In the footsteps of forest animals. Tracking a wolf
Wolf tracks:
Enough has been written about the characteristics of wolf tracks in the literature on hunting wild animals. Based on my own experience, I will briefly and clearly repeat the most basic features of wolf tracks. I will focus on individual specific features, which are extremely rare to find in popular literature. However, from my point of view, these nuances are very important and will certainly lead to success and productive wolf hunting. Also, this information is for those who want to find a wolf, and not just know a little more about it than others.
Track adult The wolf, naturally, is a bit like the trail of a heavy dog of large breeds. At the same time, it is important and cardinal difference- a wolf’s track is much more “collected” and more compact than a dog’s track. In the latter, the track is wider, spreads out, and has a larger geometric spot. Also, wolf tracks have clearly imprinted pads and claws. The middle fingers of the wolf's paw are noticeably extended forward. There is a clear geometry between the lateral and middle fingers. A seasoned male has a wider paw, a wolf has a less wide and somewhat more “graceful” paw. When walking along hard ground The wolf's trail is always very compact. The “spreading” of the fingers on the track can be recorded on slippery and loose surfaces, which is quite understandable - the wolf instinctively spreads its fingers, increasing the area of traction with the moving soil. The cardinal difference between dog and wolf tracks is compactness in a wolf and “fan-shaped fingers” in a dog. There are also a number of peculiarities: for example, in working hounds the track is almost identical to a young wolf, and in large huskies it is similar to the tracks of a juvenile wolf.
In popular literature, one can often include an indication that dog tracks connected by a line always represent a broken line. And, on the contrary, wolf tracks connected by a line are a straight line. This is quite true for stable and level soils. However, for example, in snow of even shallow depth, the chain of tracks has no geometry - the wolf is coming, as he can and as it is convenient for him.
How can you easily and without hesitation distinguish dog tracks from wolf tracks? First, of course, understand a simple thing: a normal dog has nothing to do in the deep taiga or forest-steppe, and a wolf extremely rarely lives “under the nose” of a person. Therefore, if you come across a ski track with a chain of tracks, it is logical to assume that it is a hunter with his dog. Secondly, the footprint of a seasoned and adult wolf is much larger than that of a dog. It is more sharply expressed, has clear edges, figuratively speaking - confident and impudent, like the trace of a true owner. In some cases, hunters note that you immediately feel this on a subconscious level. Often one comes across traces of a wolf's paw, up to 15 cm in length. Such traces can frighten an inexperienced hunter and, even more so, a tourist, although they belong to far from outstanding individuals, weighing 50 or a little more than a kilogram. In the literature you can often find references to traces of 18 centimeters. I am not skeptical about this, since an officially recorded case of a wolf being killed in Belarus weighing 81 kilograms fully allows for such a paw size.
Mention that the wolf, unlike the dog is walking like a locomotive, without looping and without creating unnecessary trace noise, this is true in the majority. However, there are nuances here too. In addition to moving from area to area, the wolf also hunts. Therefore, having “caught” the trail of, for example, a hare, he makes bizarre somersaults, following its trail. Mouse wolves have the structures of the tracks they leave that are completely identical to those of foxes (of course, with the exception of size).
It is considered an axiom that wolves always follow the trail. This is also mostly true and sometimes makes it really difficult to determine the size of the flock. However, such a move is possible only if the geometry of the surface and its structure allow it. On loose, rocky, sloping surfaces, wolves can disperse and follow an independent, convenient path. In addition, when exploring habitats, male wolves often meander away from the main direction of movement to leave urine marks on trunks and stumps. If wolves need to go off the beaten path, they walk in single file, which is undoubtedly more convenient. The hunter needs to follow the trail a little - the number of heads in the flock immediately becomes clear. Turns by walking wolves from behind are usually cut off, and each wolf moves around the obstacle individually, based on its own geometric dimensions and ease of movement. It is interesting that when crossing a forest road, a fresh clearing and other artificial clearings, wolves often disperse and accelerate. This can be explained more likely by a sense of collective security and instincts. Also, wolves walk “at random” during the hunt, during the drive, etc. It is quite obvious that in every situation wolves choose the most acceptable and effective way movement.
In the forest, even experienced hunters often confuse the track of a wolf with the track of a lynx. The tracks are really very similar. Both the large paw and the width of the step are identical. However, there are still differences and very dramatic ones. Firstly, a lynx never falls deep into the snow, since, with the same area of support, it is much lighter than a wolf. Secondly, the lynx’s claws are always “hidden” and are released only on a slippery or inclined surface, as well as when chasing, jumping, etc. Thus, the track of a lynx, unlike that of a wolf, is always almost round and without claws.
You can often find a wolf moving “on the fly.” These are half jumps and jumps in deep snow. Jumps in this case can reach two or more meters. In this case, the hind legs are carried behind the front legs and leave imprints to the left or right of the axis of movement. Thus, the move of a wolf on the “swing” is very easy to confuse with the track of a roe deer. Although, again, it is quite simple to distinguish them - the wolf always “strokes” the snow with its sternum and belly when taking off and landing. What a roe deer never does, having incomparably longer legs.
It is impossible to read wolf tracks correctly and reliably without knowing the accompanying factors. For example - information about wolf droppings. The peculiarity of the behavior of wolves is that the male tries to leave droppings in the most visible place - on the road, hill, forest edge. This is an additional beacon for strangers that the territory is occupied. By picking through the droppings, you can determine the condition of the individual. If fragments of wool and tendons are found, the wolf is healthy and well-fed, since the hunt was recently successful. Litter white without large fragments indicates a half-starved diet - the wolf ate bones. Droppings of a semi-liquid consistency with berry seeds and plant fibers indicate that the wolf either may be sick, or has not had a successful hunt for a long time and is hungry. Such individuals are usually weakened and cautious.
