For beginners and people who are not well versed in hunting, it may seem that night hunting is difficult and uninteresting. But only experienced and experienced hunters can tell with enthusiasm and enthusiasm how much attractive and special there is in night hunting for a wild boar. After dusk, a completely different life begins in the forest, and any hunter should at least once in his life learn the features of hunting an animal at night.

Of course, at night it requires careful preparation and study of the area in daylight. In order for the process to go right and end effectively, it is important to take into account all the nuances and even small features of such a hunt. In the dark, wild boars feel confident, the success of hunting depends mainly on the hunter's knowledge of their habits and habitats.

The inability to fully see the environment awakens in the hunter feelings that were previously unknown to him. When vision is weakened, other senses are enhanced, and the instinct for self-preservation provokes the release of adrenaline in the body.

How to prepare for a night hunt

In addition to a thorough study during the day of the area where night hunting will be conducted, it is important to prepare special equipment and outfit. Dark clothing will reliably hide the hunter from the sharp eyes of the billhooks, it is important that there are no luminous inserts on the fabric. The keen eyes of the night animal will definitely notice the danger and the boars will return to the forest slum.

In night hunting, there can be no question of using flashlights or other lighting devices. The only time you can use a flashlight is to find a shot billhook. This is especially true for the wounded. There is no more dangerous animal for a hunter than a wounded boar, it is from these “bulborators” that dozens of hunters are injured every year, sometimes with a fatal outcome.

Night hunting has its own special charm, and if properly prepared for it, it will bring unforgettable impressions and a noble trophy.

Boar hunting in corn at night has a number of specific features, since it is in corn that the wild boar feels quite free and safe.

It is difficult to shoot a wild boar in corn, since it is impossible to clearly see the carcass of the beast, so hunters try to take it on the fly when approaching or leaving the corn field.

Not every corn field will have a wild boar, so before hunting, you should walk through the fields and pay attention to the entry trails.

Walk along the perimeter of the field. In this way, you will accurately determine the places where the wild boar passes, or you will find out that the wild boar does not feed on this field.

The entrance path usually consists of corn creases to the center of the field with the presence of excrement and.

When you find such a trail, you can prepare to hunt wild boar in corn at night. You should make an ambush nearby so that at the moment the boar approaches, open fire on it.

If there are no normal shelters nearby, then it can be done right in the corn. Many hunters recommend making corn creases in a cross direction towards the center of the field.

Wringing the corn stalks in a different order can easily alert the boar to not feeding in the field, resulting in a failed hunt.

If there is a swamp or a reservoir near the corn field, then the wild boar will come several times at night to drink water, so you can make a sit-in even near a watering hole.

It happens that there is a small puddle in the middle of the field, where wild boars come to drink water several times at night, so they may not leave the field.

Using dogs to hunt wild boar in corn only increases the chances of success when the hunter did not take down the wild boar with one shot and made a wounded animal.

The behavior of the wild boar in corn is very different from the behavior in other areas. For example, with dogs, the boar behaves in such a way that at first he runs away from them, and then stops and waits for them.

In hunting wild boar in corn at night there is a great advantage, which at the same time is a disadvantage.

Its essence lies in the fact that feeding boars can be easily heard by the noise that comes from them in the corn, but this circumstance can quickly betray the hunter, because his movement across the field will also be clearly audible if he hunts from the approach.

When a wild boar suddenly becomes very angry, there is simply nowhere to hide from him in the corn, so hunting for a wild boar in corn at night is considered one of the most dangerous, which annually claims the lives of hunters.

The wild boar is a nocturnal animal that goes out in search of food after dark. From the place of lying, he is able to move up to five kilometers. Wild boars tend to live in dense thickets, but to search for food they go to clearings, and sometimes approach residential areas. Boars have poor eyesight, but a keen sense of smell, so if the wind blows from the side of the hunter, the animal can smell it at a distance of up to 500 meters. The main task of the hunter is to disguise himself well. There are several ways to hunt wild boar at night, for example from a tower, approach or ambush. For any of them you will need a night sight for a carbine.

general information

Hunting for this animal is one of the most dangerous, but at the same time, fascinating types of fishing. Boars live in most of the world. These animals have a short dense body and more high growth compared with relatives living at home. Male individuals reach a length of one meter, and their weight can exceed 200 kg.

