Travel-worthy winter hunting destinations

#Hunting #Nature #PulsarBrandAmbassadors

Written by:

Žygimantė Vakarė Jovaišaitė

Few people know their surroundings as well as hunters do. And at the same time, few are more eager to explore new, undiscovered destinations. If you are one of them and are looking for inspiration for your next hunting adventure, this one’s for you – today, we are discussing some of our dream winter hunting locations to visit.

South Africa

Recently, we told you how Pulsar is helping in the fight against poachers in South Africa, but today, we’d like to talk about hunting here. South Africa is extremely attractive to many Europeans as a place with unique fauna and a great escape from gloomy winter days.

Nyala, suni, and white rhino are just a few of the animals that one can hunt, and Schalk Kruger, our distributor from South Africa, describes the whole experience as “something entirely different” from other countries – even the neighboring ones.

Riccardo Tamburini, our brand ambassador from Italy, is one of the lucky ones – during winter, he often goes abroad to accompany hunters on their trips and film the process. Africa was one of his recent destinations, and his first tip is to study the local regulations carefully: “In Africa, you often can’t hunt during the night, but in those cases, you can use the thermal camera only as a spotter. And it can also be very useful when looking for chamois in the woods while stalking.”

His favorites for the task? The Pulsar Merger LRF XP50 thermal imaging binoculars for their exceptional quality, and the Axion 2 LRF XG35 for its compactness. The common thread? The built-in laser rangefinder for accurately measuring distances.

Montenegro

Getting back to Europe, we can’t overlook Montenegro. Still a very under-the-radar destination, it is certainly worth a visit by all nature lovers. Most hunting takes place in the mountains, providing wonderful snowy views, good exercise, and, of course, some of Europe’s most sought-after animals.

For hunters coming from abroad, there are affordable, greatly-serviced tours available. With traditional accommodation and experienced guides, you can experience hunting like a true local and expect to bring a doe or a mouflon as a trophy.

If you are going for the latter, though, get ready for a challenging trip – as our ambassador from Sweden Night Vision Viking tells us, mouflon sheep are hard to spot, let alone hunt, because of their remote (and quite harsh) living conditions and shy nature. Although knowing that, recently, he managed to approach one from just over 50 meters, who is to say you couldn’t just as well?

Scotland

A little while ago, our brand ambassador from the UK, Phil Taylor, told us about the magic of hunting stags in Scotland. While he was particularly fond of the process during fall, red deer hind stalking in winter may be just as magical. A great challenge because of the harsh weather and hilly terrain, it will certainly put your skills to a test, but undoubtedly reward you with scenic views and lots of excitement.

Here’s how Phil describes it: “You could end up walking up and down the hills for hours trying to find the right stag to take. You may spot some stags and hinds from the roadside with your binoculars or thermal, but then you need to work out which way you’re going to get to them without them knowing you’re there first. The wind direction can change very quickly and give your position away. Then you have to come up with a plan B which may mean going back over your steps and coming back in from another angle.”

Lapland

For some wonderland-like experiences, Lapland seems to be an obvious choice. While many families go there to see Santa, hunters can enjoy some really old moose and deer hunting traditions. If you’re into truly unusual experiences, you could also try capercaillie and black grouse hunting on skis. It does take quite a bit of skill and effort, so you might wish to get a local guide for this, though.

Our brand ambassador Jón Rúnar Guðjónsson – an Icelander based in Sweden – was lucky enough to go to Lapland in 2019, and he’s got some practical warnings for you: like getting ready to live with no running water. There are plenty of crystal-clear lakes to take some for your daily needs, and as for showering – well, when there is a sauna and an ice-cold lake, who needs running water anymore?

Speaking of the hunting itself, Jón Rúnar has really enjoyed the tradition of making fires wherever you station yourself: “There is heat to keep you warm, there is warm coffee all day, and you camouflage human scent with smoke. Animals are familiar with the scent of smoke and thus don’t shy away from you.”

He also notes that moose hunting in Lapland is very much teamwork: “Who and how harvests the animal does not matter. When it does happen, everyone in the hunting party comes and helps get it out of the area. It was a pure joy to see how a well-managed group with good equipment could easily bring those giants out of the forest. Being able to take part in this kind of hunt was a big privilege that I will never forget.”

Sweden

If Lapland seems too extreme just yet, but you still wish for some truly majestic, postcard-like winter experiences, Sweden will surely treat you well. Generous with moose, multiple types of deer, wildboars, capercaillies, and black grouse, it’s every hunter’s dream – no wonder our brand ambassador Andrea Lysvold likes to travel there so often.

“What I love about the Swedish forests in winter time is that you can use all the same hunting grounds as in any other time of the year. Where I live, in Lofoten Islands, we have steep mountains, so I prefer to hunt there when it’s less snowy and dangerous.

Also, I love forests, and that is something exotic for me as the Lofoten Islands aren’t spoiled with woodlands. This winter has just begun, but I already got to try hunting for capercaillie, which was really cool. Even though I didn’t have any luck on that hunt, I got to see several of these awesome birds, which I’ve never encountered before, and their hunting method is quite fascinating.

I also stalked a roe deer which is a little different on snow. I love being able to spot the tracks easier, but it can be hard stalking on frozen ground.”

Louisiana, USA

For those dreaming of going to the other side of the pond, you won’t be disappointed as, quite obviously, the vast country that the USA is, it has plenty to offer hunting-wise. Today, we’re focusing on Louisiana, arguably the best place in the world for waterfowl. With as many as 21 types of duck, plus geese, coots, and mergansers, it surely has lots to offer. There are options available for both beginners and experienced hunters, and some estates even offer family experiences.

The damp grounds of Louisiana are also a perfect place for woodcocks to spend their winter. The state takes pride in large numbers of the American species of the bird available, and while the process still remains quite challenging, the success rate is pretty high. And speaking of woodcock, we can’t forget its Eurasian cousin – mysterious and hard to catch, it usually spends winter in Southern Europe. Our brand ambassador Riccardo Tamburini has just told us about its hunting peculiarities in Italy, so we invite you to have a look and give yourself a head-start for the next woodcock hunting trip – whether it will lead you to Italy or Louisiana.

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.