How to make a loop for a musk deer from a rope. Musk deer and hunting for it. Methods of hunting musk deer

The main thing in this hunt is to be close to the musk deer and be 100% ready to move over rough terrain.

It is very important to find in the snow musk deer tracks, because this will allow us to determine the possible location of the animal and the sex of the animal. Footprints male musk deer They have a round shape, but in the female they are oval.

During the chase, huskies musk deer tries to confuse her tracks and find a place where she would be absolutely inaccessible to the dog. Very often in such situations, musk deer choose places in the rocks, between trees, on a hill.

After the husky discovers musk deer and starts barking at her, the hunter must come within shooting distance and hit his target.

Single hunting from the approach

Sometimes you have to go hunting without a dog. In such situations, only your observation and ability to quickly and accurately hit the target can serve as a guarantee of a successful hunt.

Musk deer- this is an animal that does not like to walk a lot and far, so footprints in the snow are already a signal that the animal is somewhere nearby.

If this is your first time on musk deer hunting, then it is best to use the services of a huntsman who has the skills and experience in tracking musk deer.

Musk deer, also called musk deer, is the smallest deer living in Russia. These animals, seemingly slightly “humpbacked,” are distinguished by their caution, ease of jumping and ability to move completely silently.

Mountainous areas are more preferable for musk deer. However, its favorite terrain is not overly high mountains, but small rocks or cliffs, densely covered with coniferous forests, where it is protected from predators. In summer, musk deer like to visit valleys of forest and mountain rivers and streams abundantly covered with grassy vegetation. The animal's habitat is the mountains of China and Tibet, from Eastern Siberia and Sakhalin to the Himalayas and Korea, from the Altai Territory to the Amur.

The external distinctive features of the musk deer are:

the presence of a hornless head, seemingly small given its elongated body, covered with dark brown, lighter on the sides and belly, coarse long hair;
the presence of rows of light spots on the back and sides;
large bulging eyes, always looking a little scared;
fangs in males, growing from under the upper lip, sometimes descending below the chin and having a length of up to 10 cm.

The musk deer itself is small - a little more than half a meter in height and no more than 15-16 kg. weight.

Musk deer meat is considered lean and quite pleasant to the taste. There is not much “clean” meat in quantity, no more than 10 kg. A musk bag weighs up to 52 g, and there is no more than 30 g of musk in it, usually 15-20 g.

Habitat. The musk deer is considered an inhabitant of mountainous areas, but not entirely high-mountainous. The presence of separate, at least small, but steep ridges inaccessible to wolves, foxes and stray dogs, rocks or cliffs is quite acceptable for musk deer to live. The second condition is the presence of dark coniferous forests - cedar-fir or spruce, in extreme cases, larch, with trunks abundantly covered with lichens. Since the middle zone of the mountains is covered with such forests, the majority of musk deer live in them. Conditions for hunting are considered good when the number of animals reaches 80 animals per 1000 hectares. As a rule, musk deer stick to certain places, live scatteredly and their number does not exceed 5-10 animals in such an area.

Character and habits. The habitat area of one musk deer is 200-300 hectares, it is especially stable before spring. In summer, animals move much more actively. In the spring, migrations are often noticeable in the mountains, sometimes over quite long distances - from one mountain slope to the opposite. Within its zone, musk deer moves no more than 5 km per day, mainly at night and at dusk.

Musk deer usually roost near rocky ledges or even in them, sometimes among thick grass. In other cases, it lies near cliffs or under mighty trees in open, well-ventilated places. When lying down, musk deer become quiet, often allowing people to get close.

In the period November-December, the musk deer begin their rut. Adult deer gather in groups of 3-4 individuals, and the number of males and females in the group is approximately equal. At the same time, young musk deer stay away. However, the family relationships of musk deer are still poorly studied: sometimes a male has a “harem” of several females, and sometimes several males enter into single combat for the possession of one female.