Due to their mass, as well as tasty meat, wild boars are considered quite valuable prey for hunters. The fangs of the animal reach 10 cm and are the most dangerous weapon. When hunting at night, one should be careful, as it inflicts serious wounds with fangs and front paws. Despite the fact that wild boars seem clumsy, they run fast and are even able to swim. The opening of the wild boar hunt begins at the end of the summer period or in September. The hunting time for females and males differs, for males it lasts from August to December, and for females - from October to the beginning of winter.

Animal hunting rules

Due to the complexity of prey, in most cases they are hunted by a group, but lone hunters can also be found. You need to know where to shoot the boar, as small wounds will only anger him and he will be able to attack the hunters. Nevertheless, even with serious wounds, he runs about a hundred meters, so hunters need to be careful and well-aimed. It is best to shoot in the neck, heart, head, and also spinal cord.

You can hunt only in autumn or winter, and the specific timing of hunting for a wild boar depends on the area. In the rest of the period it is prohibited. Before you start hunting, you should study the area and determine where the animals feed. It is necessary to exclude such pungent odors as perfume, tobacco and alcohol, so as not to frighten away the beast. It would be useful to find places where the boar rubbed against tree trunks. With the help of the height of the abrasions, the growth of the beast is determined. Approach the boar should be against the wind. The basic rule of safety is to approach the shot animal carefully, and also watch its ears and withers. If the ears are pressed down and the bristles are on end, the beast is alive and very dangerous. Therefore, you need to make a control shot in the ear area.

Hunt from the tower

Towers, which are specially equipped, will be a good help for hunting wild boar at night. At the top of the tower is a platform that resembles a booth where hunters can sit and look around the area. Feeders with grain are installed under the towers. Shooting at the beast is carried out from windows or loopholes. The best time for hunting from a tower - winter, since during this period the animals do not have enough food in their natural environment.

Hunting takes place at night, so a special flashlight is needed in order for the shots to be accurate. When hunting for a wild boar from a tower at night, it is necessary to check whether benches or windows creak when they are opened. On the tower, you should behave quietly and do not smoke. It is most difficult to hunt a wild boar at night, when it has not yet snowed. On a white surface, animals are more noticeable. Older boars can sniff and stare for a long time and only then go to the feeder. Hunters should not rush and shoot ahead of time, it is also best to take two shots for reliability so that the beast does not run away.

Stalking hunting

This is one of the most commonly used boar hunting methods. A novice hunter is not recommended to use this method, as it is quite dangerous and requires considerable skill and accuracy. For effective hunting, it is desirable to find out from the huntsman where wild boars live during the day and where they move in search of food, this will save time searching for traces of the beast. And also do not forget about the equipment. Stalking in winter is quite effective, as it is easier to spot wild boar trails and establish the freshness of the trail. In addition, the animal is easier to spot in winter due to the lack of natural camouflage. They hunt mainly on a fresh trail.

Due to the fact that the animal leads a largely nocturnal lifestyle, and sleeps during the daytime, such a subspecies of hunting as hauling has appeared. The essence of the method is as follows. It is necessary to get close to the boar as close as possible while he is sleeping, but this should be done very carefully, because if the beast wakes up, he is able to abruptly jump on the hunter. Hunting for a wild boar from the approach at night is most effective. If you move against the wind, you can find out in advance that the beast is somewhere nearby, it will be heard by squealing and grunting. Another advantage of hunting at night is that the boar is active at night and can be tracked on a fresh trail.

Some features of hunting

• The place for shooting should be chosen near the cover, because in case of a miss it will be necessary to hide quickly.
• If a boar is shot and it does not move, this does not mean that it is dead, therefore it should be approached carefully and from the back, and it is also recommended to make a control shot.
• It is best to start hunting before sunset, as the activity of the wild boar begins with the advent of dusk.

