fin003
AH elite
The days around summer solstice seem eternal. We chose to hunt for roebuck in Transylvania during that time; between past and present, between the plains and the mountains.
It was a short night. Two hours of sleep later, we drove on a narrow country road north of a town named Sibiu. Our main accommodation for the next two days was located there. The sky was dark, but not because it was nighttime, as during this time of the year the sun was at its peak in the northern hemisphere.
The thick clouds causing the lack of light promised a few showers. It was excellent news for our Romanian hosts though, who hadn’t seen a single drop of rain for weeks. We came to the turn off for a small town that was overrun with stray dogs and a few ox-carts. There, we left the bit of tarmac that remained and traversed the flank of a hill by means of a dirt road. Lightning tore across the sky and in the distance the Carpathians were masked by walls of rain watering the plains.
The songs of hundreds of larks, accompanied by the metronome-like notes of a few common quail, greeted us as we got out of the vehicle. The rolling countryside was blanketed by wheat, alfalfa, prairies, vineyards, and more or less extensive forests. It truly was a roe’s paradise.
We met up with Valean, the local representative from Romsylva, who would be our guide on this territory. The uniqueness of today’s hunt was the transportation: a horse drawn cart. A simple plank as a seat welcomed our backsides, and we were beckoned to climb aboard. The start was rough: the stallion reared up prior to pulling at the reins, producing a lurch that sent all of the passengers tumbling to the floor of the cart. Luckily, it was carpeted to soften the fall!
After this flying start, the rhythm became and remained steady. We travelled in a deep silence, interrupted only by a few claps of thunder and whinnies of the horse, who seemed to appreciate the early outing. To the east a gash in the clouds allowed an ember red sky to peak through, and Valean called a pause to appreciate the scenery. A very large valley extended before us. A pipeline serpentined across the floor of the valley, and not far from it we spotted a red spot: roe. It was too far to identify properly, so we continued our stalk by cart. A few minutes later our transportation stopped, and we continued the hunt on foot.
Large droplets crashed onto the drought marked ground, and the characteristic smell of wet ground immediately filled the atmosphere. A cold rain shower accompanied us on our stalk towards the roe. It turned out to be a doe, but as we headed back to the horse and cart, Valean’s lynx-like eyes spotted another animal around a shrub. This was a buck. He had seen us but remained immobile, confident in his camouflage. That was a fatal error.
The rangefinder measured 143 meters, so the Kipplauf was nestled into the shooting sticks, and the EVO bullet in .270 met up with the overly confident animal. The rain ceased momentarily, leaving us with just enough time to admire the fantastic buck whose body and trophy size (430 grams) left us speechless. A few photos later we climbed back up the wildflower strewn slope extremely happy, but becoming drenched by a rain shower that forced us to call the hunt to a halt.
Time flew in the afternoon and after a small siesta Sylvain proposed we quickly take a closer look at the Carpathians, where there might be a chance to see a few chamois. In under an hour we went from a road in the wooded countryside to one in the high alpine bordered by boulders, mountain streams, and sheets of snow clinging to the north-facing slopes. To top it off, a magnificent chamois let us stalk within 250 meters. Astounding and refreshing!
Returning to the humidity and the greenness of the plains, we went to the west of Sibiu for an evening outing. Here the landscape was less hilly than where we had been this morning. We progressed through a more closed area composed of acacia woods and a few clearings. The mosquitos were eating us alive! Camouflage nets to protect us from these hordes of vampires were swiftly deployed… we had left our garlic cloves at the hotel.
We were still accompanied by Valean, but this evening it was Fabrice who would lead us. Today’s goal was a nice buck who had been spotted a few days prior. Brought on by the cool summer air, layers of mist began to form and stole our visibility. After two hours of stalking, we distinguished two red forms under an apple tree, traveling across the regrowth. It was the buck we were looking for!
