Hunting in Europe

[ridgerunner88]

I am reading a book called "The Guns of August", its about the buildup to WW1. It mentions a famous hunting lodge in Prussia (present day Poland) named the Rominten Hunting Lodge. Couple that with an epidode of "The Queen" where Queen Elizabeth shoots a Stag in Scotland. It seems that the Western United States and Africa get lots of press as popular hunting destinations. Have any of you ever ventured across the pond to partake in a hunting excursion? If so what how was it? Please tell if you have a good story or two. 

[Nytracker]

I couldn't afford  to hunt in Europe.  Would love to hunt stag or a driven hunt for boar.

[Skillet]

My Dad lives in Austria. He has friends that hunt. I guess it's very expensive. Way out of my reach. 

[Dinsdale]

Fixed price red stag in Romania; $3450. Current by a very good outfitter.

With the Euro being down to the US dollar thats a pretty good price; with airfare via Iceland, about the same as an elk guided out west.

Most European hunts get expensive because its usually a sliding scale on trophy fees base on weight of skull and antlers or horn length in addition to day rate. But with many US hunters they’ll offer a fixed price for a trophy fee for several outfits/agents. And no you can’t bring back meat (you can bring Red Deer from New Zealand, that would be interesting adventure in and of itself), and shipping and associated fees like vet certificate/shipping/etc to import trophy are additional in some cases. Sometimes you can bring back in luggage, but thats dependent on country and export permits.

If you poke around there are some good deals for an experience on Scottish hill stag, Roe deer and Fallow in several places. Ibex and Chamois get kinda pricey depending on sub species and country. Management hunting can be a way to keep costs down.

Driven Boar is a hoot, the whole deal is an event. Highly recommended

Hunting international isn’t exactly cheap, but it offers interesting experiences for different game in different environments. More often then not they can be multi species/ multi animal so if you are successful,  you keep hunting for the term of the hunt. 

 

 

 

 

[Daveboone]

Almost all game is owned by the landowners and regulated closer than thoroughbred horses. I am somewhat interested in a stag hunt in Scotland, mainly because I would love to see the country. It is affordable, very guaranteed, they put you up usually in the old manor houses/castles where you are treated like royalty. Half of my interest is because my wife would so enjoy the setting. 

newer opportunities in eastern europe have opened up which are a more wild experience including for rams, bear, etc.. Eastern Russia has massive bear and moose, similar strains to Alaskas, but needless to say...no one is booking right now. 

[Daveboone]

Just to mention...if you include Africa in "across the pond", my wife and I went to South Africa this past April, and had an absolutely amazing trip. Hunting there could be on private or public land. Most is on very large tract private lands...tens of thousands of acres (though some are much smaller...closer to the pay to hunts in the U.S.  I chose an outfitter that was 100% fair chase spot and stalk, wild born and sustaining populations. I had a simple common modest bag...Impala, warthog, kudu and zebra (NOT A HORSE!!! Three days of the most challenging stalking. Moose is a gimme in comparison! 

I added an Nyala. We were treated like gold, first rate food, accomodations and company. We would go back in a heartbeat. Unfortunately with the change in govt. and politics...the way of life of the white farmers/hunters will be coming to an end down the road. 

[ATbuckhunter]

Depends on where in Europe, but I don't believe many here would enjoy the European way of hunting. We are lucky to have it the way we have it here

[phade]

I was fortunate to grow up as a pre-teen in the Scottish Highlands. I was too young for the hunting and it hadn't bit me yet as I was big into fishing at that time. That said, stag and roe deer hunting was quite popular locally and I can vividly remember them using darn near every part of those animals that could be consumed. The Highlands are impressive and would make for a good family vacation where you could also get hunting in. It is a social experience for sure. Pricing isn't as bad as you might think. Do prepared for the physical exertion there. It is not flat ground. Also, it's wet all the freaking time there. 

[BowmanMike]

51 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Depends on where in Europe, but I don't believe many here would enjoy the European way of hunting. We are lucky to have it the way we have it here

I think you are correct,but I would imagine if you grew up hunting the European way you wouldn't know any different and be fine with it. I wasn't into hunting growing up in Germany,which I wish I had been,but that is in the past. 

I 100% agree that the availability of game and accessibility to it is unmatched here and it is awesome to be a hunter in the U.S.

[Dinsdale]

3 hours ago, BowmanMike said:

 

I 100% agree that the availability of game and accessibility to it is unmatched here and it is awesome to be a hunter in the U.S.

I think folks forget just how easy NY State is for tags and places to hunt even compared to others in the US. 

