All hunters, both professionals and amateurs, at least once tried to catch a wild bird. Capercaillie is a very rare bird, and is found only in coniferous forests and in a moss swamp. The production is quite large (up to 5 kg). Despite the large parameters of the bird, capercaillie hunting has its own characteristics.
There are several types of hunting for this bird:
- spring per male (current);
- summer and autumn on broods and old roosters (with a dog, a spaniel or a husky);
- autumn during their departure to trees and during feeding, on pebbles.
What does a wood grouse look like? Features of his life
Capercaillie is a wary bird. The characteristic features of the male are brown, gray, dark tones with white spots on the abdominal cavity and under the wings, as well as a metallic glow. Skin without plumage is a bright red color. The beak is light. Females of this species are painted in dark red tones with black ripples. The capercaillie's voice resembles a “click."
It flies heavy and noisy. The flapping of wings is heard at a great distance.
The place of population is coniferous (pine) and mixed forests. In summer, it occurs mainly singly, in winter - in small flocks.
In summer, the bird eats various grasses, seeds, berries, and in the cold period - pine needles, aspen buds and larch.
Capercaillie nests in various forests: both in coniferous and mixed. Of coniferous forests, it prefers pine. Also, the bird builds nests in swampy pine forests and in dry pine forests. The bird avoids the young and rare forest. They have a nest on the ground. In this case, the building materials of the nest are branches and stems. In appearance and form, the nest of this bird resembles a primitive. The diameter of the nest bed exceeds 25 cm.
Clutch is from 6 to 8 eggs of yellowish-white color with brown spots. The size of eggs of wood grouse can be compared with chicken.
Spring nesting begins in late March and lasts 2 months. From mid-May grouse begin to incubate eggs. Chicks appear a month after the onset of hatching and feed on insects and spiders.
The bird spends the winter period in a small area, and at night - in the crowns of thick trees. Therefore, capercaillie hunting in winter is considered simpler than in other periods.
Hunting rules
Current hunting rules contain statements on the timing and its features for the current period. So:
- hunting for swamp-meadow game is allowed from July 10 to July 24, and from July 25 to mid-November, hunters will be able to take rifles and dogs with them;
- from July 10 to August 4, hunting for field and steppe game without weapons is permitted.
Also, the rules, in particular hunting for capercaillie, include requirements for training hunting dogs.
What you need to know when preparing for the hunt
First of all, before hunting for capercaillie in the winter and in any other period, you should carefully study the characteristics of the bird (weight, height, places of clutches, etc.). In the cold period, females are separate from males, this factor is also very important.
It should be remembered that the bird can be more than two days under snow cover. Low temperatures will help the hunter to easily get prey from the mink - if this parameter is 20 degrees below zero - the grouse does not leave its shelter for several days after a hearty meal.
If the temperature is 5 degrees higher, the bird will briefly leave the hole for a meal.
Capercaillie hunting in spring
Bird hunting in the spring has its own characteristics. So, the hunter must have great sportiness, because this process requires him to fully engage forces, great energy and endurance. In a remote forest, you need to quietly approach a singing bird, overcoming various obstacles. Here, the success, depends on the skill, preparation and experience of the hunter, on his endurance.
The bird begins to migrate very early, when there is still snow in the forest and the spring weather is almost not felt. Shortly before the start of the tolling process, the male begins to walk in the snow, spreading its wings, and characteristic traces appear on the snow, by which it can be determined that he will soon sing.
It usually flows on a tree. At the end of the current, the capercaillie often descends to the ground behind the female and continues its process, running from place to place. At the end of April, males are already singing in the snow.
Before starting the spring hunt, you should determine the location and the approximate number of males flying to the spring song. To do this, you should begin surveillance from the evening, before dusk. This intelligence is called the evening eavesdropping. The evening current does not last long: with the onset of complete darkness the grouse fall asleep. It is not recommended to approach the singing grouse in the evening, because this can disperse the flock and spoil the hunt. It should be remembered that for the hunter-athlete, the main task is to maintain current.
Having overheard the approach of the capercaillie and determining the approximate number of males, their location on the current, you should leave the current for 1-1.5 km. In the dead places it’s enough to go 0.5 km away.
Capercaillie hunting in the fall
Coniferous pine forests are a favorite habitat of this bird. In mixed forests there are many, provided that coniferous trees are still present in the forest. If you need to quickly find a bird, then it is better to do this in damp and dull places.
Capercaillie instinctively behaves in the fall. Ripe berries are places of their feeding.
In colder times, the capercaillie begins to climb aspen and larch. They are there until the trees are completely bare. Autumn is considered the most suitable season for hunting.
There is no difference between hunting methods in forests of different species. The only difference is that birds climb on larch later than on needles.
After the successful search for aspen or coniferous trees, you should very carefully examine the soil under them. The purpose of this inspection is to search for signs of habitat of the capercaillie. Typical signs are fallen conifer needles, small torn branches, as well as droppings. Recently snowed can also help the hunter.