The illuminated reticle of the Magnus hovered over him, but just then he disappeared behind a cluster of shrubs. The tension was palpable. Fabrice remained concentrated on the animal, who had taken up his journey behind the doe again. The thumb pushed forward and disengaged the safety, the index finger was softly folding over the trigger, when suddenly a hornet came out of nowhere and attacked the hunter who was ready to fire.
The shot went off, but the concentration had been disturbed, and the bullet struck a meter above the buck, who remained stationary. Unfortunately the hornet’s aggression escalated and though the ungulate was 230 meters away, he picked up on our movements and took off towards shelter with his betrothed.
Our second night was barely longer than the first. After three hours of sleep we met at the market town Blaj, and got to know our new guide Claudio, a public figure of the town. Once again we switched biotopes. This morning we concentrated on a landscape where crop growth was prioritized, predominantly grains. The sky was azure blue.
The wheat, interspersed with poppies, was beginning to turn blond. The rapeseed was a bright yellow and the prairies were worthy of a painting by Monet. Scrapes and rubs from bucks were everywhere. The game was there somewhere, integrated in this patchwork of colors. We advanced in the increasing light of the sun and after an hour of stalking stealthily, Claudio pointed out a dark form on the border of a parcel of wheat. A nontypical buck was filling himself on a few ears of wheat. He was more than 400 meters away.
We would approach him using whatever cover we could find, facing the sun. Arriving at 200 meters, Jacky felt confident and we proposed he try his luck. Claudio stayed to his right to offer him an additional rest. The reticle was switched to day time mode, as the sun’s rays were shining directly into the tube. Jacky, an expert gunsmith, taught us a lesson in long range shooting that day and placed the bullet right into the buck’s thorax, level with the ears of wheat, of which a few were shaved by the passing bullet. Remarkable!
As soon as the atypical head was swallowed up by the wheat though, a second appeared out of the neighboring rapeseed field. He was ginormous. Jacky had reloaded his rifle just in case and was still in shooting position. By simply repositioning his sights a few meters to the left, the massive roe bit the dust, dropped by a lead-free EVO Green bullet.
This animal’s antlers tipped 570 grams on the scale, the heaviest of any buck taken on an outing. What an insight into what kind of savage beasts hide in Transylvania!
Contact
Sylvain Bourgard: French by descent, Romanian by heart
In spite of only being 40, Sylvain Bourgard is already a very seasoned hunter, as he is “always” hunting. This Frenchman originally from Antibes is passionate about hunting and hunting dogs (he owns six). He has lived in Romania for eight years. The hunting travel agency he founded, Alisyl Travel, invites globe-trotting hunters to come discover the crème de la crème of hunting between the Danube and Carpathians. Married to a Romanian, he speaks the native language fluently, which makes life easier when communicating with hunting guides. Small or big game, his offers cover everything Romania has to offer, from beasts with fur to feathers. Sylvain is the proprietor of 7,500 hectares around Blaj and works exclusively on 80,000 hectares in collaboration with Romsylva, the local forestry administration.
Info
Game and Seasons of Romanian Hunting
Quail and European Turtle Dove from 15/08 to 10/09
Ducks from 06/09 to 15/02
Geese, hare, pheasant, grey partridge, thrush from 01/11 to 15/02
Roe buck from 15/05 to 01/10
Red stag from 15/09 to 10/10
Fallow buck from 15/10 to 10/11
Chamois from 15/09 to 01/12
Wild boar from 01/11 to 15/02
Author:
Philippe Jaeger
Philippe Jaeger is originally from Alsace and in his youth he was opposed to hunting. He changed his opinion when he met people who explained to him that the foolish behaviour of some hunters had nothing to do with real hunting. Philippe got his hunting licence and bought a hunting dog, which he trained himself. Today he can’t imagine his life without hunting. He is now 46 years old and has a son, and, when he is not travelling around the world to go hunting, he enjoys his family life in the Vosges Mountains.
