Wolves are one of the most cruel and strong flock animals that live in Russia and neighboring countries. The population of these beautiful predators is very large, which causes great damage to local residents. For this reason, wolf hunting is popular in Russia. In some regions, hunters receive rewards from local authorities for each killed wolf.
Winter is the perfect time for traditional Russian wolf hunting with flags. Hunters have long and willingly used this method of hunting, without thinking about why wolves are afraid of red flags. With this organization of hunting, the entire flock is usually destroyed.
Features of the behavior of wolves
The wolf is a very clever and cunning beast with keen hearing and excellent eyesight. He hears a quiet rustle from a distance of more than a kilometer. When hunting alone, a large wolf can defeat a representative of almost any local animal species. Only adult wild boar and elk are able to repel the wolf. However, even these animals become helpless before the wolf pack.
Packs of wolves have their habitats, but in winter, when food is scarce, they tend to migrate closer to human settlements. Here they can always get some food: at least catch a dog or find something edible in the waste.
Why wolves are afraid of red flags - the smell
Wolves are very cautious in nature, and try to avoid meeting a person. They go into conflict with him only in a hopeless situation. Flocks of wolves in the winter during the onset of seasonal hunger are often forced to hunt near a person’s housing, they are well aware of its smell.
To the question: "Why are wolves afraid of red flags?" The answer is simple: wolves are afraid of any flags set by humans.
Hunting with a raid and beaters is always arranged in places of constant habitat of the wolf pack. Animals are well aware of this territory, and the appearance in new places of new objects, in this case flags, smelling of a person, undoubtedly inspires fear in them. Therefore, when organizing such a hunt, it is recommended to keep flags at least a few days before the hunt in the house so that they absorb the smells of a human home. Natural fabrics rather than synthetics absorb odors.
Flags, being an alien object, scare the wolves, and the instinct of self-preservation does not allow them to cross the line of the raid.
Other reasons
The cordon of a hunting place is not the only reason why wolves are afraid of red flags. Footprints in the snow with the smell of a man, screams of beaters, the sounds of gunfire and the death of relatives - all this is imprinted in the memory of the wolves who survived during such raids. And animals, especially pack animals, have the ability to mediate learning in vivo.
The wolf, escaping for the flags, is not in vain called an inveterate. At the next round-up he is able to lead the whole flock with him through the cordon.
The reason why wolves are afraid of red flags is not their color. Wolves are nocturnal predators; they do not distinguish colors. To the question: "Why are wolves afraid of red flags?" the scientific answer can only be complex.
Foxes and Red Flags
It should be noted that foxes, like wolves, are afraid of red flags. Why? They also hunt near a person’s housing and can be stopped by a cordon line with flags. These smart animals live next to humans, so they have repeatedly experienced the chase, saw the death of relatives and know the smell of human things. They will try to find a safe place to escape from the territory surrounded by hunters, moving along the line of cordon.
Therefore, when choosing a place to round up wolves, you must always pay attention to the presence of traces of wild boar or moose in the cordon zone. Frightened by the beaters, these animals will break the line of cordon anywhere and lead a wolf pack with them.
The wolf, escaping from the hunting raid, becomes very careful, it is almost impossible to detect and kill. Such wolves are called seasoned.
Winter hunting
Flags work best in the winter season when there are no leaves and grass to hide the fabric and distract the attention of the animal. The impression is exacerbated by human footprints clearly visible in the snow along the cordon and the silence that is characteristic of a winter forest. Typically, flags are 9-15 cm wide and about 25-35 cm long. Red or orange colors are preferred because they are clearly visible to hunters against the background of tree trunks and snow. Wolves, like all representatives of the canine family, can not distinguish colors. Flags are attached to the line at a distance of about 35-50 cm from each other.
