Peculiarities of hunting in Belarusian forests in autumn 2018

Since days of old Belarus has been famed far and wide for its thick and, at times, unpassable forests and the variety of the game that abounds in it. Back in the middle of the 16th century during the time when the powerful family of the Radziwills flourished the Belarusian poet Nikolai Gusovsky (Mikolaj Hussowczyk) described the beauty of the native land and traditions of princely hunting in the Song About the Bison. Centuries later Belarus still attracts hunters with its diversity of fauna and opportunities to partake in exciting kinds of recreation. Naturally only when hunting is permitted while observing all the rules and under the supervision of specialists.

Today not only aristocrats can go hunting. There are some 40,000 registered members of the Belarusian Society of Hunters and Fishermen. Their most popular pastime is hunting fur animals in the autumn-winter period and aquatic and swampy fowl in the summer-autumn period. Hunting waterfowl as well as hares, wolves, and hoofed mammals is popular in spring.

Preferences of foreign hunters in Belarus vary: Russians, who represent over 80% of all the foreign hunters in Belarus, prefer hunting non-trophy animals while hunters from Poland, Austria, Germany, and Netherlands come to Belarus for such trophies as wood grouse, black grouse, wolf, elk, deer. The guests are also interested in the kinds of animals, which are not available in their home country. Belarus welcomes about 2,000 hunters per annum on the average. They come from Estonia, Poland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Netherlands…

The autumn season for hunting the elk, wild boar, roe deer, noble and spotted deer, fallow deer and mouflon began on 1 October. Since foreigners can now stay without visas for 30 days, it is now even easier for tourists to come and hunt in Belarus. Besides, some of the local hunting businesses offer their own weapons so that foreign guests would not have to deal with the trouble of transporting their own weapons across the border. All they have to do is sign the lease contract.

The autumn season of drive hunting for hoofed animals in Belarus is covered by our special report from Borisov District, Minsk Oblast.