Hunting with an underbarrel lantern

The main condition for successful night hunting the boar should have good lighting. For this, underbarrel lights are suitable, in which the lighting distance in winter varies from 100 to 150 m, and in summer period- 80-100 m. Lantern features:

• a large number of mounts on the gun;
• small sizes;
• range;
• impact resistance;
• there is a tactical button;
• you can install a remote button;
• there are batteries.

The charging method is selected depending on the operation of the underbarrel flashlight. For long and continuous use, rechargeable flashlights are ideal, while batteries can be used for short-term shots. The choice of flashlight also depends on the type of hunting rifle. The wild boar is less shy at night. If hunting for a wild boar at night with a lantern takes place in the thickets, then you should plan your approach, since a beast blinded and frightened by a shot is able to rush to the light source. Therefore, it is important not only to make a shot, but also turn off the flashlight, and hide behind a tree, and only then reload.

Hunting with a thermal imager

A thermal imager is a special device that converts the heat of living objects into an image. There are a huge number of thermal imagers on the market operating at a frequency of 9-60 Hz, the higher the frequency, the better the image. The optimal frequency is 25 Hz.

For hunting, as a rule, two types of thermal imagers are used: sights and night observation devices, which can be made in the form of glasses, binoculars or monoculars. The night vision monocular is very popular. It must be remembered that surveillance devices cannot be mounted on the barrel of a gun, as they are not designed for firing and recoil. The thermal imager is an excellent assistant in night hunting, its only drawback is the price.

Hunt from ambush

This method is quite popular among hunters. They wait for prey in feeding places. If the tracks are new, then a “sidka” is set up in this place, the wind should blow in your direction. A sit-in can be done on boar trails or fields. In most cases, hunters make ambush in the winter, as visibility is better. Setting up a seat is pretty easy. To do this, you need to find a place where the boars come out to feed, and lie down in the direction where the wind blows. It's best to hide behind a tree.

In addition, sit-ins are practiced near water bodies, but in such a way that the boar path is visible and it is possible to shoot the animal in the side. You should go to the ambush before sunset, as the wild boar can go to the reservoir with the first twilight. There are several sitting rules:

• camouflage suit should be used;
• clothes should not rustle or make any other sounds;
• you can’t smoke, because the boar has an excellent sense of smell and is able to smell hunters, even if they are against the wind.

Boar hunting at night is mostly about patience and skill. Therefore, when going hunting, you need to take care of the following things:

• weapons must be lubricated and shot;
• equipment and clothing should not rustle or tinkle;
• eliminate strong odors such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, household chemicals, hygiene products, new clothes or shoes.

During the hunt:

• watch the wind, approach from the leeward side;
• be very quiet;
• approach the fallen beast after a few minutes and with a gun loaded at the ready;
• make a control shot in the ear area.

The wild boar is a desirable prey for most hunters. A huge role in hunting a wild boar at night is played by the reaction and equipment of the hunter. Do not forget that the sighting smoothness of any smoothbore at night on a large target is no more than 60 meters, and then if you use night vision devices. Buckshot cannot be used in night hunting. Only bullets or jackets are allowed.

A wild boar, and especially a seasoned billhook, is a desirable prey for a hunter. However, hunting for a boar also has a downside: a wild boar is a dangerous opponent. He is cautious, ferocious, cunning and aggressive.

In case of danger, wild boars can rush towards the hunter, and then everything depends entirely on the endurance of the person and good luck.

Ways to hunt wild boar at night

Wild boars lead a gregarious, predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. During the day they rest on their beds, but at night they feed, fatten.

There are different ways to hunt a wild boar:

• from the approach;
• from an ambush;
• with likes;
• from the tower (storage);
• driven.

However, at night, especially on a new moon or in cloudy weather, visibility is very low. Then various devices come to the aid of the hunter. Consider the main auxiliary devices and methods of hunting at night.

With thermal imager

A thermal imager is a device that converts the own thermal radiation of living objects into a “picture”. He is able to work in complete darkness, respectively, becomes a significant help in hunting on a moonless night.