The musk deer usually gives birth to one baby, rarely – two, and in very exceptional cases – three. Fawns are most often born in June; the female's gestation period is 185-195 days. On the eve of giving birth, the musk deer prefers to hide in a windbreak or under the low paws of fir trees. Dark brown cubs have bright yellowish-white spots on their skin; white coloring dominates on the throat and belly. Adult “clothes” appear only in winter. Before the onset of the second winter in their lives, small musk deer are more spotted than adults. The mother actively protects the baby, but does not lead him along with her, but strives to hide him, thereby averting danger. Only in August does a teenage deer begin to follow its mother, feeding on her milk until the beginning of autumn. Sexual maturity in musk deer occurs at 15-17 months, but the famous musk deer musk begins to be produced in males already at 4-5 months of age.

The diet of the musk deer is quite monotonous, although it is known that it eats about 150 species of plants. In winter, its main food is various types of lichens covering tree trunks, mainly “bearded lichens,” as well as twigs of shrubs and pine needles. In the summer, she eats grass, moss, ground lichens, and enjoys mushrooms.

Methods of hunting musk deer

Hunting for musk deer has commercial value mainly due to the extraction of the secretion secreted by males - musk, a very expensive product used in folk medicine and the perfume industry. According to many hunters, hunting this animal in certain seasons does not cause any particular difficulties, since musk deer are usually gullible, and sometimes even behave stupidly in the face of danger. There are cases when musk deer enter a recently prepared trap. It is rare that commercial hunters use a gun when hunting musk deer, since chasing an animal over rocks and cliffs is not only a tedious task, but sometimes dangerous for the hunter. The most common, although perhaps the most ancient, method of hunting musk deer is luring animals into the so-called “goat’s mouths” - fenced traps set on cliffs and rocky outcrops.

The “mouth” trap for musk deer is made like a goat trap, the only difference is in the installation locations. Crossbows or bows are also still used for hunting, mainly due to their noiselessness, but such weapons are aimed lower than in the case of roe deer hunting. Some hunters manage to successfully catch musk deer with a net designed for wild goat fishing. The main period for catching musk deer is winter, when the hunter does not have a variety of animals to hunt, and he can watch a wounded animal for a long time.

Shepherds are sometimes made without a fence at all, such traps are called “shepherd traps”, and they are installed under cliffs or slabs. It’s good if there are moss-covered stones under the shepherdess. When there are none, green moss is placed under the trap as bait. The beast, seeing the food, comes under the shepherdess, touches the threaded earring (sima) and the shepherdess, falling from above, covers him.

And yet, the methods of hunting musk deer described above are already becoming exotic today. Amateur hunters prefer to hunt animals using firearms in the form of a rifle, hunting carbine or shotgun. Such hunting is especially successful in winter, when musk deer tracks are easily visible in the snow.

The hunter slowly creeps up to the animal within firing distance. Typically, most hunters prefer a male rather than a female, since in addition to meat and skin, musk can be obtained. The male's track has a rounded shape, the female's track is more elongated and oblong. This type of hunting requires absolute caution and concentration, since the musk deer is distinguished by its ability to camouflage perfectly thanks to its mimic color, merging with the landscape of the surrounding area. You should carefully look at literally every pebble and bush, since musk deer can hide among them, becoming completely invisible and at the same time watching the hunter. Of course, a hunter, among the many motionless stone placers, can mistake another piece of stone for a musk deer, and this happens quite often. However, bitter disappointment occurs only at the very moment when an inconspicuous-looking “stone” suddenly takes off from its place with lightning speed and is carried away in the blink of an eye. Each of the truly experienced hunters recommends, as soon as the musk deer has revealed its presence in any way, to immediately shoot, without wasting precious seconds on thinking and estimation.

Hunting for musk deer with a “gun” dog is extremely exciting, for which specially trained Siberian huskies are best suited. The dog chases the animal with its barking, and it usually meanders and tries to follow its previous trail. The hunter takes the gun at the ready and shoots as soon as the dog picks up the musk deer, having managed to escape from the shot. Often, in a fit of flight from a dog, a musk deer that has lost its sense of caution runs straight at the hunter.