[ATbuckhunter]

4 hours ago, BowmanMike said:

I think you are correct,but I would imagine if you grew up hunting the European way you wouldn't know any different and be fine with it. I wasn't into hunting growing up in Germany,which I wish I had been,but that is in the past. 

I 100% agree that the availability of game and accessibility to it is unmatched here and it is awesome to be a hunter in the U.S.

Its pretty much everything about it. The access to public lands that we can hunt, the abundant game, the hunters rights that we have. In most of northern Europe, you have to pass a litany of tests to hunt, some places require the hunters to own a recovery dog, paying the govt for a plot of land to manage (that can get taken away) and the pay to play thing. Its not a good system. 

Southern Europe is different. Where my family's is from, you just need to buy a hunting license and there's plenty of govt land to hunt. However there are no deer left and now there's only wolves, jackels, pigs and birds. Laws are in place for seasons and bag limits, but no one ever listens to them. I wouldn't trade what we have here for anything in the world.

[BowmanMike]

11 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Its pretty much everything about it. The access to public lands that we can hunt, the abundant game, the hunters rights that we have. In most of northern Europe, you have to pass a litany of tests to hunt, some places require the hunters to own a recovery dog, paying the govt for a plot of land to manage (that can get taken away) and the pay to play thing. Its not a good system. 

Southern Europe is different. Where my family's is from, you just need to buy a hunting license and there's plenty of govt land to hunt. However there are no deer left and now there's only wolves, jackels, pigs and birds. Laws are in place for seasons and bag limits, but no one ever listens to them. I wouldn't trade what we have here for anything in the world.

I agree again. A country like germany needs those tight bag limits and limited access because of the amount of people per square mile. If it was anything like here as far as access and bag limits go there would be no game left in a very short time,kind of like the southern countries you refer to. 

We have it really good here when it comes to hunting.

[phantom]

I have a cousin who owns farm and   Vineyard in Europe Said i could go hunting on it for pigs anytime i like but  i never have enough time when i vist europe to hunt really maybe someday . 

[Larry]

There having trouble with African swine fever in Europe. There trying to get control over it.

[Gobbler Chaser]

My Dad used to hunt wild boar and deer in Germany. A long family tradition. I traveled from Frankfurt to Cologne by train and it was miles and miles of reisling wines grape vineyards and there were elevated hunting blinds all along the trip. Mostly wood structures. Very cool set up overlooking shots that probably reached out 100s if not 1000yds of yards 

[left field]

On 9/26/2022 at 2:17 PM, phade said:

I was fortunate to grow up as a pre-teen in the Scottish Highlands. I was too young for the hunting and it hadn't bit me yet as I was big into fishing at that time. That said, stag and roe deer hunting was quite popular locally and I can vividly remember them using darn near every part of those animals that could be consumed. The Highlands are impressive and would make for a good family vacation where you could also get hunting in. It is a social experience for sure. Pricing isn't as bad as you might think. Do prepared for the physical exertion there. It is not flat ground. Also, it's wet all the freaking time there. 

You might like this, phade.

https://www.thefield.co.uk/macnab-challenge/macnab-challenge-2022-47596

But there seem to be some regional challenges.

Real Macnab
A salmon on the fly and a stag, as the trio did in John Buchan’s John Macnab. They must be ‘poached’ in legal sporting manner from an owner who accepts the challenge.

Classic Macnab
A stag, a salmon and a brace of grouse. The Classic Macnab epitomises the best of country sports in Scotland and is the sporting test behind The Field’s Macnab Challenge.

Southern Macnab
A couple of snipe, a sea trout and a roebuck.

Macmarsh
A foreshore goose, a pike and a fallow buck.

Macnorfolk
A bass on the fly, a brace of wild grey partridges and a fallow buck.

Macscandi
A moose, a capercaillie and a trout on the fly.

Macargentinian
A golden dorado, 100 brace of doves and a wild pig.

Macafrican
A brace of sandgrouse, an impala and a tigerfish.

Maccharlie
Riding to foxhounds, harriers and staghounds in a day.

Corinthian Macnab
Riding to hounds in the morning, shooting a brace of partridges in the afternoon and then catching a trout on the fly in the evening.

All Macnabs must be completed between dawn and dusk, and within one day.

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Maybe time for a McNY - whitetail buck, brook trout and turkey?

A few good stories from 2021: 

https://www.thefield.co.uk/macnab-challenge/the-field-macnab-challenge-2021-46631

Edited October 14, 2022 by left field