Capercaillie?

[wildfowler.250]

Folks has anyone done a capercaillie hunt in Europe before? Got an outfitter you’d recommend?

My understanding is Austria stalks them early AM in the spring. Sounds interesting but I also believe tags are quite thin on the ground. It looks like it’s 1 bird,(assuming successful) for the trip

Finland / Sweden seems to have reasonable bird numbers. I’d want to shoot something in full plumage so it’s probably a ski hunt. I can’t really ski,(done 3 days). Points for being an adventure but con is it would be blooming freezing - which is fine but may be harder to rope the family in with me.

Any recommendations would be fab. It’s a bit daunting booking abroad without reliable feedback. Probably looking for 2026 so lots of time.


Cheers!

 

[Firebird]

Send a pm to Redleg-he also has a report on here that is good reading. Check into Sweden!

 

[Red Leg]

Fabulous hunt, and it had been a lifelong dream of mine. Martin Neuper of FN Hunting gets several permits each year. https://www.fnhunting.com/ Below is the hunt report. And yes, it was a dawn stalk which is the traditional way to hunt one of the big grouse. Most these days are taken with something like a .22HP from a blind. But, like you, I was interested in a traditional German/Austrian opportunity. Just a fabulous experience.

Thread 'AUSTRIA: Stalking Europe's Big Bird - Hunting The Capercaillie (Auerhahn) In The Austrian Alps'

May 18, 2023

This hunt truly begins in the early spring of 1977. A small group of friends stationed in Northern Bavaria decided to take two-days leave in conjunction with a weekend and head off to Kitzbuhel, Austria for four days of skiing before a pending summer training deployment to Grafenwöhr.

Sometime during the weekend, I found myself over my 180 cm Olin Mark III skis (now there is a collector item) on what was termed the “new course.” It was a lovely winding slope through a conifer forest that had opened earlier that season. About halfway down, I looked to one side and along the tree line saw...

• Red Leg
• Replies: 38
• Forum: Hunting reports Europe

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[Nyati]

You can find them in Scandinavia, the Baltic region, the Alps, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain (protected).

 

[Green Chile]

Super cool hunt that's on my list. That mount is perfect @Red Leg.

 

[Pirkan]

Depending on when you go it shouldn´t be too cold in Sweden and you´ll be skiing so I thinl you´re worrying a bit too much about that part. The nature in the mountains of north western Sweden/eastern Norway is also absolutely stunning. I don´t know any outfitter of the top of my head that I´d recommend but im sure you can find one. Capercaillie hunting in Swedish is tjäderjakt which might help you find some here which I really think you should.

Just as a fun annecdote in regards to Capercaillie, my great uncle was ordered by an officer when he was doing his military service in the 60s to hunt some with a Swedish K submachinegun because the officer wanted some for a fancy dinner he was hosting and knew that my great uncle was a good shot.