In general, musk deer often moves towards the shooter, not sensing danger. This happens, as a rule, during the rutting period, when, driven by instinct in search of a female, the male “loses his head” both figuratively and literally. Hunting for musk deer is also very successful in the spring, when the female is accompanied by young animals. In this case, the hunter makes a special whistle (squeaker or squeaker) from birch bark, the sound of which imitates the bleating of babies. In response to the whistle, females certainly appear, suggesting that their cubs are in danger. At the same time, even if the shot was unsuccessful, the animal does not run away and gives the hunter time to reload the gun and fire an additional shot, the instinct of motherhood is so strong in the musk deer.

Musk deer has more
the second name is “musk deer” and on the territory of Russia it is the most
the smallest of the living deer. She looks like a slightly hunchbacked animal, she
inherent qualities such as: ease of jumping, absolutely silent movement
and very cautious by nature. The musk deer lives preferably in mountainous
localities But her most favorite place is not too high mountains, but
rather, low cliffs or cliffs that are densely covered with forests. In these places
it is well protected from predatory animals. In summer, musk deer often visit
places with a lot of grassy vegetation, mountain rivers and forest valleys. You can meet her at
territories from the Altai Territory to the Amur; from Eastern Siberia and Sakhalin to
Korea and the Himalayas.

Musk deer has
such external distinctive features:

on the head
there are no horns, and due to her elongated body, she appears very small in the distance. Its color is predominantly dark brown, but
on the belly and sides the color is slightly lighter, and its skin is long and rough.
on the sides and back
it has a number of light spots.
the eyes are large and
They always look as if they are scared.
males have fangs,
they grow from under the upper lip, which go down below the chin, and have
length up to 10 cm.

The musk deer's height is not very large, approximately
60 cm and weighs no more than 16 kg. Its meat is quite pleasant in taste and
it is considered lean. No more than 10 kg of clean meat comes out of the entire musk deer.
Her musk sac weighs no more than 52 grams, but usually it weighs 20-25
gram.

Due to the area
musk deer live, normal hunting is considered if 80 are found on 1000 hectares
heads of all types of animals. Musk deer live separately from everyone else and their number is
1000 hectares does not exceed 10 heads. It is located in a habitat area up to
300 hectares. In summer, she moves much more actively, and therefore the territory
its habitat is increasing. The musk deer's roost is usually located close to rocky
ledges, and sometimes in them, as well as in dense grass. In other cases, her lying
can be found under trees or near cliffs in open areas where there is good
blown by the wind. While lying down, the musk deer becomes quiet and it is not uncommon for it to
allows hunters to get close to him.

Musk deer feeding
monotonous food, although they say that its diet includes approximately 150 species
different plants. In winter it feeds on tree lichens or branches
bushes and pine needles. In summer it feeds on grass, moss, terrestrial lichens and
mushrooms.

Significant
commercial hunters are more interested in hunting musk deer, because
that it produces musk, which is a very expensive product that
used in the perfume industry and in folk medicine. Many
hunters say that hunting musk deer in certain seasons is not
no effort, because this animal is very trusting of people and even sometimes
behaves foolishly in the face of danger. There were cases when musk deer entered
a trap that the hunter has prepared. Hunters and fishermen hunting
musk deer, rarely use guns, due to the fact that they chase this
animal on cliffs and rocks is very difficult, and not only tiring, but even
a dangerous occupation for a hunter. The most common although very old
The method of hunting this animal is to lure it into traps, which
are called “goat mouths”. These are traps that are fenced, installed in cliffs or
rocky placers. These traps are made by analogy with goat traps,
The only difference they have is their installation location. Means of hunting musk deer
still can also be: bow, crossbow - crossbow, because they have
silent property. There have been cases when hunters used a trap for
Musk deer used nets that are intended for hunting wild goats.

The best
and winter is considered a fruitful period for hunting musk deer. During this period the hunter
there is not such a large selection of game for hunting and therefore he can go hunting for a long time
shot animal until it falls.