The fastest way to find traces of a wolf is along forest paths - the wolf is not particularly fond of thickets and windfalls. If the snow is deep, look for tracks on boar trails, old ski tracks or less traveled roads. In this regard, the wolf is very prudent and pragmatic - if the direction trodden by someone even partially coincides with the vector of his movement, he will follow in other people’s footsteps to the last and will never climb into a windfall or snowdrifts. Deep snow is generally a difficult test for a wolf, which he tries to avoid. There are cases when wolves prefer to cross half-frozen streams or even swim across small rivers than to go around very close in loose and deep snow.
Finding and deciphering wolf tracks is a fascinating activity. Even with minimal knowledge it is very interesting and entertaining. Many beginners note that in the process of studying tracks, they become imbued with the spirit of the animal, its world, habits and sensations. Therefore, searching and studying traces is very interesting and educational activity for everyone.
There is no need to describe here the appearance of the wolf, a well-known and widespread predator. It should only be recalled that from large
dogs, it is distinguished by a more convex forehead, a narrower front part of the muzzle and the absence of “pants” - elongated hair on the back of the thighs.
Sizes and colors of wolves living in different areas countries are different: the largest, forest ones, reach 70-80 kilograms, the smallest, steppe ones, weigh only 30-40 kilograms.
In our country wolves They are found everywhere, but they are far from evenly distributed. Contrary to the proverb: “Don’t feed the wolf, he keeps looking into the forest,” the wolf is not a forest animal. He is a resident of open spaces. These predators reach their greatest numbers in the steppe, forest-steppe and mountain forests. They are less common in the tundra and forest zones, and in some areas of the Siberian taiga they do not live at all. This is explained by the fact that the wolf is not adapted to move through deep and loose snow. It began to penetrate into remote forest areas only in recent decades with the expansion of logging, the development of agricultural areas and the emergence of a dense network of transport routes.
Wolves are characterized by monogamy: a male and a female pair up for several years or for life and raise their young together. Wolves' rut occurs at the end of winter. Pregnancy 62-65 days. There are five to seven wolf cubs in a brood. The wolf family stays together until next spring. In the fall or from the beginning of winter, last year's children (pereyarki) join the seasoned wolves and thus a winter pack is formed.
Most often, there are from five to seven or eight animals in a flock. At the end of winter, with the onset of the next rut, the flock breaks up. Females reach sexual maturity at two years, males at two or three.
The wolf's range of natural foods is extensive. The beast preys on both small animals - mouse-like rodents, insects, and large ones - elk, deer. However, the main object of its nutrition are various types wild ungulates. In the tundra, for example, the most common victims of wolves are reindeer; in the forest zone - elk, wapiti, sika deer; in the Baltic states, Belarus and Ukraine - roe deer; in the deltas of southern rivers - wild boar, in the steppes - saiga; in the mountains of the Caucasus and Central Asia - wild goats and sheep. In some regions of the country, domestic animals serve as important food for the wolf. The predator causes especially severe damage to livestock in areas of sheep and reindeer husbandry.
In the spring-summer diet of a wolf, no matter what area it lives in, there is one characteristic feature: during the period of reproduction and feeding of the young, the predator switches mainly to feeding on small vertebrates, despite the presence and accessibility of larger prey in the areas. Thus, in the tundra in the spring, wolves feed on lemmings, voles, ground-nesting birds and waterfowl; in the forest zone they eat hares, muskrats, upland birds, fish, and in more southern regions- marmots, gophers, jerboas, pikas, reptiles, frogs, insects and other small animals. During the period of feeding young animals, the replacement of large objects with small objects in the wolf’s diet is explained, firstly, by the fact that the wolf family during this period is tied to the den, leads sedentary image life and the area of their activity is very narrowed, and, secondly, when feeding young animals, the predator feels the need for varied and more complete feed, rich in various microelements, minerals and vitamins.
One of the important objects winter nutrition wolves are carrion: the corpses of wild animals that died a natural death, and wounded animals of elk, wild boars and other ungulates. If, during the death of livestock, the corpse of the animal was not buried for some reason, but was taken to the forest outside the populated area, it attracts predators. Such “feeding” of wolves has harmful consequences, since animals accustomed to it attack domestic animals more often than those living off natural food.
IN small quantity The wolf's diet includes: plant food. In the northern part of the range, predators eat various berries- blueberries, lingonberries, blueberries, rowan. In the south - the fruits of wild fruit trees, and when visiting melons - watermelons and melons. In the excrement and stomachs of wolves, green parts of plants are constantly found - leaves of various cereals and sedges. Perhaps wolves eat them only for the purpose of cleaning gastrointestinal tract from helminths.
Information in hunting literature is contradictory about the gluttony of a wolf, i.e., about the amount of food it can absorb in one go.
Rice. 4. Prints of the front (left) and hind paws of a wolf
Rice. 5. Prints of the front paws of a wolf (left) and a dog
You can often read that a hungry wolf eats up to one and a half pounds (24 kg) of meat and eats up, as if in reserve. Such messages are not true. Weighing several hundred wolf stomachs showed that the weight of their contents most often ranged from two to four and a half kilograms. In only one case Vladimir region A large animal was caught and 9.176 kilograms of food were found in its stomach. Wolves kept in captivity in zoos and various nurseries, where their mobility is limited, eat about two kilograms of meat per day.
