Hunting hazel grouse with decoy autumn 2020. Moose tracks.

The hazel grouse is the smallest representative of the grouse subfamily. It is distributed throughout Eurasia. It is difficult to confuse it with other forest inhabitants. Close to the hazel grouse, it shows variegated plumage, which gave the bird its name. When removed, it merges with the nature surrounding it and becomes invisible to the human eye. The weight of hazel grouse rarely exceeds 500 grams.

Like all grouse, the hazel grouse feeds on vegetation. In summer, its diet includes insects. He leads a sedentary lifestyle and does not make long migrations.

The greatest interest is caused by autumn hunting for birds. From the beginning of September until late autumn, hunters' decoys call for hazel grouse in the forests. This is the most effective way to attract the bird's attention. Males fly to the sound of a decoy or a peep. They stand guard over their territory and react to the sound of an intruder. Following the male, the female may also fly up to check.

The peak of hunting occurs in Indian summer. This is the best time to hunt game. Warm, calm weather, a clear day - it is at this time that you can find hazel grouse in the forest. Anticipating rain, a day or two before the onset of bad weather, the bird hides in a shelter from which it is difficult to get out.

For her flights, she chooses daylight hours and calm weather, so the hunt begins in the morning. At this time, the hunter goes out into the dense coniferous forest in search of game. This is where the bird makes its home.

The hazel grouse has excellent hearing and cannot tolerate falsehood. You need to be good at using a decoy so that when you call him to you you don’t scare him away. You can learn how to signal hazel grouse with a decoy by taking several lessons from professional hunters. The behavior of hazel grouse is much more reasonable than the behavior of black grouse and wood grouse. The nimble bird is very careful and shy. It's not easy to hunt her.

Best timing

The official hunting season for upland game lasts from mid-August – early September until the end of winter. And the most logical and ethically justified is the autumn hazel grouse hunt. At this time, the offspring have already been raised, the bird is well-fed and well-fed, it does not have to fight for survival, as in winter, when it is cold and hungry. And for the breadwinner, the conditions are the most favorable - comfortable temperature, the beauty of the autumn forest, fresh air. Even if luck passes you by, you will still have a lot of positive impressions from being in nature.

Weapons and equipment

The success of the hunt largely depends on how the hunter is equipped. A light, waterproof suit with protective coloring and rubber boots are best suited for autumn hazel grouse hunting. You can cover your head with a cap or a Panama hat with a mosquito net. It is better to wander through the forest lightly. A light smoothbore gun is well suited as a weapon for hunting hazel grouse.

For a bird with a small mass, a slight wound is enough to deprive it of movement. Most often, a 20-gauge shotgun is used when hunting hazel grouse. It is lightweight and economical in terms of ammunition.

In addition, 16- and 12-gauge shotguns are used. Small-caliber rifles are well suited for hunting birds from a hike. The faint sound of their shot does not frighten the birds. They don't jump off at the first salvo. This allows you to remove several hazel grouse from one place at once.

It is better to have a bandolier in your equipment with a lid. It protects cartridge cases from getting wet. The best option is a cartridge belt of 10 cartridges on a waist belt. The remaining supply of charges is kept in a bag, which is carried by the hunter at the ready. Along with the cartridges, you can put a small supply of food, drink, and a hunting knife in the bag.

You can replace the bag with a duffel bag, which is worn on blue. When spending the night in the forest, you should put spare underwear, socks, matches, a flashlight, a hatchet, a mug, a bowler hat and a light tent in it. The most convenient bags for a hunter are “crumbs”. They are very light and roomy. The fame of the less convenient was assigned to the “yagdash”. Binoculars and a compass are required for hazel grouse hunting.

Maximum shot range

Shot diameter, mm	Maximum range, m
4,5 (№0)	287
4 (№1)	273
3,5 (№3)	260

How to attract a hazel grouse

The hazel grouse is attracted in two ways:

imitating the female's voice;
imitating the male's voice.

The main thing is to know well all the features of trills, which in these birds are diverse and complex.

What melody

The male and female have a large “repertoire” of trills. The voices are different:

male and female;
young and old (the older the bird, the more experienced, the richer its song);
in rain, fog and good weather.

