CAPERCAILLIE
Orra Hunting & Fishing Guides takes you camping or to a hunting lodge in the mountains of Lapland. Orra's guide shows you how to go hunting capercaillie the taiga way. Primeval forest, real wilderness, problably the best populations of capercaillie in Sweden, coffee breaks with open fire, snow-covered mountains in the distance...
Location:
Primeval coniferous forest in the mountains of
Lapland, Sweden.
Game:
Wildfowl: Capercaillie
Method:
Capercaillie hunting with tree-barking bird-dog.
Date:
25/8-15/10
Lodge:
Choose between cabin or tent. Bring sleeping bag and
matress. In a cabin it needs to be comfortable in +5°C ; in a tent: -8°C. You
can rent sleeping bag and matress from Orra.
Food:
Choose between full board and self-catering.
How
to get there: Depends on where we're going. Orra can pich you
up at the airport, if you're flying.
For
who: You'll have to be able to walk 8 km per day, so
you don’t have to be fit. And remember: You don’t have to be a hunter already –
you can be a total beginner! This is possible since the guide is with you all
the time when hunting. If you’re renting a rifle from Orra, the only ground
rule is that you’re of 16 years of age or more.
Price: Please request quotation.
Rental
prices:
Rifle
(shotgun 12/70 gage): 100SEK per day.
Sleeping
bag and matress: 100SEK per day.
One
of the forests we go hunting in.
Description:
This is the place to go hunting for capercaillie, in
real primeval mountain forest, in their proper habitat! This must be one of the
best places to hunt capercaillie in the Europe! The population is not only one
of the best and most stable in numbers in Sweden, the forest is, you’d like to
say, designed for hunting with tree-barking bird dog. The primeval
forest with its different species of trees and mixture of old and young trees,
is the best for hunting capercaillie.
In our assistance we’ve got a so called tree-barking bird dog (in lit. translation) of the race Finnish spitz. These dogs are spred in the entire area of capercaillie distribution, viz. the taiga region in northern Europe and Asia. The hunt is done like this: You start the hunt not too early in the morning, allowing the birds to start feeding, thus leaving a trace of scent for the dog to find. And while the dog is searching for the birds well in front of you (typically at a distance of 100-400 meters), you go ahead in a promenade-pace. When the dog finds a capercaillie, it flushes the bird from the ground, where it’s feeding, and the capercaillie flies to a tree. The dog pursues the capercaillie, and when it has found it, it starts to bark at it, thus marking the it for the hunter. The capercaillie thinks it’s safe sitting in the tree, and the longer the dog is barking, the better the bird is sitting; it’s said that a good dog sedates or puts the capercaillie to sleep. Now the hunter takes his gun off his shoulder, loads it and starts to creep towards where he’s hearing the dog barking. He takes cover behind spruces, trying to identify which tree the dog is barking at, always keeping a sharp look-out ahead for the bird, with binoculars or the scope. All the motion done by the hunter should be done in a slow-motion, weather his moving his head looking for the bird or walking ahead toward the bird. If you move in the right fashion, and the birds are in the right mood, you might advance within 15 meters in the open. When the hunter has identified the tree where the capercaillie is sitting, or has been able to see the bird itself, he can choose the best way to get within shooting-range without alarming the bird. The simplicity or the difficulty of the hunt is mainly dependent on two factors: what the forest looks like, and the behaviour of the birds the day in question. The forest should have the right mixture of spruce and pine, old and young trees, tall and small trees, dry and wet ground, be not too dense and not too sparse, in order to give the hunter cover as well as good possibilies of detecting the capercaillie. And you’ll find the perfect hunting ground in this valley. The behaviour of the birds are dependent on the weather and the time of season. A good dog (and a good hunter!) can in some regard counteract the birds unwillingness to stay in the tree.
Excellent positions … but we don't shoot adult hens.
You always shoot at a sitting bird. A sporting rifle in caliber .22WM or .22 Hornet or a bockbüchsflinte, viz. a gun with both a shotgun and a rifle barrel, is the prefered choice of weapon. This time of year the shooting distance for cocks is normally more than 50 meters. If you're good at sneaking, a shot gun can also be used.
In the middle of the day, we take a break, since this is often done by the capercallies in their feeding as well. The guide starts a fire. Puts the kettle on. You enjoy the magnificence of the mountains, feel the serenity of the old forest, feel the respect the 500-year old pine next to you is worthy.
Packing
list:
Hunting
clothes (preferably in colours like green-brown-grey)
Hat/cap/camouflage
face cover
Gloves
Rubber
boots or high walking boots
Warm
sweater
Rainwear
Pyjamas:
wollen cap, Long Johns, undershirt and socks
Toilet
bag
Sleeping
bag, comfortable in +5°C (cabin), or
-8°C (tent)
Shotgun/sporting
rifle (if not rented)
Ammunition
Binoculars
(especially if you’re using a shotgun without scope)
A
good book for the evening in the cabin (or other means of recreation, such as
playcards)
Headlamp/torch
Food
(if self-catering is chosen)
If
the cabin lies off the road, or if we're camping, you should bring an absolute
minimum of gear, no more than 10 kg. Orra can supply you with a rucksack.
Please
note that the helicopter companys as a rule’s got a weight limit of about 15-20
kg dependent on your body-weight.