When discussing the amount of food eaten by a wolf at one time, it is necessary to take into account such a biological feature of this animal as the ability to swallow meat in pieces, carry it over a considerable distance in its stomach and then, belching, feed it to its cubs. However, here too the matter concerns two or three, and not tens of kilograms of food.
Where wolves subsist mainly on natural food, they lead a very secretive life and are rarely seen by humans. In such places, it is possible to establish the presence of animals, determine numbers and study behavior only by observing traces of their vital activity.
The wolf is a finger-walking animal e. He has five toes on his front legs and four toes on his hind legs. The big toes of the front paws are shorter than the others, located high, and when walking do not reach the ground and do not leave prints. The track of a wolf bears some resemblance to that of a large dog. The paw prints of these two animals can be distinguished by the following characteristics. A wolf's track is slimmer, more elongated, and the claws and fingertips on the track are more pronounced. The prints of the two middle fingers of a wolf's paw seem to be pushed forward; between them and the outer toes, a straw can be placed across the footprint, while the prints of a dog's paw pads are more merged, as if gathered into a lump, and a straw placed on the footprint will simultaneously touch or cross the prints of all four fingers. The tracks of the wolf's front paws are larger and clearer than those of the hind paws. Additionally, the backs of his front paw pads end in an inward curve to the print, while the hind paw pads end in an outward curve. This can be clearly visible on muddy soil or wet snow.
When a wolf moves at a walk and especially at a trot, its paw prints are located almost in one straight line and the faster the animal moves, the straighter the line of its tracks. The animal places the hind limbs in the prints of the front ones, so that practically we see only the traces of the hind paws. When galloping or quarrying, the prints of all four paws remain on the tracks, with the hind legs leaving tracks in front of the forelimbs with each jump.
In search of prey, wolves travel long distances, and therefore rarely walk; Their usual gait is a trot. When moving in a group, animals walk in single file, trail after trail, and it can be difficult to determine how many of them have passed along one path. Only at sharp turns, when going around some obstacle, on rest or when surrounded by prey, do wolves disperse and then, based on their tracks, it is possible to calculate how many predators are in the pack.
Rice. 6. Wolves usually walk in single file, following the trail, and the number of animals in the group can be counted at a turn or when approaching some object
Deep snow makes it very difficult for wolves to move; they drown in loose snow. Professor A. N. Formozov believed that the weight load of an average wolf, weighing about 45 kilograms, is equal to 103 grams per square centimeter. This is approximately four to five times more than that of a person walking on wide hunting skis. When immersed in the snow by more than 25 centimeters, wolves furrow its surface: when pulling their paw out of the snow, they leave a short furrow, a “drag,” and when lowering their paw into the snow, a longer one, a “drag.” When the snow is deep, the drag and drag merge, connecting the track pits into one furrow.
The size of the wolf's step, like any other animal, it depends on the speed of its movement and the condition of the snow. A large wolf's stride in shallow snow reaches 90 centimeters. When animals walk in a group, trail after trail, the average step length on the trail is 65-75 centimeters. It is characteristic that, passing through a spruce forest, where the depth of snow is always less than in other lands, wolves, as if resting, slow down, walk in small steps, step at random, leaving behind a trampled path. In small clearings and forest glades Where there is no wind and the snow is especially thick, predators fall almost to the ground. In snowy years, if there was no thaw during the winter and the snow did not give precipitation, wolves leave forest lands and move to more open places - fields, wide
river valleys, where the snow is compacted by winds and where, as a rule, there are more traveled roads.
Winter tracking of wolves, i.e. tracking the path they have taken, allows you to thoroughly study hunting behavior, hunting techniques and some other features of their secretive life.
During their hunting trips, predators stop to rest in a wide variety of places. They often roost on open heights with good visibility. One group of wolves that I observed chose a snow-covered stack of logs left on the edge of a clearing for a daytime rest. There are nests on the edge of a field or swamp, and in deciduous small forests, in a dense spruce forest.
The wolves are sleeping curled up into a ring, and under them a round thawed hole is formed, 60-85 centimeters in diameter with an icy bottom and sides. Sometimes the animals are located nearby, and sometimes three to five meters from each other. During rest, they usually move from one place to another, so the number of their beds always exceeds the number of individuals in the flock. Animals often roll around in the snow, rolling from side to side and leaving characteristic tracks. They often rest for a long time while sitting, and under them there are small round thawed patches with clearly visible prints of the predator’s front paws.
Most often, following the tracks you can observe wolves hunting hares. Usually in those places where there are hare beds - in small forests with dense spruce undergrowth, - wolves (if there is a group of them) disperse in a deployed front and comb the land in order to lift the hare from its resting place and intercept it briefly. Predators do not carry out a long chase and do not pursue a hare that they did not manage to catch at the first moment. If there are two wolves, then one of them most often moves along a forest path or along a clearing, and the second walks sideways in order to lift it from its resting place or scare away the feeding hare and drive it towards its partner. Apparently, wolves take into account that a frightened hare usually uses a road or clearing at first. Also, having deployed in a wide front, wolves move in those lands where elk can be found lying or feeding.
Often, following the tracks, you can observe how wolves drive several moose from their beds at the same time. Based on some characteristics known only to them, predators choose
the victim is not paying attention to other animals and rushes after it together. The rest of the frightened moose run for some time in the same direction, parallel to the chase, sometimes even behind the wolves, but in the end, noticing that no one is chasing them, they stop.