Traps
You can do it without any fences at all. They are called "shepherdesses".
They are installed under tiles or cliffs. When installing "shepherds"
They try to ensure that there are stones under the moss-covered surface. If there are no stones, then this
In this case, green moss is placed under the “shepherdess” as bait. When the musk deer
hears its smell, then heads under the “shepherdess”, while touching the threaded
simu (earring) and then the “shepherdess” falls from above and covers her.

The above
methods of hunting musk deer are currently considered exotic. At this time
At the moment, hunters give preference not to traps, but to firearms: guns,
hunting carbine or rifle. The most favorite time of year for hunting
Hunters consider musk deer to be winter, because during this period it is possible to track
the beast in his tracks. Seeing the trail, the hunter, slowly, quietly approaches her.
shot distance, after which he makes an aimed shot and that’s it, the target
achieved. Males are especially popular among hunters, and
not females. Because in addition to its skin and meat, you can also get musk. Track
in the male it is round in shape, while in the female it is more elongated and elongated.
While on this hunt you need to be extremely careful and focused, because
that the musk deer can perfectly camouflage itself due to its coloring,
which allows it to blend into the surrounding area. To notice her
you need to look very carefully and peer into literally every bush and
pebble, because it is quite possible that the musk deer will be located there
and due to this, become completely invisible. This also allows her
quietly follow your steps and control the situation. Often
It happens that hunters among the motionless stones mistake for musk deer
another piece of stone. And it becomes very offensive when, like for the first time,
glance, the imperceptible “stone” instantly takes off from its place and in a matter of
disappears from the hunter's view for seconds.

Every experienced hunter who has dealt with
musk deer, says that if she even slightly betrayed her presence, then there is no need
It is in vain to waste time thinking and calculating. You need to shoot right away
her, or she will disappear in a matter of seconds.

Very
An exciting hunt for musk deer is considered if you take a friend with you
dog, a specially trained Siberian dog copes with this role very well
Laika. The Laika drives the animal away with its barking, and it, in turn, tries to meander
in such a way that you can then follow the previous trail of the dog. And the hunter in his
the queue puts the gun in readiness and waits for the musk deer on the husky trail, and in
the moment it appears, it fires a striking shot. Just give yours first
dogs leave the line of fire. Also
It is often found that the musk deer loses its sense of caution from fright and runs out
straight at the hunter.

In general, in practice it is like this
It often happens that a musk deer, not feeling any danger, runs straight towards
hunter Therefore, he needs to always be ready. Such cases are often
meet when the musk deer is in rutting season, when the male is looking for a female
becomes careless. In the spring, when the young animals accompany the female, it is also very
successful hunt for this beast. To do this you need to prepare a special whistle
or a birch bark squeaker. Its sound will imitate the bleating of babies,
In any case, the female will react and run to the place where this sound comes from.
She comes running because she believes that her babies are in danger. Even when
when the hunter shoots, he will not hit the musk deer; it does not run away, but remains in place,
because her instinct of motherhood is so developed. And this is only good
hunter, during the time the musk deer stands still, the hunter has time
reload the gun and fire again.

In the deer family that lives in our countries, their smallest representative is a small artiodactyl animal of short stature weighing only 15 kilograms. Hunting musk deer is not popular among hunters. This is due to several reasons. Until recently, hunting the animal was prohibited. And the second, no less important reason is that the animal lives in inaccessible mountainous areas; many do not want to bother for such small prey.

The value of musk deer

Despite such seemingly difficulties, the musk deer, especially the male, is a valuable prey. The main value of musk deer is the best and most expensive musk in the world. There is no Asian country where musk deer musk is not part of traditional medicine. Musk deer musk is also used in perfumery. For this reason, the animal was almost completely exterminated. In recent years, the number of animals has increased and hunting has been allowed.

The small animal, escaping from danger, easily overcomes rocky ridges and windbreaks and jumps high. Able to climb thick tree branches despite the fact that its legs are “shod” with hooves.

It is almost impossible to meet musk deer in flat areas; it prefers mountains and steep slopes. It feeds on lichens, young branches and grass. In Russia, musk deer are most common in Siberia and Sakhalin.