There are a large number of models of thermal imagers, but they all operate at a frequency of 9-60 Hz. The higher the frequency, the better the image. This does not mean that a device with a frequency of 9 Hz will show a blurry "picture". In this case, there will be no smooth movement of the object. He will show a stationary object perfectly, but a moving herd will move in “jumps”. The higher the operating frequency of the device, the smoother the movement of the object can be observed. The optimal frequency is 25 Hz.

For hunting, two types of thermal imagers are usually used:

• surveillance devices;
• sights.

Observation devices can be made in the form of glasses, monoculars or binoculars. The night monocular is quite popular with hunters.

Important! Observation devices cannot be mounted on the barrel of a weapon. They are not designed for shot and recoil, so you run the risk of being left without a valuable device after the first shot.

There are thermal imagers with such a useful function as a rangefinder. If the animal is hiding, and the hunter observes only a warm-blooded mound, it is difficult to understand what kind of animal it is. But the rangefinder will tell you who it is - a wild boar in the distance, or a hare practically under your feet.

And one more plus of the thermal imager is that with its help you can get a wounded animal at night, wherever it lurks: in bushes, pits or thickets.

So, the undeniable advantages of hunting with a thermal imager:

• in pitch darkness, it allows you to make an accurate shot;
• the ability to track camouflaged animals;
• the ability to hunt if the fog descended;
• the opportunity to get a wounded animal;
• the ability to record hunting on video.

Bottom line: a thermal imager is a great hunting assistant. Its only downside is the price.

From the approach

Approach hunting is practiced by experienced hunters, not recommended for beginners.

For such a hunt, you need to know well:

• the habits of the beast;
• the terrain on which the hunt will take place;
• how to find the beast on the trail and read the tracks;
• and also to have patience, endurance and caution.

Night hunting from the approach begins at sunset. Having found a fresh trail of wild boars, the hunter, keeping parallel to the boar path against the wind, carefully approaches the fattening animals at a distance of a shot. During the shot, one should stand so that there is a tree, a stump, a stone between the hunter and the game - a natural shelter.

Bottom line: stalking hunting is an exciting activity for seasoned hunters. Its disadvantage is that if the animals hear or smell you ahead of time, they will run away.

With likes

Laiki are excellent hunting dogs. They are smart, tirelessly pursue the beast and can make their own decisions in the absence of a hunter.

However, night hunting for wild boar with huskies has its own characteristics.

Dogs are hard to see at night, so you have to focus mainly on the sound. Approaching the fattening of the wild boar, the hunter releases the huskies. Dogs cut off the wild boar from the main herd, and either drive it to the hunter, or hold it, preventing it from escaping. Often, huskies circle, lunging, biting, around the beast, and he circles in place, not trying to break through.

You need to listen carefully. If the dog barking is approaching, then the huskies are chasing the boar at you, if it stops, they are holding the beast.

Attention! Do not take more than two dogs on the hunt, otherwise they may lose their caution and suffer from the fangs and hooves of the boar.

The hunter should approach from the leeward side, and with a well-aimed shot, so as not to hurt the dogs, put down the boar.

Bottom line: night hunting with likes is not the most productive activity. With poor visibility, you can not get the beast, and lose the dogs.

With night vision

The night vision scope allows you to see the target for a productive shot.

On the this moment There are three generations of analog sights:

• 1st generation- do not allow to recognize the image in complete darkness. Lighting equivalent to a quarter moon is required. Allow you to see the target at a distance of 50-150 meters (depending on lighting);
• II generation- give a good image even on a new moon. Allows you to see prey at a distance of 145 meters (cloudy) to 630 meters (full moon);
• III generation- have the best optics at the moment, allow you to see the animal from a distance of 200 meters (cloudy) to 830 meters (full moon).

Along with analog, there are digital night vision sights. They allow you to detect prey at a distance of up to 200 meters. You can also hunt with them during the day.

Attention! Not every first generation scope can be mounted on large caliber shotguns.

The result - a good night sight - an excellent assistant in hunting, allows you to aim with high quality and make a killer shot. Minus - cheap sights do not give the best results.

Video: Night vision devices. All generations of night vision devices

On a tower with a lantern

Very often, a tower (storage) is built near the bait fields - a tower about 7 meters high with a "house" in which the hunter awaits the arrival of a herd of wild boars for feeding.