Even geographical location affects the whistling of birds. There is no clear recipe for luring. Each locality may have its own melody. Therefore, the correct decoy melody is the melody to which a real bird responds. And you can only learn this through regular training and watching real hazel grouse.

What time

Hunting for hazel grouse with decoy is allowed from mid-September (may vary slightly by region). In September, the young from the brood have already grown up, but for now they remain on their parents’ property. But the old lady is still “keeping an eye” on them. She can stop the young ones from trying to respond to the call with a cry of alarm.

The ideal time is in October, in its first half. The weather is still quite good, there is an abundant food supply, there are already many young males actively looking for a female. In addition, they are not yet frightened by hunters, which means they are more carefree.

It is advisable to attract hazel grouse on windless days. The time of day also matters. Hazel grouse are active in the morning and evening; in the middle of the day the birds rest and will not respond to a decoy.

Portal discussion of exciting issues

Continuation. The experience of others, which is now not difficult to believe.

Everything I posted above was tested by trial and error, but many hunters have been practicing hunting with pneumatics for a long time and have gained decent experience - let me share a little of the most accurate and interesting facts from their practice. So, I talked about my acquaintance with the 4.5 caliber, and what you can definitely do with it. But pneumatics also have large calibers (which I dream of acquiring in the near future) these are calibers 5.0, 5.5, 6.35, as well as a number of rarer and larger calibers - 7.62, 8, 9. Calibers 11 and 12 are very rare. There are 14. They say o 16. But calibers 5.5 and 6.35 are very real and very used. The practice of world hunting with them shows that with 5.5 you can safely hunt ANY bird, excluding the largest ones - a hit to the body is enough. The most popular trophy is the goose. It is for hunting it that many people buy rifles of this caliber. In addition, getting into the killing zone with an accurate shot kills both the beaver and the hare, which opens up new horizons for hunting with pneumatics (hunting from a stand for a hare). But still, for greater confidence, 6.35 is suitable for these trophies. at the same time, he will definitely include the fox in the list. And now, adding only two calibers to 4.5 (5.5, 6.35) We have the following list of game, hunting for which may well be possible without gunpowder and unnecessary hemorrhoids: 1. Pigeon. 2. Kamyshanka. 3. Partridge. 4. Duck.

5. Goose. 6. Grouse. 7. Hare. 8. Squirrel.

9. Beaver. 10. Fox. 11. Squirrel.

And this, of course, is not a complete list (it all depends on the region and comparison of sizes) I don’t want to go too far in describing the prospects, so that you don’t consider some facts to be completely unlikely; for those who are interested, it will not be difficult to find information I’ll just say that you can hit with 12 and 14 calibers, if you take 8, 9, then the roe deer becomes a very acceptable target, according to the experience of many pneumatic gunners. And again to the advantages of such a hunt - all this game will require a balanced, confident and accurate shot from you, you will need to track it, wait, aim and put it down, and not waste it with a doublet, leaving one wounded duck for each killed duck. Hunting with pneumatics, although not an art - avoiding pathos, but a real process. Interesting and fascinating, and most importantly - very real, with real trophies that are much larger than a sparrow, as many people think, and as I used to think. The game will be 100% earned by you, and in addition, you will have fun! Speaking of disadvantages, it’s worth mentioning again: when hunting with air rifles, you cannot count on the same amount of prey, it will be less. And of course, patience and staying “old” and “on the fly” don’t hit you here - you’ll have to watch and wait) In conclusion, a few recommendations, if you allow: When hunting with pneumatics, the main thing is an accurate and confident shot, you often need to count on hitting the kill zone - don't shoot if you're not sure, you can always prepare better. Don’t take too much at once - start with 4.5 caliber and “grow” little by little, this will give you the necessary experience and skills by the time you move on to serious calibers. Use only sights designed for air rifles, and only heavy bullets for hunting, the value of the bullet when hunting with air rifles is sooo high - only the rifle/bullet combination will give a good result! Don’t even try to hit a bird “in the air” or hares “on the fly” - only sits, decoys, approaches, etc. to catch a stationary or very sedentary target. Don’t shoot from a very long distance - scopes with 6-8x magnification provide an excellent opportunity to shoot from 30-35 meters, you can then go further - but you can start with this - such a distance is quite realistic. Before you do anything with a rifle, scope or bullets, read the Internet - there are many excellent articles on storing, caring for and upgrading air rifles, selecting and installing scopes and choosing bullets. Well, perhaps that's all?) Thanks to everyone who read, and sorry that there is so much - it’s just that the topic is very close to me, I wanted to share))