Pursuing prey, predators run through the quarry; Their jumps reach two meters.
Usually one wolf runs along the trail of an elk, the rest follow side by side and at the slightest turns of the prey they try to reduce the distance to it by cutting corners.
Here the depth of the snow is of great importance. If predators chase an elk through a clearing regenerated by aspen and birch forests, where in the open the snow is looser and it is difficult for them to run, they stick to the elk’s trail, stretching out in one chain and using those deep dents in the snow that their prey leaves. But as soon as the chase moves into a tall forest with more fine snow or to another place where it is easier for the wolves to run, they scatter in a wide front and the extreme flankers try to run across the prey.
Wolves and moose go straight through thickets of bushes or weeds; They jump over large fallen trees, leaving marks on them; they slip under fallen trees from below if the gap between the trunk and the snow surface exceeds 50-60 centimeters. With such a chase, predators apparently get very tired. This can be concluded from the fact that one or two wolves in groups lag behind the chase, take a step, and sometimes after a run of two to three kilometers they even sit down to rest.
I was able to track two failed wolf hunts for moose. Each chase lasted almost four kilometers. In the first case, after chasing an elk through clearings with dense undergrowth, the wolves realized the futility of the hunt and stopped it together. They gathered at the quarter post, marked it generously and moved away from the elk trail. In the second case, it was clearly visible from the tracks that the wolves, exhausted from the chase through deep and loose snow, stopped the pursuit after the elk from the river floodplain climbed the long and rather steep slope of the river terrace.
Thus, wolves do not manage to kill every moose they pursue. From the tracks you can see how predators are trying to stop their prey, running in front, surrounding them and trying to attack the elk, but without achieving any results.
Sometimes, when attacked by wolves, moose do not run away, but begin to defend themselves. Their long and strong forelimbs with strong hooves - formidable weapon, and the wolves know it. One day I watched as four predators attacked several moose feeding in a small clearing. Judging by the tracks, there were two large bulls among the elk. The snow in the clearing was heavily trampled by hooves, many bushes were dented and broken, but not a shred of elk hair was noticeable anywhere. The tracks indicated that both the wolves and the moose had left the clearing, moving off in different directions.
Somehow, during the first winter, the wolves managed to drive away a young elk, about one and a half years old. Severely wounded and weakening, he stopped in the middle of a small, not yet frozen river and, bleeding, fell into the water. And although the depth in this place did not exceed half a meter, it was difficult for predators to use their prey. Having torn the animal's side, they pulled out the entrails, but were unable to eat much from the carcass. A few days later, a bear discovered the moose carcass, pulled it out of the river and fed here until it was scared by a local hunter. Subsequently, a group of wolves visited this place several times. Having completely used up the meat, the animals gnawed and pulled away the bones for a long time, and in the middle of winter they ate the moose skin.
Adult elk for a wolf- not an easy target. Most often, young animals under the age of one and a half years become its victims. Among adult animals, females are the first to die from predators, as well as sick, weak from wounds or injured animals.
An attack by wolves on large bull moose, especially in deep snowy winters, often ends in injury or even death of the predator. A staff hunter of the Onega hunting industry enterprise, L.M. Shestakov, told me that in the winter of 1960/61, in the Onega district of the Arkhangelsk region, in the vicinity of Lake Hain, an elk was killed by an elk wolf. Zoologist B.T. Semenov in his book about wolves (Wolves of the Arkhangelsk region and their extermination. Arkhangelsk, 1054) mentions two cases of the death of these predators from moose in the Verkhnetoyemsky district of the same region.
I know of a case where an elk injured a wolf in the summer. This was in the northern part of the Vologda region in August 1974. Early in the morning, three predators attacked two adult moose, but mushroom pickers who approached the noise dispersed the animals. A she-wolf, wounded by an elk, remained at the scene of the battle. Her left front leg was paralyzed and her right leg was not functioning well. The beast could not rise and was finished off by A.I. Gribanov, a resident of the village of Smetanno. When examining the animal, it turned out that in the area of the shoulder blade there were traces of a strong blow and there was no hair at the site of the impact. After skinning, a severe bruise was discovered here. Based on the skull, I determined that the she-wolf was over-colored.
Certain behavioral traits, a variety of hunting techniques, the ability to quickly navigate in any situation, good memory indicate high degree higher education nervous activity wolf Members of a wolf family, occupying approximately the same habitat from year to year, well remember the placement of such landmarks as paths, roads, the most convenient crossing routes, bridges and fords across rivers, badger and fox “towns” and much more. I have repeatedly noticed how, moving along the valley of a forest river, wolves often cross its bends in places where it is not possible to visually determine the bend of the river.
One day I was tracking wolves that were chasing an elk. The snow was loose; and it was difficult for predators to escape. Suddenly one of the wolves separated from the pack and turned to the side almost at a right angle. It turned out that a hundred steps from this place there was an old forest road, coinciding in general terms with the direction of the chase. The wolf certainly knew about its existence and assumed that it would be easier to run along it. However, this time the predator miscalculated: after heavy snowfalls it was not covered, and the snow here was deeper than under the forest canopy. After running a little along this road, the wolf turned into the tracks of his brothers.