When the animals begin to actively feed, the hunter can turn on a powerful flashlight. Once in a beam of bright light, the wild boar becomes demoralized for a few seconds, freezes, which allows the hunter to clearly aim at the desired prey and make a productive shot.

Typically, tactical lights are used for such purposes. Their main advantages:

• compactness;
• smooth reflector;
• the ability to attach to the trunk in different ways;
• the ability to install a remote button;
• shock resistance.

In winter, such lights shine at a distance of 100-150 meters, in summer - up to 100 meters.

Bottom line: a good flashlight allows the hunter to instantly fire a shot at a disoriented animal. The disadvantage of such equipment is that the hunter must have iron restraint and a steady hand in order to hit the chosen target.

With a night light

Recently, hunting with a night vision device or, as it is colloquially called, with a night light, has become widespread. The principle of its operation is as follows: the device greatly amplifies the light flux reflected from the object, transforms it and projects it onto the screen with a yellow-green glow. NVD are performed in different forms:

• monocular;
• binoculars;
• glasses.

The glasses are preferred by hunters who need to keep their hands free. They are good for hunting from ambush, from an approach, from a tower.

Bottom line: nightlights, especially glasses, will help the hunter hit the target. Minus - than better quality night light, the higher its cost.

Boar behavior at night

Boars are rather large herd animals that are nocturnal. The period of activity in wild boars begins at dusk and lasts all night. This, of course, affected their vision. The eyes of a wild boar see poorly, but they are able to reflect even a weak light, and because of this they “glow” crimson red.

At dusk, wild boars leave their hauling places in search of food. When the herd finds a suitable field, the sows and juveniles are the first to arrive. After a while, the gilts pull up. Cleavers can stand in the bushes without going out into the field, from ten minutes to half an hour, listening carefully and sniffing. If nothing alerts the boar during this time, he will come out to feed.

While eating, animals create a significant background noise: they grunt, champ, snort, squeal. By these sounds, the hunter can easily find the place of fattening and get close to them from the leeward side.

Boar hunting is, first of all, skill and patience. Therefore, when going hunting, you should take care that:

• the weapon was well brushed and adjusted;
• clothes and equipment did not make rustling, tinkling sounds. If necessary, wrap "sonorous" things with a cloth;
• there were no strong odors from the hunter, such as alcohol, tobacco smoke, smells of human activity, housing, household chemicals, hygiene products, new clothes and shoes.

During the hunt:

• watch the wind, approach from downwind;
• be as quiet as possible;
• do not shoot at the withers, aim under the shoulder blade, at the spine;
• do not immediately approach the fallen boar, wait a few minutes;
• come up behind with a loaded gun at the ready;
• make a control shot in the ear.

With the gun I just bought, the first in my life, a smooth-bore semi-automatic MP-153, loaded alternately with bullets and buckshot (do not ask why, then it seemed right to me), I took a position before dark in the branches of a sprawling old oak in the middle of a narrow and long strip of field , sandwiched on both sides by a forest. Once there was a farm here: around you can still find the remains of half-grown pits of cellars and the rubble of the huts that once stood. Still alive local who claims to have been born in one of those houses.

The forest animal loves this narrow and long forest clearing. There are acorns, and fruit trees of the former orchards, and a watering pond on the edge of the clearing. A good place, in a word, for both wild boar and roe deer. Irregular top dressing with corn near the oak and traces of fresh pokop gave some hope of success. And so I climbed up the oak tree, loaded the M-erk, doused myself with mosquito repellent and waited. The time is about eight or nine in the evening, the end of August or September. Light, warm, comfortable. But ... nothing is heard because of the terribly loud and endless quacking, or, more correctly, the cod of a meadow bird unknown to me, a novice hunter. This small and invisible rubbish hides in the grass and tries so hard to create a sound background that after a while bad thoughts begin to come to my mind about how to lime it. You see, I'm trying to listen to the sounds of the forest and the crackling of branches under the hoof of an approaching wild boar, and this, if I may say so, bird, not knowing fatigue, quacks with all its might, creating an impenetrable noise barrier. Dergach, who is also a corncrake, throughout the evening evoked in my mind pictures of bird genocide using explosives and napalm.