Shotgun selection

The hazel grouse is a very restless bird, reacting to any sounds and rustles. To make the hunt successful, it is not enough to prepare a decoy. The choice of weapon is a very important task, because the chance of a second shot in case of a miss depends on it.

If a hunter is not confident in his abilities, experts recommend hunting hazel grouse with pneumatics.

The main advantage of using an air gun when hunting hazel grouse is a quiet shot. This choice will allow you not to scare away the bird lurking nearby, and gives a good chance that you will be able to lure out the “neighbor” of the prey.

When choosing firearms, preference is given to small-caliber ones. The sound of the shot is not very loud, so there is a chance that the bird will not be scared. In any case, you must remember that it is enough to wound a hazel grouse, so you should opt for small shot and shoot from a distance of 20-30 meters.

Muscovites went after the rats with a gun

— I crashed one at the dacha over the weekend!

- Congratulations! To the head?

- No, behind. Right through.

Do you think this is a conversation between killers? No, this is a dialogue between two ordinary citizens. Well, almost ordinary. They just had a new hobby - shooting rats with air guns. Or, as they themselves call their hobby, ratting. We tried to find out what makes Muscovites fight against rodents and whether this fun is dangerous.

MARKETS ARE A PARADISE FOR RODENTS

Komsomolskaya Pravda managed to persuade one of the rat hunters to take the journalist with him on a hunt. My guide was 46-year-old Muscovite Gennady, nicknamed Owl.

At midnight we go to the rat killer’s favorite place - the market in Khovrin, which is known to Muscovites for the abundance of rotten meat on the shelves. While we were walking to the main market dump, Gennady warned:

— Turn off your cell phone, remove change and keys from your pockets. Otherwise you'll scare the rodents.

- Are there many of them here?

- Hundreds, thousands! The market is a real rat paradise. The diet is enviable: vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, fish, sweets. The tailed animals not only eat from garbage dumps, they also sneak into shopping tents.

In residential buildings, according to Gennady, the situation is approximately the same. A rat can fit through a hole as thick as a finger - rodents have a very flexible skeleton. Gray creatures easily reach the upper floors through elevator shafts and gaps between concrete floors.

— Rats molt, and fluff with all kinds of viruses, parasite eggs and other nasty things spreads throughout the house! “It seems that Gennady is trying to kill my pity for future victims. Meanwhile, in almost pitch darkness, with two small flashlights, we approached the local garbage dump.

Phew! I immediately regretted not taking a medical mask with me. Boxes, cardboard boxes, half-rotten tomatoes, grapes, moldy pieces of bread and fish heads are piled around the low barracks. I imagined that I was inhaling stinking air with particles of rat fluff, and nausea rose in my throat...

About ten grunting rodents with shiny fur were running around the edge of the trash heap. Eh, they live well!

Bang! Gennady fired. I dropped the flashlight in surprise. After a couple of seconds, not a single rodent was visible in the trash heap, except for the dead rat.

“They will appear again in about ten minutes,” Gennady said. - There is no need to remove the corpse. It's a dump here...

Unable to bear the stench and feeling of disgust, I decided to leave. Gennady later boasted that he shot about 50 rats that night. But this is not a record. According to him, just a couple of years ago, when the Khovrinsky market was working at full capacity, in five hours it was possible to shoot up to two hundred gray creatures.

KILL THE RAVEN AND DOVES, SCARY THE GRANDMANS

Night rat hunters have daytime counterparts - city hunters who fight with crows. They call themselves crowhunters (crow in English - crow, hunter - hunter). And if rat killers destroy rodents mainly in garbage dumps, basements, landfills, then crowd hunters shoot everywhere. Many people shoot out of their car windows. And there are those who shoot from balconies: aiming at birds walking importantly through children's playgrounds.