Wolves are always very wary of the traces of a person encountered in the forest. While counting game animals by tracks, I somehow accidentally walked around a couple of regiments that had entered the area of the forest where I was working. The fact that the wolves remained in the circle was completely unexpected for me, and I decided to find out what they would do, surrounded by my ski track. The predators heard my approach and got up from their resting place long before I approached their resting place. The large male moved from his perch with wide strides, and his mate even galloped like a quarry for the first tens of meters. Having walked 100-150 meters through the small forest, the animals stopped and listened for some time to the creaking of my skis. Then they turned to the river, but, having stumbled upon the ribbon of my ski track there, they shied away from it and followed into the depths at an already restless trot. forest area. However, even here, approaching the clearing, they noticed my tracks from a distance and again changed direction. Finally, realizing that there was no free exit, the male carefully stepped out onto my ski track, sniffed it, walked along it for several meters and left the circle. Then he again crossed the ski track at a walk, returned to his girlfriend, who had been watching him all this time, both of them left the circle with big jumps. So the more experienced animal showed by example how to find a way out of a difficult situation.
In snowless times, wolf tracks are much less common, but on a dusty road, soft ground after rain, or early in the morning when the dew has not yet dried, it is not difficult to notice them with careful observation. In the area of the den, for which wolves use dense thickets on the slope of a ravine, windfall supports, old badger holes and other secluded places (necessarily near at least a small body of water), the predators’ paths are visible along the trampled grass.
On trails constantly used by wolves, their excrement is often found. They are sausage-shaped and similar to dogs, but much larger than the latter. Most often, excrement is black, which indicates that the wolf has eaten meat, and consists of indigestible particles - wool, feathers, fragments of large bones or skeletal fragments of smaller victims, as well as plant residues. Sometimes white feces made from lime alone are found. In this; In this case, we can conclude that the predator’s hunt was not a summer hunt, and he was content only with gnawing on old bones. Along the borders of the family’s habitat, oxen leave odorous marks - urinary points and “scrubs”, tearing through the surface layer of soil with their claws.
The wolf has long been considered a harmful predator, an enemy of livestock and hunting farm. Its extermination is carried out everywhere and year-round and is encouraged with cash bonuses.
In the last decade, attitudes towards the wolf have begun to change. Increasingly, the opinion is being expressed that predators, including the wolf, are a necessary link in Natural biocenosis and that a small amount of them in the lands has a beneficial effect on the population of wild ungulates and other beneficial animals.
In areas where agricultural land is used mainly for crops and livestock is kept in stalls, the wolf can no longer harm livestock. However, in areas with developed reindeer and sheep husbandry, where reindeer and sheep are found on open pastures all year round, the predator causes significant damage to livestock production. Thus, due to the diversity of income and economic conditions in huge territory In our country, the assessment of the role of the wolf cannot be unambiguous. In some areas, its numbers should be maintained at a certain optimal level, in others, it should be fought until complete extermination. Apparently, the old slogan - “Total extermination of wolves” - will gradually be replaced by a new one: “Keep wolf numbers at an optimal level.” And then this predator will remain as a full-fledged member of our hunting fauna and will remain a valuable and tempting trophy - an object of sport hunting.
For example): The three weakest and sickest go ahead. If there is an ambush, they will kill those in front. These weak wolves must also trample the snow and save strength for the next ones. Behind them are five seasoned wolves - a mobile vanguard detachment. In the middle there are 11 she-wolves. Behind them are also five seasoned wolves - the rearguard
And behind everyone, the leader himself walks a little further away. He needs to see the entire flock as a whole and control, regulate, coordinate and give commands.
The photograph illustrates this whole scheme. Is this really what happens?
Let's find out for sure...
It would seem that everything is correct. Look what Vasily Ivanovich said:
By the way, the photo shows Canadian wolves hunting bison. In general, there are often comments to this information such as:
Are they supposed to run into a machine gun? Should we push the sick forward? :-)))) And sick people won’t take the path. It is difficult for the healthiest people ahead, much less for the sick.
Do you agree?
And here's this photo. Let's read what is written there:
A huge pack of 25 wolves hunting bison in the Arctic Circle of northern Canada. In the middle of winter National Park(preserve) Wood Buffalo temperatures reach -40C. The wolf pack, led by the leader alpha wolf, walks through the deep snow in a column one at a time to conserve energy. The size of the flock indicates their wealth hunting territory during winter, when the number of bison is limited due to scarce food and deep snow. The wolf packs in this National Park are the only wolves in the world that specialize in hunting bison, which are ten times their own size. They became the largest and most powerful wolves on earth.
Here, and more:
The nature of relationships in a pack is altruistic. That is, each animal subordinates its personal interests to the interests of the entire “collective”. In other relationships, the flock is like single organism cannot exist. The rank of an animal depends on the level of mental development, and not just on physical data.
After all, as you know, it is not so much the strongest that survives, but the smartest. And the leader has to organize the hunt (wolves have a group driven type of hunt, which requires good organization), and make decisions about the division of the prey. Therefore, peace and quiet reign in the flock. The younger ones obey the elders and feel absolutely protected, while the elders bear the burden of responsibility for everyone.
The wolf pack has seven ranks, that's great organized society where everyone understands their rights and responsibilities. Management occurs without force, everything is clearly organized, roles are distributed, no one is holding anyone back, but for some reason everyone chooses to live together. The allocation of social ranks in a pack is weakly related to gender and seniority in age. These factors, like physical strength, only ensure the performance of useful functions, nothing more.
Having killed a deer, the wolves stop hunting until all the meat is gone and hunger forces them to get down to business again.
Leader is the highest social rank. Assumes responsibility for the entire flock. The leader decides issues of habitat, hunting, protection, organizes everyone, establishes ranks in the pack.