This is why we love hunting. A wave of adrenaline thrown into the blood at the sight of the beast. The boar appeared at a distance of fifty meters. There was a noise in the temples. The first hunt with your own gun... No experience... More precisely, as they say now, there is, but theoretical. The boar is obviously wary of something and is in no hurry to approach a bald spot with corn under an oak tree. Oh Gods! How slow and careful were my movements in order to raise the gun from my knees and remove the safety! The wild boar, meanwhile, having looked around and not recognizing danger in a camouflaged spot in the crown of an oak tree, began to slowly approach - come on, dear! Although my adrenaline is going through the roof, I am collected and waiting ...

When the sound of the shot died down, an unusual silence reigned around the ears. This corncrake shut up, finally, the bastard. And the boar lies. But the adrenaline won’t let it, and the pulse is under 200 ... I sat, breathed and began to call the rangers: “Take it off, they say.” And in response: “Early. You just got locked up. Sit still." I had to explain what was what ... This is how my hunting specialization was determined.

Old school boar hunters tend to be avid dog breeders. Honchaks, huskies of all breeds, berries… Everyone praises the breed of their dog. On a collective, that is, driven hunting, dog lovers are held in high esteem. Success and results depend on the work of their wards. They go with their dogs to the paddock and often use the right of the "first night", from under the dogs, shooting the beast right in the paddock. As a resident of Moscow, my own hunting dog did not shine for me. And instead of a dog, I began to look for other ways to increase the production of individual boar hunting. An incident that happened to me a month later finally confirmed my need for equipment and completed my transformation into a night hunter.

Early October. First night frosts. The slippery clay primer seizes with frost and crunches with an ice crust underfoot. My father-in-law and I walk slowly along the edge of the cornfield, stepping carefully so that we can hear the boars crunching the ripe cobs. They already tried to mow a field of corn, but because of the thaw, they only mowed it with a “comb”, leaving uniformly wide strips of corn and swaths between them. Approaching the edge of the field to a place where the crackling of broken stems and the grunting of the herd could be clearly heard, we stopped. A small shiver made its way either from the cold, or from tension. We decided that the father-in-law would stay here, and I would go through the swath and “push” the boars onto it. We shoot only in theft or in case of danger. I go from the corner of the field along the swath. Between me and the edge of the field is a strip of corn ten meters wide. I don't remember how it went. My memory retained only the moment when a wild boar snored a meter away right next to me. It then seemed to me that this was the voice of some Godzilla, it was so hoarse and impressive. Turning the barrel of the gun towards the sound, I turn on underbarrel lantern. Wool sticks out and moves between the stalks of corn. Shot.

The weight of that year-old boar was fifteen kilograms at most ... After this incident, I finally realized what I was missing. I need night vision. Such that there are no errors in determining the size and gender of the boar. To be safe to approach, seeing and controlling the beast in the process. And I started researching...

Now, more than 10 years later, when my hobby has already transformed into a profession (the first salon of thermal imagers for hunting), I understand how many mistakes could have been avoided if I had then the knowledge about night hunting that I have today ...

The period before April 2014 in Russia was the heyday of night hunting from the approach. Then the order of the Ministry of Natural Resources No. 581 “On Amendments to the Rules of Hunting” came into force, which actually killed legal night hunting. But paradoxically, the new "Rules ..." were limited not by night hunting as such, but by the use of optics that allow hunters to see at night. Thus, all hunters who have invested several hundred thousand rubles in night vision devices or thermal imagers have at once become infringed on the right to hunt at night. According to the amendments, they were only allowed to shoot from towers. And the conditional blind-sighted "Uncle Vasya" without any optics or with a poor daytime sight can hunt at night from the approach. As a result of this ban, hunting resources. Indeed, with the help of “gadgets” so hated by the Department, it is possible to selectively shoot those animals whose removal does not lead to damage to the population. And the ban leads just to mistakes, shooting at females, etc. I'm not talking about whether the Department thought about the safety of hunters when hunting at night. It is not clear, in general, what goals were pursued.

