hunting. Everything was KTC - hotel, restaurants, butchery, greenhouses, gas station, hardware store, sporting goods store, grocery store. The hunting company had three full-time year-round Professional Hunters that hunted every day of the year with hunters like me or for stocking their chain of grocery stores with wild meats. My PH was Boris. I was the only hunter at the hotel. The restaurant we ate at was at the hunting grounds. It was a large restaurant with Stag mounts lining the walls in the dining room and Roe mounts in the bar area serving wild game meats.

I packed my SAKO 85 Classic in .308 Win with a Leica ER 2.5-10x42 scope and Norma Oryx 180g Ammo for this hunt. (After the first evening hunt, I can now understand the advantage and necessity of an illumined scope. We hunted until you could not see anymore). The PH had a target Red Stag on video that we were looking for. The plan was walking in the morning and high stands in the afternoon. The first evening (Saturday), we went to the indoor range to check zero (I would add, that I’ve been told that’s not a common practice in Europe) and both rounds hit the black center at 80 meters touching each other and Boris was satisfied. Then off to the high stand in the rain. No sighting of Red Stag that evening but did see a male and female Roe deer.

Sunday morning still raining, first we head back to the same high stand before daylight and the target stag does not make an appearance. It’s out of the high stand and a drive to the other side of the forest. We start walking and calling. We managed to call up a small Stag, but not what I was looking for. Then off to breakfast. That evening it’s still raining and back to the high stand, and a little more action this evening. One single Roe female and a small Stag chasing a female.

Monday morning, we start about 30 minutes later and head to the high stand and it’s not raining, finally. While walking through the forest up to the stand the PH spots the target Stag in the meadow laying down near the forest edge. (He uses a thermal scope to spot with.) He sets up the sticks near the high stand and we wait for him to stand up. After about 15 minutes the PH calls and the stag turns his head but does not get up. Another call two minutes later and this time he stands up and I make my shot. The Stag jumps and runs into the forest about 25 yards. We walk to where I shot him and I start looking for blood. Boris asks what I am doing, and I tell him looking for blood. He uses his thermal and says your deer is right over there. Its photos and loading into the truck and then placed in the forest meadow for official photos. The rain starts again right after was he is load back into the truck.

On Tuesday we head to Zagreb for lunch and overnight at a ranch with a winery (unfortunately the winery was closed that day) as we finished the Red Stag hunt a day earlier than allotted. Tomorrow, we head to Gazije for free range Fallow.

Wednesday, we arrive that the lodge where we will be hunting. At the lodge is an Englishman (was hunting Stag) and a German couple (hunting Stag and Fallow) and wife and me. That evening we head to the high stand and see lots of Fallow, however it’s so dark, I cannot see them through my scope. The PH (Matej) has night vision and can see them clearly. This evening I get a green score of the Stag - Gold Medal.

Thursday morning, we head back to the forest and walk, but no Fallow are spotted. The German came back to the lodge with a Fallow and said he had about 80 Fallows that he saw but shot the one he did because it was all black. That evening back to the high stand and a spike comes in and next out walks representative Fallow. He moves into an opening, and I make my shot, and he takes off. The PH grabs his gun to make a follow up shot and I told him not to, it’s dead and just as I said that the fallow is down about 25 years from where he was shot. Unfortunately, he’s not as big as I would have liked, but is was free range and in Europe and not Texas.

Friday it’s an all-day drive to Bled, Slovenia. Before we leave the German harvests his stag. The Englishman has shot a Stag before we arrived and was still hunting when we left. We are staying at a hotel in town. Bled, is a beautiful but busy tourist town. I had never been there before, the church on the lake is spectacular.