Musk deer hunting

Musk deer are hunted in autumn and winter. Three methods of hunting have been developed. The easiest way is with the help of a dog. They also hunt alone, when they track an animal in its intended habitat. And sometimes the hunter is accompanied by an experienced huntsman.

In the case of a dog, success depends on how the dog smells the animal. You must be prepared for a long pursuit through difficult terrain. Not everyone can handle such a test, so only a few pursue musk deer. In winter conditions, tracks in the snow help; they serve as a hint in the pursuit. Often the musk deer, escaping from pursuit and the dog, chooses separate hills, the dog is below. A well-aimed shooter will be able to hit the animal.

Hunting without a dog involves going to the animal’s habitat and knowing its habits. Having discovered the trail, the hunter makes an ambush on his trail and, when a musk deer appears, fires a shot. A shotgun is not suitable as it can damage the musk gland; they hunt with rifled weapons of small and medium calibers.

The reward of a successful hunter will be attentive listeners among his comrades in arms.

Experienced hunters probably had musk deer among their trophies. Due to its small size but rather large weight, this animal is considered an excellent prey.

Outwardly, the musk deer resembles a deer, but differs from it in the presence of fangs. Their size in adult males can reach 7–9 cm. The color of the animal is most often brown or brown; light gray spots are located in a chaotic manner on the back along the withers.

The body of the musk deer is muscular, the adult animal reaches one meter in length, and its weight ranges from 18–20 kg.

The favorite habitat of this species is mountain slopes covered with coniferous forest. Moreover, only one individual usually lives on an area of 10–20 hectares. The number can increase only during the mating period, when the male is looking for a female.

Hunting for musk deer: features

To include musk deer as a hunting trophy, you need to know the characteristic habits of the animal. Let's look at the key features of this species that will help you conduct a decent hunt for musk deer:

In an attempt to escape from its pursuer, the animal quickly gains high speed; it is capable of rapidly changing the direction of movement.
Musk deer are excellent at navigating rocky terrain, jump well, and can confuse their tracks.
In terms of technique, hunting musk deer is not difficult, since representatives of the species are incredibly trusting and are easy to lure into a trap.
The animal is especially active at night and in the evening.
The optimal period for hunting is when the animal is lying down. At such moments, musk deer are most vulnerable and can allow the hunter to come within a critical distance.

You need to be aware that meeting a musk deer is a happy accident, since this species is unusually secretive. If you go after this animal purposefully, then certain hunting tactics and techniques will help you achieve success.

Hunting for musk deer with loops

This is a traditional method for catching musk deer, which has been used for a very long time. Hunting for musk deer with a snare is carried out mainly in winter. During this period, the animal experiences a lack of food and is easily tempted to try the delicacy with which it is lured into a trap. They place baits in rocky screes, cliffs, sometimes they are fenced off for greater confidence.

It should be understood that this method is semi-legal. In certain cases, it can be classified as poaching.

Hunting for musk decoy with decoy

An effective way to attract the animal and lure it into a trap is to use a miniature birch bark whistle. It makes a high, extended sound, reminiscent of the squeak of a baby, thereby luring the female.

The maternal instinct in individuals of this species is very strong. Most often, the female rushes to save the cub, even if she senses danger. Hunters use this.

There are some details to keep in mind. For example, hunting musk deer with decoy often attracts not only females, but also males. They are faster and faster, so you need to be alert to catch them. Also, predators who want to feast on the meat of representatives of this species may respond to the call.

If your goal is not just to take prey, but also to get vivid emotions, we recommend that you pay attention to hunting methods that involve dogs, or the search for musk deer is carried out from the approach. In the first case, the dogs lift the animal from its rest and drive it towards the hunter. Here you should be extremely careful not to miss the moment to shoot. In the second case, the hunter will have to track down the musk deer. When the animal appears in the field of view, you need to shoot immediately, avoiding critical approach. This is the most humane option that does not allow complete extermination of the population.