- The car was destroyed, all the garbage dumps were gutted! They've been croaking since early morning - disturbing sleep! — Every bird killer finds his own explanation for his hatred of birds. Some “city orderlies” got into the habit of killing even harmless pigeons.

- And the grannies feed the birds on purpose! Look how many of them were scattered! — the crowdhunters make excuses. - Yes, and these grandmothers need to be intimidated with pneumatic guns!

Do you think rat killers and crowd hunters are crazy teenagers? Not at all! These are mostly adults and quite wealthy men. After all, a good rifle for shooting rats costs about 45 thousand rubles. And high-quality crowdhunter pneumatics with special hunting gadgets are estimated at 120 thousand.

And there are more and more such snipers in Moscow. According to the All-Russian Society of Crowhunters (even this exists, but, of course, unofficially), in 2009, shooters destroyed 9,109 crows. This is almost 3 times more than in the previous year, 2008.

KILLED A RODENT - GOT A FEVER

The saddest thing is that shooting crows and rats is also dangerous for people. Every now and then news appears in the media: one or another pneumatic shooter hit a random passerby. In addition, people who engage in ratting undermine their health.

“You can get anything from rodents,” explained Komsomolskaya Pravda at the Moscow City Disinfection Center. — Rats live on fleas, lice and a large number of all kinds of ticks. And the tailed pests themselves carry more than 30 diseases. Here you have rabies, fever, and leptospirosis. All these diseases are deadly. It’s not for nothing that rodent control specialists wear gloves, respirators and regularly get vaccinated. And in general, ratting is a completely useless activity. The only way to kill rats in large numbers is with chemicals. A gun will not solve the problem. Rats breed nine times a year, and others will immediately take the place of the killed rodents.

COMMENTS

PSYCHOLOGIST...

"Losers Feel Cool"

“People choose this hobby because of problems in life: they are not recognized at work, their family is falling apart, things are not going well on their personal front,” says the professor, head. Department of Criminal Psychology, Faculty of Legal Psychology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Sergey Enikolopov. — Office clerks go shoot crows to get rid of their daily routine. With pneumatics in their hands, losers feel like “cool peppers” and begin to “shoot back” from their personal failures. It is important to note: there is always a possibility that an animal killer will move on to “larger victims” and begin to clear the city of homeless people or prostitutes, and then even shoot at those who simply do not like him.

...AND LAWYER

“For shooting a person - eight years in prison”

“If a person in the city shoots at any animal and is caught by a policeman, then according to the law he will be fined for an administrative offense of up to 1,000 rubles and the weapon will be confiscated,” explains Andrei Nikolaev, a member of the Guild of Russian Lawyers. “But if this shooter does not commit any violations within a year, then he can again receive permission for trauma. If an animal or bird was killed in the presence of a child, then this is regarded in the Criminal Code as cruelty to animals. Here the fine increases to approximately 80 thousand rubles. It is likely that correctional labor will be assigned for a whole year. Or they may even be arrested for six months. If animal killers hunt in a busy place, this can be regarded as hooliganism, and a prison sentence of up to five years is possible. And, of course, if a person was injured by pneumatic bullets, then according to the law he can be imprisoned for eight years.

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Muscovites went after the rats with guns. Elizaveta PCHELKINA

Baiting process

In order to understand the luring process itself, watch experienced hunters. Before luring a hazel grouse with a decoy in the forest, you need to learn how to correctly reproduce its whistle. Try to reproduce the melody you hear, achieving clear repetition. The best indicator of your skill will be the reaction of predators in the forest to your whistle. Don’t worry if you can’t achieve this right away, since attracting a hazel grouse is not entirely easy and not everyone has an ear for music to immediately repeat what they hear.

Making a decoy with your own hands

From a syringe

To make a hazel grouse decoy from a syringe, we will need a medical syringe, a slate pencil, PVA glue, sandpaper, and a knife.

Stages of work:

Take the cap from the syringe and cut off the tip (narrow nose). Use a cutter to make a small hole at a distance of one centimeter from the cut.
From a pencil, make a blank for the cap about 1.5 cm. Then cut off the third part of this blank with a cutter. We insert the remaining part into the cap so that our pencil is located under the hole.
Now we periodically whistle into it, achieving the desired sound. When the sound is found, glue the pencil blank to the cap. We cut off the unnecessary part of the cap.
Now we insert the tip of the cap, which was cut off at the beginning, into the semolina blank and strengthen it with glue.

