Spring is here, and you can’t help but feel the change in the air. The evenings are longer, the birds are chirping louder, the flowers are slowly rising from the ground and beginning to blossom. Deep in the forest, there are changes, too – cubs are being born, and hunters take a break to allow nature to flourish. But for them, the season is one of the busiest. So, if you ever wondered what hunters do besides, well, hunting, this one’s for you. Our brand ambassadors Jón Rúnar Guðjónsson (an Icelander based in Denmark and hunting in Sweden) and Phil Taylor (from the UK) tell us everything about their spring rituals.
Noticing the change
Whether you’re a hunter, a nature enthusiast, or a city dweller, you can’t miss the moment spring comes into town. First of all, it’s the happiness that seems to pour over everyone. Or, as Phil puts it: “Spring really helps with your mental health. Like most animals, we like to have some sun on our backs.”
It’s not just the sun that’s making us happy. The flowers, the baby animals make nature enthusiasts just as excited. And for hunters, it’s not just a pretty scenery to look at – it seems like each new spring flower tells them about changes in hunting. “With the warmer days, with the daffodils and bluebells in full bloom, we know that the roebuck season is nearly upon us. Here in the UK, we are lucky as we have deer in season all year round, so as the months tick by, our focus just changes to a different type of deer. Once the crops are getting too high for foxing, I start to think about the deer. We don’t take many from the land I shoot – it’s all about keeping a healthy population as well as the farmers happy, so they don’t get too much crop damage.”
While some just let spring go by, for nature lovers, it’s often a busy season. It’s that time of the year when they try to eliminate the aftereffects of the harsh winter and improve the overall quality of nature. Jón Rúnar is one of them.
“About a week after the last frost releases its grip, I start planting. I do this to increase flora and, simultaneously, the natural food resources for the wild in my area. I follow the biotop plan that’s created to increase the wellbeing of wild animals.” says Jón Rúnar.
Taking care of nature
Although some, like Phil, are lucky enough to enjoy hunting all year round, in many countries, hunters are required to take a break in spring. But that doesn’t mean one can’t observe the animals. “When the forest floor is filled with the beautiful flower anemone, I begin scouting for bucks and other animals to get a better understanding of which animals have survived the winter, and if there are any that need to have an extra look at. Observation time always starts with a good cup of coffee, binoculars, and a thermal spotter,” tells Jón Rúnar.
He also admits to taking some time to simply enjoy the spring: “Hearing the songs of all the birds, seeing how nature once again flourished with all its beauty, taking walks, training my dog, mountain biking – this is something I enjoy a lot.”
Time for cleaning
Spring is synonymous with cleaning. First, of course, is the surroundings: “I go through the forest and see if there are fallen trees from the storms of the winter that need to be taken down, so they are not dangerous to people or animals. I also take a walk and collect non-degradable trash from nature,” says Jón Rúnar when asked if he performs any spring-specific cleaning duties.
And even though it’s important to take care of your surroundings, your gear deserves some attention, too. “At the start of spring, I normally give my guns a good clean to get all the winter mud and grime off them. I check all the stock bolts as well as rings and rails, book the range and take all my guns for a day of checking zero after cleaning them,” Phil tells us about his cleaning routine.
Anticipating the future
Spring always seems to pass by too quickly. And yet, we can’t help but look even further into the future, anticipating what’s coming next. For hunters and our brand ambassadors, the new gear sounds like a very exciting prospect. Here’re Phil’s thoughts: “This spring is looking very bright from a Pulsar point of view. We are about to release over 15 new products to the world, so I’m really looking forward to getting hands-on with some of the new products. I am especially keen on trying the new Merger binoculars as well as some of the new products with the XG sensor in them.”
And while Phil remains loyal to thermal vision, Jón Rúnar is looking forward to some night vision upgrades: “This spring, I am testing the Digex C50 and the Forward FN455S. Both of these devices have a lot of features I really like. The Digex has an incredible range and is perfect for identifying species, sex, and age. It has an incredible image sensor and many features that I’m slowly learning to use. All new items of this quality and type have a little learning curve to them if you want to be able to use them correctly. The Forward is the perfect match if you wish to hunt different species for a longer period and avoid having too much weight. This year, we can hunt bucks from May 1 in Sweden. I will take the Forward with me for hunting wild boar during the night and looking for bucks during the daylight.”
Before purchasing any night or thermal vision device, please make sure you adhere to the local legislation and only use it when it is allowed. Our ambassadors come from various countries and travel a lot, which allows them to test different devices. We do not encourage or support the illegal use of our devices in any events. If you wish to learn more about export and sales restriction policy, please visit the following link: Export and Sales Restriction Policy.