The leader uses his priority right to food at his own discretion. For example, he gives his share to puppies if there is not enough food. His job is to take care of everyone, and the puppies are the future of the pack.
If a starving leader is unable to lead the pack, everyone will be in danger, so his priority right to food is not disputed. I would give the last piece myself just to feel protected!
It is interesting that the leader is deprived of the right to protection, because in moments of danger only he makes responsible decisions, the rest of the pack members carry out his orders.
Warrior - this rank can be held by individuals of any gender. If this is a she-wolf, then she should not be busy raising offspring.
Warriors are the leader's team, ensuring the safety and food of the pack. In the event of an attack, only the warriors come to the defense; the rest of the pack have other tasks.
Senior warrior - organizes hunting and protection, a contender for the role of leader in the event of his death or inability to lead the pack.
The mother is an adult she-wolf who has experience raising wolf cubs. She can perform the duties of a mother both in relation to her cubs and in relation to the children of less experienced mothers. The birth of “children” does not automatically elevate the she-wolf to the rank of mother. As with any other rank, it requires a certain psychophysical development, the ability to make decisions necessary for life.
The mother's tasks include raising and raising offspring. In the event of an attack on the flock, it is the mothers who take all the weak ones to safe place, while the warriors hold the line.
Senior mother - if necessary, can take the rank of leader. Never competes with an older warrior. The vacated rank is occupied by the most worthy, capable of leading the pack. There are no fights to determine who is stronger.
During the period of feeding and raising children, all mothers of the pack are under special protection and care.
Reproduction is among wolves and this side of life is organized very beautifully. Once a year, the flock splits into families to give birth and raise offspring. Not everyone is allowed to reproduce. The main condition is to understand your place and role in a large pack family. Therefore, those who do not have a mate live third in a small wolf family, helping to hunt and raise wolf cubs.
Pairs of wolves are for life. If one of the partners dies, new couple not created...
Guardian - is responsible for raising the wolf cubs. There are two sub-ranks: pestun and uncle.
Pestun - young she-wolves or wolves that do not claim the rank of warrior, grown-up young animals of the previous litter. They are subordinate to their mothers and carry out their orders, gaining skills in raising and training growing wolf cubs. These are their first duties in the pack.
Uncle is an adult male who does not have his own family and helps raise wolf cubs.
Signalman - notifying the flock of dangers. The decisions are made by the more responsible members of the pack.
A puppy is the sixth rank, no responsibility other than obedience to elders, but gives priority to food and protection.
A disabled person is not crippled, but simply an old person, has the right to food and protection. Wolves take care of their elders.
Here's another interesting thing about wolves: , and here's an example. Here we read The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
Hunting with flags
Checkboxes. The purpose of the flags is to keep the wolves in a circle and direct them to the shooting line. Flags are pieces of red material suspended on a cord at an equal distance from each other. The material for the flags should be light and bright. The more common one is calico. The width of the flag is about 12 centimeters, the length is 25-30 centimeters. The distance between the flags is 75-100 centimeters. The cord must be strong and light. A team needs a set of flags of 3 -4 kilometers.
Flags are wound into skeins or onto specially made spools. The most convenient is a frame coil (Fig. 12).
Rice. 12. Frame reel
To eliminate some of the shortcomings of this coil, we propose to reconstruct it somewhat (Fig. 13). The axis-handle of such a reel is made of a wooden rod with a diameter of 2 centimeters, which can be freely removed from the reel frame. To keep the reel on its axis, a strip of thick leather is stuffed around the end of the latter. Cross bars cut at an angle prevent a loosely wound cord from sliding down, which often happens when winding frozen flags.
Rice. 13. Frame reel with removable handle
When carrying reels with flags, the handles are removed from them. As a result, two large coils fit freely in a backpack. When winding flags, the reel is held in a vertical position with the left hand by the handle, and right hand jerkily rotate the upper protrusions of the frame. Flags wound this way do not wrinkle and therefore do not lose their appearance. Cords with three flags are reeled in this way much more - up to 600 meters.
To make winding the flags easier, we recommend the following method (Fig. 14). A piece of brass sleeve is placed on the top of the reel handle and a through hole is drilled through it. To one end of the rocker, thrown over the left shoulder, a hook made of thick wire is attached to a rawhide belt. The reel is hung on this hook through the hole made in the handle. The rear end of the rocker is covered with another rawhide strap, tied to the back of the waist belt. The entire weight of the reel falls on the shoulder. This makes the work much easier, and the speed of winding up the flags increases. The rocker is made from a stick with a diameter of 3 centimeters and a length of about a meter.
Rice. 14. Rewinding flags using a rocker arm
Some hunters prefer to use a round shoulder reel (Fig. 15).
The Ivanovo brigade of hunters at one time successfully used a reel in the form of a drum mounted on skis, designed by the brigade hunter A. M. Santalov. Up to 4 kilometers of cord with flags can be wound on the drum. The drum is best made in the form of a truncated cone.
Flags are an expensive thing; In order for them to last longer, they should be thoroughly dried after each use; the cord will quickly rot and become unusable.
Rice. 15. Round shoulder reel
Flags should be stored in a living room so that they become saturated with human scent. Flags that are stored outside the home do not keep the animal in a circle well. Before and during the hunt (if the hunt lasts more than a day), it is useful to lightly moisten the cord with flags with some odorous substance - kerosene or creolin. To do this, lightly run a cloth dipped in an odorous liquid along the cord. But you must begin to tighten the wolves with the odorous cord from the leeward side.