The decoy is ready!

From a pine branch

This whistle is made from a pine branch, which it is advisable to stock up in the spring.

Take a branch 3-5 cm long, the diameter should not exceed 4-6 mm.
Next, remove the bark.
Use a utility knife to make a small resonating hole. Make the hole slowly, carefully, as it affects the purity of the sound waves.
Make a cut along the branch to allow sound waves to pass through.
In this form, we leave the semolina until the fall to dry.

From the femur of a hare (goose)

Manufacturing stages:

Cut the front end of the pit vertically.
On the other side, saw off the bone at a 45 degree angle.
Next, cut a hole with a diameter of about 5 mm on top of the bone.
Insert a piece of plasticine, clay or wax into the finished hole, and use a hot needle to make a funnel (gradually, constantly checking the quality and frequency of the squeak produced).

Now the whistle can be used for its intended purpose.

Hunting Permits

In June 2020, the procedure for issuing hunting licenses changed. There are now two types of permits for poultry hunting. The first type is issued to amateur hunters and those for whom hunting is a sporting hobby. The second one is for everyone else. You can obtain permits from the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The amended application form must be completed and submitted electronically.

The hazel grouse hunting season officially lasts from September to February. Hunting hazel grouse in spring is strictly prohibited. Violation of the ban entails administrative liability and fines.

Selecting a location

The hazel grouse loves to settle in birch forests, in thickets of alder, willow and aspen, where you can eat wild berries. It sits on thick, spreading spruce branches (closer to the trunk), on arched trees, hides in the grass, behind dead wood and hillocks, in ravines. The place where to hunt hazel grouse should be chosen so that you are not visible, for example, among the bushes, and all possible bird hiding places are easily visible and within shooting range. You can beckon while sitting or standing, but in the first case you limit your maneuverability. While standing, you can easily control the situation within a 360-degree radius, which is almost impossible in a sitting position.

Secrets of hunting hazel grouse with decoy

Hazel grouse live in low forests, preferring low spruce trees interspersed with aspens, birches, and alders. Hazel grouse avoid tall pine or deciduous forests.

A pair of hazel grouse has its own area where they live and breed. Both parents take care of the brood.

ATTENTION! Spring hunting for hazel grouse is prohibited! One female will not be able to “raise” a brood.

Birds jealously protect their territory from their fellow tribesmen. The exception is this year's brood. Grown-up chicks abandoned by their parents are not expelled from the site for some time.

How to attract a male

Having found an area suitable for hazel grouse, the hunter should choose a place with a good view, but rather secluded so that the bird does not notice it. The hunter should hide, and, being motionless, beckon. That's why it's good to have a squeak that you can use without your hands. In this case, the decoy is pressed between the lips and the gun is placed on the hand.

It is necessary to start with the trill of the female without a pair of “ti-uu-ti”. In this case, the following may come to you:

“owner” of the site;
single male;
a grown brood, recently abandoned by the old one, who for the time being live on the plot of their parents;
a pair of hazel grouse living on this site to protect themselves from invasion;
another female (very rare).

If the tactic of luring with the female’s voice was unsuccessful, you can try to beckon the male “tee-u, ti, ti, ti” several times. The following may answer your call:

a pair of hazel grouse living on this site to protect themselves from invasion;
the female who was left without a mate;
“owner” of the site;
a young cockerel that has strayed from the brood.

Types of hunting

Hunting for hazel grouse in Russia is carried out in all regions except Kamchatka. For its habitat, it chooses dense dry forests and ravines overgrown with bushes. This is a perfect background for camouflage. The hazel grouse clings to a twig and hides behind branches, behind which it is not visible. This is an active bird that can quickly take off. In autumn, hazel grouse gather in pairs. The male rarely leaves the female until spring.