Saturday was a day of missteps. First, I hit the off button for the alarm instead of the snooze. I wake back up about 5 minutes before the PH is to arrive, get dressed, grab by gun and he is waiting for me. I was in such a hurry; I left my binoculars (Leica HD-B) in my room. I tell the guide and he calls his son and we met his son for a borrowed pair, and not range finding. And now it’s off to the mountains in Triglav NP for Chamois, about an hour’s drive from Bled. There are hikers in the woods everywhere. We park and walk onto the mountains and spot nothing. The PH wants to hike up to the top of the mountain but does not like my boots says we will not make it to the top in those boots. Back in the car and drive to a spot near the ski jumps. Another walk up in the mountains, this time one is spotted but we could never get close enough for a shot and eventually he disappears. Back to the car and drive to another spot and start walking in. We spot another one and the PH says its small do I want to hunt it or try somewhere else. I was concerned there might not be another so start up the mountain, we find a spot I set up for the shot, fire and miss. Set back up again, fire again and miss and into the woods he goes. After two misses I looked at the scope another misstep (I use Target turrets for both elevation and windage) the elevation had been moved about 20 clicks up and 6 clicks down of windage. We move around to another valley, and he is spotted again. A long hike to where he was and no good shot there. We hike a little further and he is spotted again. We walk in the rocks where he at and then he walks out of the rocks into the forest area. I confirm the scope is on zero and set up for the shot and I can’t see through the scope like its fogged. I take off my glass (they were slightly fogged from my heavy breathing) and the scope is now crystal clear, I aim and fire. The chamois tumbles down the hill and gets up and stumbles towards the rocks. We hike to where he’s down and set him for photos. The guide field dress him and loads him in his pack. Additional equipment used today: Harris bipod and Niggelah backpack sling. Additional equipment needed but did not have: Walking stick(s), different boots, and more water.

Sunday its sightseeing. As I finished day early, I ask the agent about finding a Roebuck and waiting on Jozef to see if a Roe can be added. Josef was able to add a Roe hunt for Tuesday. Monday is sightseeing.

Tuesday is a day like we started – Raining. My PH (Tone) came to the hotel and picked me up for the drive to his hunting area. Please plan was high stands. Its dark and we arrive near the first high stand. The PH uses his thermal and several animals are spotted. By the time we walk to the stand they are gone. We wait a while to see if they will come back out, but after about 30 minutes that PH says it’s time to move. Back to the car, and we start driving. Maybe a half of a mile down the road we spot a male and female on the hillside, park the car and set up for the shot. Measured at 156 yards and the Roe is down where he stood. The PH loads him into the car, and we take him to the meat locker. He prepares the meat and skin and back into the car. He drives to a “coffee” shop for him a coffee and me a coke. The asks for a shot for each of us, but the server says to too early for booze. We each get our drinks, plus she brings out in a coffee cup a shot of rum each, toasts to a successful hunt and back to the hotel, but not before stopping to talk to some of his friends who are making aftermarket stock for the Blaser R8. The stocks are extremely light weight.

Wednesday if off to the airport to start the long trip back home, which requires an overnight layover in London. While waiting to board the plane in Ljubljana, the luggage truck hits the side plane. It took three hours before an engineer to say the plane could fly. So much for a Pub crawl that evening in Windsor.

A few of observations on European hunting. While taking a gun on the plane was easy, it was pain hauling around a Pelican 1750-gun case. However, it was much cheaper then renting a gun even with BA’s outrageous gun handing fee for the number of hunting days. If I had a longer sightseeing time, that may have change numbers. The gun fee was cheaper flying into Slovenia as I could place the ammo in the same case as the gun. Flying into Croatia required a separate gun and ammo case and would incur two firearm fees. I can see why the Blaser are so popular here. Small suitcase size is a big plus. Scope, I have a 42mm Leica scope with a ballistic reticle it was hard to see the cross hairs in such low light in the evenings. I think a 50 or 56mm objective would be better for more light transmission and/or an illumined reticle. When I returned to Europe to hunt again, I will really have to consider a takedown rifle and illumined scope or just renting. Boots, the hiking boots that I had were good for all the hunts but the Chamois, too much flex in the ankles. Need stiff ankles and flexible Vibram mid-sole. My wife bought a pair of Crispi boot there and loves them. The Chamois PH was wearing Scarpa boots. Those funny looking euro hunting pants with the nylon around the ankle and halfway up the calf, would be nice as everything in the forest was wet. Even when it was not raining.

Thanks for the well-written report - very interesting. Any chance of some photos?

Nice trophies all round I would say. You did well.
The Red Stag is impressive.

Hell yeah
Looks and sounds like awesome hunt
Great trophies
I just got back from Europe stag and sika hunt
Got stag, passed on another and didn’t have a good shot on silver to gold sika so I passed
Great hunt, lots of roaring stags so no complains

Interesting mixed bag, Thanks for the report

Wow! That was an adventure. Nice read and trophies.

Congrats!

Mark