Privada. In this case, bait means the carcass of a large domestic (rarely wild) animal, most often a horse, laid out to bait wolves and lure them to a certain place.
It is necessary to take carcasses for bait with the permission of veterinary supervision. It is not permitted to use animals that have died from infectious diseases as bait.
It is advisable to remove the skin from the animal at least partially. Be sure to skin an animal that has been treated with external medications. Wolves do not take bait that has a foreign smell until the smell disappears. Before laying out, the bait is stored in a clean room, for example in a barn with hay.
Kill the wolf in winter time no bait - business happy occasion, since animals make long journeys in search of food. It is rarely possible to come across their random trail, and it is even more difficult to reach the wolves’ daytime spot in a short winter day using the discovered trail. And it is not always possible to bypass and flag a hungry brood, since hungry wolves lie very “on the ear” and leave their beds when the slightest suspicious sounds appear.
The bait makes it possible to attract not only a local wolf brood, but also broods of strangers and lone wolves to the place where it is laid out. The wolf's trail taken from bait is quickly straightened out, since the well-fed wolf immediately goes to rest. It is almost always possible to bypass and snatch up gorged wolves, since they sleep soundly - “lying tightly,” as the hunters say.
It is best to spread bait along the black trail, immediately after grazing is stopped. If there is only one wolf brood in the area, then it is most reliable to choose a place for placing the bait not far from their former lair, since the animals regularly visit this place. If it is assumed that there are several wolf broods in the area, then the bait is laid out in places where the hunting routes of these broods converge. This allows you to attract more than one wolf family to the bait. We are well aware of a case where one bait, but at different times, was visited by four broods of wolves.
Since wolves in the snow winter time they prefer to walk along roads, scouring from one village to another, bait and need to be laid out not far from the “busy place” - 200-300 meters away from the country road (Fig. 16), departing from the highway. No bait is placed near the highway itself, since strong movement prevents the wolves from calmly satisfying their hunger.
So that wolves are not afraid to approach the bait, it is placed in a fairly clean place, devoid of forests and bushes.
Rice. 16 Approximate location for bait placement:
1 - bait; 2 - separately standing tree; 3 - bypass trail; 4 - a place convenient for wolves to hide
It is best for this purpose to use a small field, wasteland, or clearing, bordered on all sides by forest. It is not advisable to place bait in a large field. In an open place, the wind can dust up the tracks of wolves that have visited the bait. Along the edge of the forest bordering a small field, even after a strong snowstorm, you can intercept the traces of visitors to the bait.
Not far from the bait there must be one or two trees for the birds to perch on.
Wolves take bait touched by birds more boldly. In addition, crows and magpies let the wolves know where the meat is by screaming, and they find it faster. In the vicinity of the bait there should be a convenient place for wolves to lie down for the day, as well as for nesting animals.
When transporting the carcass to the place of display, it is useful to make a drag. To do this, the insides of the carcass are released, which drag along the road following the cart. At the bait site, the carcass is placed on its side, but in no case upside down.
To protect the bait and monitor the wolves, a watchman is assigned, who walks around the bait every day and, at the first visit by wolves, reports this to the brigade.
The walk around the bait must be done in the morning, but not too early, so as not to catch wolves near it. They walk around the bait every day using the same trail, made around the bait within a radius of 200-250 meters from it. There is no need to lay a trail to the bait. All traces of wolves to and from the bait when walking around are marked daily by crossing out or trampling on it so that even without powder one can distinguish new traces from old ones.
It also happens that a correctly laid out bait is obviously good location wolves don't visit. Obviously, for some reason they changed their regular hunting route. In this case, you need to try to ensure that the wolves discover the bait as soon as possible. A quick and sure way to pull wolves to the bait and determine their location is the voice. Even in winter, wolves willingly respond to the wab and approach the lure. It is impossible to kill closer than 1 kilometer from the bait, since at this time wolves may be near it. Under no circumstances should you go to the bait at night.
If all attempts to attract wolves to the bait are not crowned with success, then it is necessary to find a reason that detains the wolves in another place. Most often, this is caused by accidentally discarded carrion or an elk killed by wolves. If it is possible to hunt near the discovered carrion, the wolves are killed there. If for some reason the new place is not suitable for hunting, then the carrion from there is either transported to the bait or doused with kerosene on the spot. Usually, soon after such random “feeding places” for wolves are eliminated, the animals begin to take bait.
Sometimes you have to deal with so-called seasoned wolves. Knowing the bait, they circle around it, but do not dare approach it. These are animals that were either shot at by the bait or were caught in traps. For shot wolves, the bait must be laid out on an area devoid of any shelter, and for wolves frightened by traps - on ice.
While waiting for the wolves to approach the bait, the huntsman carefully gets acquainted with the terrain of the upcoming hunts, identifies the places most suitable for the animals to spend their days, studies the habits of the wolves, their individual qualities and hunting routes.
In the area where the bait is laid out, it is prohibited to lay out any carrion, and any hunting is prohibited within a radius of 5-7 kilometers from the bait. It is strictly forbidden to watch for wolves near the bait and set traps near it.
Tracking wolves. To accurately and quickly track down a wolf brood and get around it, you need the skills of a tracker and a handler. First of all, you need to know the wolf trail. Unlike a dog's track, a wolf's track is more straightforward. It resembles a strict chain consisting of links large size. The footprint is raised and compact. The main weight of the animal falls on its front legs. Its front paws are much larger than its hind paws. While trotting, the regiment steps with its hind paw in the footsteps of its front paw, but since hind leg less and the pressure on it is weaker, then the imprint of the front is partially preserved.