With decoy

The essence of this type of hunting comes down to luring a bird with the sound of a decoy, which resembles the whistle of a female or male. A hazel grouse, which has excellent hearing, flies up to this signal. The hunter sets up an ambush in the early morning near the bird’s habitat and, hiding, periodically begins to give signals. The sounds of the female and male hazel grouse are not similar to each other. When calling a female, the hunter emits a whistle “tii-tii-tiu-ti”, similar to the cry of a male. If he wants to call the male to him, then the sound made should be “ti-uu-ti.” The tactics of autumn decoy hunting are designed to attract opposing sides.

The hunter fires a quick and accurate shot at the hazel grouse that flies up to the sound of the decoy. All other charges can tear the hazel grouse to shreds.

From the approach

When hunting hazel grouse on a hike, the hunter does not make an ambush and does not lure the game with a decoy. He wanders through the territory inhabited by birds and scares them away from their places. The bird takes off, and the hunter watches where it lands. Quietly creeping up to the hazel grouse's new seat, the hunter takes his shot at the game. The hazel grouse never allows a person to approach closer than 15 steps. The hazel grouse flies short distances, so finding it is not difficult.

Surge

This method of hunting is designed for at least two hunters. One of them hides in ambush, and the other scares the birds towards the hidden partner. If necessary, hunters use a decoy.

Corral

When hunting in a pen, the place of a hazel grouse is surrounded by hunters who line up in a chain and drive the hazel grouse towards their colleagues sitting in ambush. Dogs take part in the corral. This method of hunting is the most effective.

With dogs

A fun but challenging way of hunting. Hunting can only be successful when the dogs are well trained. Too hot and frisky dogs are bad helpers in this type of hunting. Their role boils down to the fact that they must lift the hazel grouse from the ground to a tree, give a signal to the owner and sit next to the found game. Their too active behavior can scare off the hazel grouse again.

It is better to start hunting with dogs early in the morning. The gun is loaded with shot No. 6 or No. 8. Smaller charges may not penetrate dense tree foliage.

Useful tips

When shooting at a hazel grouse, you need to hit it the first time

Experienced hunters share useful tips with beginners, helping them understand the intricacies of hazel grouse hunting.

You should pay attention to equipment. When hunting hazel grouse, it is important to create as little noise as possible, so you need to avoid any clicking parts of heavy shoes and various useful little things that make loud noise in your pockets.
It is better to use an air gun, or even better - to combine it with a decoy.
In the fall, males are more willing to respond to the call of a decoy, so using an electronic decoy you should record the mating call of a female on it.
In winter, traps and snares can be used.

In addition, the hunter must shoot accurately and confidently. It should be remembered that you may not get a second chance to hit a hazel grouse.

You can understand all the nuances of hunting hazel grouse with the help of videos that tell in detail about the prey of this bird.

Air gun: you can not only shoot at cans with it, but also hunt.

Air guns are in great demand. As a rule, no permits are required for its acquisition and use. This gives anyone the opportunity to practice shooting or even go hunting. That is why we decided to introduce the reader to several interesting facts related to this interesting weapon.

It turns out that the word pneumatics came to us from ancient Greece. In those distant, ancient times, this word meant ordinary wind.

Many people think of an air gun as a toy designed for shooting cans in the backyard. In fact, it's the entire arms industry. A huge number of different models are produced. Among them are powerful rifles for hunting with optics, various pistols, revolvers and Flaubert revolvers. Anyone can find a weapon to suit their needs and, by the way, this is a powerful means of self-defense.

Air guns are indeed mainly intended for entertainment, but if we consider powerful rifles and shotguns, then they can be used to hunt small game or rid a private yard of annoying rats. Pistols are a great way to protect yourself and your home. Sometimes just the sight of such a pistol can cool the ardor of an attacker.

A few centuries ago, inventors believed that air guns were the future. The reason was that not very developed firearms were very noisy and smoky. Therefore, it was hoped that pneumatics could correct these shortcomings. But over time, firearms made a breakthrough, leaving pneumatics far behind.

Low prices for pneumatic weapons and their similarity to firearms analogues will allow anyone to purchase them. When a person even has an air pistol, it makes him more confident. And confidence is the key to a calm life. As stated above, the very appearance of a pistol will not allow a dashing person to decide to harm you. And in our turbulent times, this is worth a lot.