Wolf hunting slowly became my biggest passion because it is the most alert, cautious, and suspicious predator in our country. It takes a lot of efforts to have the wolf as a trophy – strong will, stamina, decisiveness to bear long nights alone high in the cold mountain. Wolf hunting in Bulgaria is difficult and thankfulness way of hunting. You have to spend many nights at the bait in order to have the chance of seeing Him – the mystique Master of the Mountain – the Wolf…

There were six wolves in the hunting area and the damages on roe deers were obvious all around. The wolf pack was comprised of alpha couple and four younger wolves, maybe brothers and sister from same litter two or three years ago.

There is strict hierarchy in the wolf pack and division on alpha, beta, gamma pack members.

The bait was seldom visited by one and sometimes two wolves but I did not have chance meet one of them. Actually, so far I had not met wolf in the nature. Every night was very excited and I was able to keep myself awake because of the fore coming meeting with Him, the Master of the Mountain – the Wolf.

Prior to face the challenge of hunting wolves I have met almost all of the successful wolf hunters in the region and have soaked a lot of knowledge about the best way to do it. Now, it was my turn to prove the learned. Waiting for wolf is quite difficult and lonesome activity. Usually, I am waiting all night and do not leave the high seat or the place where I am standing till the morning. I go to pea in a bottle, so I do not leave any signalizing smells out there.

My high seat was not real high seat but a container on the back of old military truck ZIL. I prefer to put the bait around 80-85 meters from the high seat. It is close enough for a good shot during the low light conditions and is far enough so the wolf could not detect any smells left from going to the high seat. Old hunters say that it takes around 3-4 hours for the smell to be gone but I am always taking precautions and go to the high seat earlier. The container was transformed into comfortable place for spending long and cold winter nights waiting for the wolf. On the bottom I put a thick carpet so any suspicious sounds were absorbed by it. For several nights I did not meet the wolves but this day I had a feeling. It was 4^th of January and it started snowing. When the weather conditions are worsening, that is signal for the predators to go out and search for food because the next few days could be with scarce food supplies. I had good visibility through the small window and was waiting patiently. Two roe deers appeared and I was glad because their behavior would show me the wolf presence. They stayed for 15 minutes and were gone.

Around 23:00 two foxes came on to bait and started tearing small pieces of it and feeding. They were doing it for around 25 minutes and suddenly they disappeared. In two minutes they were back but their legs were a lot longer and I knew these were wolves. My heart started running like crazy and I could feel my pulse in my throat. Since then I have seen lots of wolves but this keep happening when I see that elusive and mystique predator. I opened the window and prepared myself with the rifle. I tried to relax my breathing before the shot because it was essential. There were two wolves on the bait. I could not determine if they were young or old because they were my first wolves. The one on the right laid down and started feeding and the other was standing up and eating as well. The left one was in better position for shooting and I gently pulled the trigger. The .308win TTSX Barnes bullet took it down immediately and the other wolf started running. I aimed it and took two shots but they were unsuccessful.

I lost my words; everything looked irrelevant at this pure minute to me. When I realized what have happened I remembered an advice from old wolf hunter that had told me that if I kill the female the male will usually wait and come back to look for her. But if I shoot the male, the survival instinct will not bring her back to search for her partner. I waited like one our but no wolf appeared. It was young three-years-old female/26 kilos/, I checked for footprints for the male but he was gone. I brought the pick-up truck closer and started driving down to the village.

I was a wolf hunter…

Outfoxing a predator gives me incomparable pleasure because this is the essence of the eternal game for me.

Most of our country territory is rich in foxes and jackals which I started with. I use three main methods of hunting them – on bait, with rabbit-in-distress game calls, and driven hunts.

Driven hunting is the most emotional among the others and I like it because of the chance of hunting with fellow hunters, share the adventure together. Very productive way, especially in South-Central and South-Eastern parts of Bulgaria where jackal population flourishes. I use a shotgun for it and 2/0 – 6/0 shot shells depending on the season, hunting area, and the expected game – jackal or fox.

Waiting them on bait is lonely sport but very challenging and satisfactory at the end. I have best results during December-February when there is a lot of snow and scarce food sources for predators. It takes long nights sitting alone in the dark but it worth it at the end.

Game-calling could be emotional way of hunting, it is harder to get an animal but I prefer it because everything depends on hunter experience – choosing the right hunting place, taking into account the wind direction, camouflaging well, experience in using the game call, and precise rifle with appropriate rifle-scope.

After gaining knowledge and experience in fox and jackal hunting, I started thinking of Him – the Wolf…

Bulgaria is among the few European countries with stable wolf population. Hunting wolves is allowed throughout year and is encouraged by local authorities. It is widely discussed topic and I am defending the position that wolf should be hunted on a country basis and common European policy is not fair and equally objective, because in recent years wolf population is growing and in many parts of Bulgaria there are constant damages for the farmers like two weeks ago, when 3 wolves killed 54 sheep during one-night attack.

I started with reading almost any book I have found for wolf hunting in Bulgaria, found and met many successful wolf hunters and try gain knowledge as much as possible. There are different understandings and advises I have received, but according to my experience I would say that four simple rules are key to success in that challenging, demanding, and truly interesting hunt:

1. You have to hunt them in areas where there is constant wolf presence. Seeing one or two does not mean that it will be a promising area for wolf hunting. Wolves usually prefer areas with decent amount of wild boars and roe deers.
2. You have to supply the bait always with dead animals in order to lure the most cautious animal on the Balkans, if not in Europe, to start visiting the bait regularly. I am using caucuses of big animals, so there will be enough food, even if a wolfpack appears for several nights. There are no rules of how often a wolf goes to the bait, but if it feeds on it for the first time, it is almost 90% sure it will come back on the very next night. So, regular checking the bait is a must. Setting big animals is also important in order to determine if a fox or wolf visited the bait last night. Photo traps are sometimes used because daily checking the bait is impossible.

   

3. You have to wait every possible night you can, no matter it is during the winter, or summer. Yes, the chances are greater during the winter when the wolf is hunting harder its quarry but my last two wolves are taken in June and August. The wolf is territorial animal and if its routes and paths are through the bait, the wolf visits it even during the summer to mark its territory, giving us the chance to have that rare trophy.
4. When the wolf finally appears on the bait, wait until it starts to feed and take a calm and secure shot. If you are not 100% sure, you’d better wait and do not take any risks. I was waiting my second wolf for 4 and ½ months and it is wise not to waste that rare chance with quick and poor shot.

These four may look simple and well-known for many but they guided me to success several times and I rely 100% on them!

I hope it is interesting article and if there is interest I would share specific wolf hunting situations with you!

Nasluka! /It means Good Luck in Bulgarian/

Stefan Stefanov

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