If you hear the sound that a large bird settled on a tree, then it is at a distance of up to 500 meters, and a capercaillie voice is heard about 150 meters. All this allows you to roughly navigate the sounds.
The season of capercaillie hunting begins from the end of August (or September), depending on the region where individual norms and terms are set.
Since birds feed on various soft foods, they need to regularly replenish the supply of pebbles in their stomach. This period can be beneficial for the catcher, and then you can arrange a capercaillie hunt in the fall on the roads.
Hunting for current
The breeding season in the capercaillie begins much earlier than in other birds. That is why this period is the most suitable time for capercaillie hunting in spring on a current. But the most suitable period is the middle and end of February. The hunter can locate the current location quite simply: traces of a large flock can be seen in the meadow.
The capercaillie can also choose another place for livestock. A good clue is that the bird, in most cases, comes to mate at the same time.
During mating, all the attention of males is turned only to the female, this moment can be used. Having found the flock, you need to wait about 30 minutes for all the males to sing and be involved in this process. While waiting, you can not smoke or even talk.
After waiting for the right moment, you need to fire a shot, after aiming. A flock carried by currents will not immediately notice what is happening. It is worth noting that bad weather conditions prevent the wood grouse from starting mating. Birds perfectly foresee the weather. Therefore, before planning a capercaillie hunt on a current, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the weather conditions.
Search for birds in the hole
The capercaillie hunt in the hole brings the best “harvest”, but there are special moments in it. The most difficult is finding a place to spend the night of a bird. In most cases, wood grouse make holes in the vicinity of a feeding place. But not always. Tracking the capercaillie is a rather complicated process. He leads a sedentary lifestyle. For this reason, before leaving for hunting, you should track down the place where the bird spent the night.
Sneak up to this place you need to be careful, because capercaillie can wake up from any rustle. When the place of spending the night is found, you should make sure the freshness of the hole and the presence of capercaillie in it. This can be determined by appearance: there are recent bird tracks around the hole. If the hole has only one hole, the capercaillie is inside. If there are several holes, there are no birds there.
If the hole search was successful, then you can:
- Scare off the wood grouse. He will begin to get out of the hole, and the hunter will have time to aim and shoot.
- You can also hunt birds with your bare hands.
Hunting Secrets
For a successful capercaillie hunting from an approach, you should know some features:
- At a distance of at least 40 meters, you should consider the location of the capercaillie with binoculars.
- Then you need to find a flock of birds, sneak up to her and make a shot.
- Having found a feeding place or a flock, you should not rejoice, because this bird is very cautious, and also settles at a high altitude (the capercaillie will notice the hunter much earlier than he approaches).
- The dense crowns of the trees also interfere with hunting.
- The bird can change poses while singing, move around branches. This deceives the hunter, as the volume of the song increases and decreases.
- The grouse can for a long time determine which side the shot is coming from if the weather is very windy.
- This bird is very persistent, and even having received a fatal shot, it is able to make the last flight to an impressive distance (up to 200 meters).
- Due to its impressive weight, the capercaillie is somewhat difficult to quickly rise into the air, so the hunter has an additional chance.
- It is better to shoot the bird from the side or front. In no case should you make a shot in the back, because the capercaillie will be able to fly away with such a wound.
- Some difficulties are caused by hunting in hot and dry times, because any movement is heard by a bird.
- A good option is hunting from a reservoir. The boat moves almost silently, and birds that are distracted by pecking pebbles become more accessible targets.
- High chances of a successful catch of prey are represented by a capercaillie hunt with a husky. The dog will not only tell you on which tree the capercaillie is hiding, but will also distract him from the hunter.
- For spring capercaillie, in which the plumage is dense and dense, coarse fraction No. 1 and No. 2 should be used.
Tips for a successful hunt
- For running shooting, you should choose the lightest gun, because the hunt can drag on for the whole day.
- Do not shoot the bird from behind, it is better to change position.
- The wood grouse can leave at any time, so you should not hesitate to shoot.
Hunting with dogs will also be successful. For example, a spaniel best defines a brood of birds. Increases prey brood of grouse on the road. Hunting for young animals is usually easier, because old birds can quickly escape from the dog and fly up to the sky.
The spaniel is more energetic than the dog, and does not stand. Experienced dogs during the pursuit overtake the bird and raise it to the wing. This allows the hunter to quickly shoot capercaillie.
After the bird climbs a tree, it is better to take a husky for hunting. She drives a bird onto a tree, and that, in turn, is distracted from the hunter.
Pointing dog will be useful in the summer-autumn period. She must be experienced, well-seasoned and have a high sense of flair.
An experienced dog will easily determine the direction of the birds and will lead them until they are quiet. Then the dog gets to the brood and takes a “dead” stance. The hunter, having seen this, takes the position most convenient for shooting and sends the dog forward.
During firing at rising birds, it is very important to determine the direction of their flight and possible landing. Typically, some of them are planted in trees, and the second is lowered to the ground.
Important! In hunting, you should adhere to the rules, and in no case do not shoot young males, queens and young females.