Whatever it was, but the "Rules" are what they are. And they must be followed.

However, of course, neither the new rules, nor even the worldwide conspiracy is able to stand between the hunter and his hobby. Thank the hunting god, there are no such restrictions on the use of night vision devices and thermal imagers in the Republic of Belarus. And hunters in the European part of the country go there regularly. And the overwhelming majority of hunters, who live east of Moscow with a low population density and authorities, are generally of little interest to what is written in the order of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Swimming, we know ...

Night hunting is paired, less often individual, or, extremely rarely, collective. Whether you hunt at night alone or with someone, there are special, strict safety rules that are written in blood. And it's human blood. Literally every month reports are replenished with cases of fatal wounds caused during night hunts. Often this is followed by the suicide of the inconsolable hunter. Therefore, safety precautions are of vital importance. I will list only the main points.

• Do not fire unless the target can be uniquely identified both by appearance and location. That is, we do not shoot at noise, rustle, roar, crunch, shadow.
• To avoid accidents when walking through the grounds, we use reflective clothing and a dim flashlight in order to identify ourselves and not be mistaken for game.
• When hunting with a partner, strictly observe the agreements on the location of each other during movements and approaches.
• It is highly recommended to use walkie-talkies with a headset to communicate with your partner(s).
• The addition of the shot animal should be carried out exclusively carefully, using the light of lanterns. When picking up an animal in a group, move in a line, not running ahead and not falling behind. The weapon must be loaded when drawn, but the safety lock must be on.
• If possible, use dogs when searching for and picking up an animal at night.
• When picking up an animal at night with a dog(s), use the bell attached to the collar.
• It is mandatory to have a compass or navigator in the set of pocket equipment, as well as a fully charged phone and safety glasses. The latter, believe me, are very useful when walking through the night forest.

Night hunting allows you to approach the beast at a minimum distance. This makes such a hunt accessible even to owners of smoothbore weapons, for whom the distance to reliably hit a target is limited to 50 meters. The boar is predominantly nocturnal. Starting from July, with the onset of dusk, the wild boar goes to feed on the fields with grain. Prior to this, it keeps ravines with small streams, where you can dig soft peaty soil for the sake of succulent rhizomes.

When hunting wild boar at night, there are a number of nuances that must be taken into account. Possessing not the sharpest eyesight, the boar has a keen hearing, but the main thing is its sense of smell. When preparing for a wild boar hunt, smells should be treated with special attention. Hunting suit and all clothing must be freshly laundered. Before hunting, you should not use deodorants, colognes, etc. I personally use even mosquito repellents only after the shot. Repellents have a strong odor and are extremely volatile. The same applies to smoking. Even approaching a grazing wild boar from the leeward side, you will not notice how the breeze in the lowland or near the edge of the forest slightly changes direction and your “triple chypre” hits the boar’s sensitive penny. The hunt will be ruined.

A couple of points regarding weapons, gear and equipment. For hunting a wild boar from the approach, any smooth caliber can be used, perhaps, except for the 410th, loaded with a bullet cartridge, and any rifled caliber of at least 6.5 mm. If you are hunting accompanied by a huntsman, do not hesitate to hand him a tripod. The use of a brace doubles the guaranteed hit distance compared to handheld shooting.

Be sure to check the zeroing of the weapon the day before going hunting. I would say that this is one of the most important rules. Transportation, cleaning, removal and installation of the sight - everything affects the accuracy of sighting the sight. If you don’t hit the sight before hunting, you will walk all night for a wounded animal or shrug in surprise after a miss.

After an accurate shot, the main work begins: the trophy must be pulled out to where a car can drive up, loaded, transported to the base, skinned and gutted, butchered. Liver and skin - dispose of. Disposal, by the way, is not thrown away anywhere, but buried or burned. Those are the rules. This means that on the eve of the hunt you need to worry about where you will bury your waste, because after a night of hunting and butchering you will not have the strength to dig a hole. The presence of freezing equipment at the base where you had the good fortune to go hunting is also a prerequisite.

Russian hunting magazine, July 2016

1657