Hunting for musk deer
Musk deer is not a very large animal, representing the family of musk deer. Literally translated from Greek-carrying musk. With a body length of up to one meter, its weight reaches eighteen to twenty kilograms. Outwardly, they are very similar to deer, differing primarily in the seven-to nine-centimeter canines inherent in adult males. They have a very thick coat of brown or brown color with light gray spots. They live on the slopes of mountains covered with coniferous forests, choosing high altitudes relative to sea level (from six hundred meters to three kilometers). They live mostly singly settled, occupying an area of ten to thirty hectares.
All hunters who are interested in these animals should take into account that the musk deer is very fast and moving away from danger at full speed can change the direction of its movement by ninety degrees.
In addition, it is very Jumpy and not bad obfuscates tracks. Therefore, it will be very difficult to catch up with it. Hunting for this animal is not industrial, it is obtained either by accident or for the sake of musk contained in the abdominal glands of males. Musk is very valuable, used in medicine and perfumes.
Technically, hunting musk deer is not particularly difficult, since the animal is too trusting, and sometimes behaves even very stupid, falling into the newly installed traps. By the way, most often they are caught, because running with a gun on the rocks for such a nimble animal is not just difficult, but can even be dangerous. It moves mainly at night and in the evening, it arranges lezhki in densely overgrown places and among the rocks. At this time, it becomes a very easy target and relaxes, allowing it to get very close.
Hunting with goat mouths
Very old, but still popular type of hunting. It is so called in honor of the mouths intended for goats, they differ only in places of installation. On musk deer, they are placed on cliffs and scree rocks. The most popular time for hunting is winter. The diet of musk deer is very monotonous and consists of three-quarters of moss, lichens and fungi. These plants are used for bait. Traps are not always protected, sometimes such “shepherdesses” are installed directly under the slabs. It is worth noting that such hunting is not legal everywhere and can be considered poaching.
Hunting for musk deer from the approach
For fans of active hunting, much more is suitable. The tracks of the beast can be read on the newly fallen snow. The tracks of the male and female are different. Any hunter can distinguish them. The male’s footprint is rounded, while the female’s is narrow and oblong – the females are more oblong (pictured on the left)
The peculiarity of winter hunting is walking against the wind. When you see a musk deer, and it is you too (the animal raises its ears, which serves as a sign of its intention to run), you need to act without hesitation. You should immediately shoot, not taking into account the distance from the beast. It is better to choose males, this will not only increase your profit from hunting, but also prevent the extinction of the population. Although often the pursuit of musk leads to almost 100 percent of their destruction, which is unacceptable.
You need to behave as quietly and carefully as possible, so as not to scare off an animal that may be nearby, because their color masks them well. Wounded game leave very undesirable, because to catch up with the animal unlikely. But if it did happen, then in winter it will be easier to track the animal by traces of blood.
Hunting with a dog
As experience shows, Siberian huskies are best suited for such hunting, but you can also use other breeds, as long as your dog is well trained. The dog raises the musk deer from the maturation, then, choosing the right moment, the hunter shoots. But at the time of the shot, you need to be extremely careful not to hurt your four-legged friend, for this you need to train not only the speed, but also the accuracy of shooting. Musk deer in such moments behaves unpredictably, there were even cases when the frightened animal rushed directly at the shooter. And if it has cubs at this moment, it can even attack a hunting dog.
N