The sex and age of a wolf is determined by the imprint of its front paw. The track of the hardened one is very large, embossed and several oval shape. The stride is wide and even. In a mature she-wolf, the footprint is also prominent, but much smaller than that of a male of the same age as her, and more oval. The impressions of the crumbs of the outer fingers are located somewhat behind the impressions of the crumbs of the middle fingers (Fig. 17). The width of a she-wolf's stride is significantly smaller than that of a seasoned male, but somewhat larger than that of an over-aged wolf.
Rice. 17. Traces of wolves and dogs:
a - a seasoned wolf; b - a seasoned she-wolf; in - arrived; g - dogs
The tracks of the deer are smaller. Their fingerprints are not lumped into a ball, but somewhat chewed up, so the mark appears rounded. The stride is short and not as slender as that of adult wolves. The track of a deer can easily be confused with the track of a tall dog. The paw prints of pereyarks are more similar to those of seasoned animals than to those of young ones.
Wolves tend to walk in single file, strictly following the trail of the animal in front. Judging the number of wolves that passed in one trail is a rather difficult matter. You can accurately determine the number of wolves that have passed when they disperse for a while. Wolves always disperse when they enter the road.
The hunting trail of a wolf is not constant. He travels the main route at a large trot, but sometimes changes his gait as needed, shifting either to a walk or a gallop. The beast often stops and marks time, roams fields, covers long distances with roads, going from one village to another.
In this case, the brood often disperses far away or undertakes a joint hunt.
During the day, the wolf walks at a walk, avoids settlements and keeps a direct path to the day. Having entered the forest, he often walks for a long time on a little-travelled road. Occasionally he turns aside in search of convenient place for a day. Lone wolves (less often pairs of wolves) make a discount on the road, just like hares. Wolves rarely have twos. A discount from the road or a deuce is a sure sign that the wolves are lying somewhere nearby.
The winter day is short, and it takes a lot of time to track and bypass wolves, draw flags on them and conduct a hunt. Winter round-ups often drag on until deep twilight. To prepare the hunt and conduct it on the same day, the hunter putting in the wolf must work quickly and accurately.
It is most convenient to track and kill an animal while carrying light clothes. Clothes, shoes, skis - everything must be appropriate for this job. It's best not to take a gun either. You need to leave at dawn.
It is extremely important for a tracker to be able to determine the freshness of a trail. If there was snow the night before the hunt, which ended shortly before dawn (short powder), then in this case no knowledge or skills are required to determine the freshness of the trail. Old tracks (even evening and night tracks) are covered or covered with snow. But wolf hunting never has to be timed to coincide with favorable weather conditions (after powder), as many sports hunters do, especially for hares. In bad weather, wolves can be in one place, and as soon as the powder falls, they will move to another. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to hunt wolves in the worst weather. From here it is clear that the ability to determine the freshness of a track under any weather conditions when hunting wolves is of great importance. practical significance.
The freshness of a trace is determined by its appearance and hardness. A fresh trail looks "young". It is inexplicably alive - the lively youth of the trace primarily determines its freshness. This is given to the hunter by experience, but you can’t tell it in words.
Try to pick up the snow surface and you will notice how clearly the snow you disturbed will stand out and “play.” But only a few hours will pass and this place will noticeably fade, and then become as dull as the surrounding snow surface untouched by you, especially in populated areas where soot and dust settle on the snow.
The same thing happens with the trail. Under the influence of temperature and wind, the trail gradually begins to thicken. Lumps of snow on the trail freeze, freeze to the snow surface and fade. The walls of the mark, also freezing, become dull, and their rough surface gradually smoothes out. When you carefully feel the old mark, a crust of crust can be clearly felt on its walls. In this case, they say, “the trail has frozen.”
Depending on the depth of the snow cover, the nature of the snow, temperature and other weather conditions the trail can be quite different. The accuracy of determining its freshness also depends on this. In some cases, the freshness of a trace is determined extremely accurately. For example, during a thaw, a fresh trail is clear and printed; the old trace, melting, blurs and acquires irregular shape. When frost follows a thaw, a crust forms on the snow surface, which breaks under the weight of the animal’s paw and forms torn edges on the track, causing the old track to freeze. In general, it must be said that in variable weather the freshness of a track is determined much more accurately, since all changes in the weather also affect the tracks. It is especially difficult to determine the freshness of a footprint in deep and loose snow in persistent frosty weather.
Sometimes frost helps a lot in determining the freshness of a track, as it noticeably highlights old tracks. The role of powder can also be played for the hunter by drifting snow, which stopped before dawn and, thus, covered up only the evening and night traces. Provided that the snow that began in the evening or at night does not stop in the morning, the freshness of the track can be determined by the degree of its drift, but for this it is necessary to use comparative data (for example, if the hunter knows the old track and can compare it with a paw print encountered) . In general, it is useful to go out into the backyard in the evening and at night and make artificial tracks with a stick, and carefully inspect and feel them in the morning. By comparing artificial tracks with the paw print of the animal encountered, it is not difficult to come to the correct conclusion.
The direction of the track is determined either by its imprint, or by the drag and drag (if the snow is deep and loose). As the animal takes its foot out of the snow, it throws some of the snow from its footprint onto the surface. This snow thrown out by the animal’s paw lies in a mound in front of the track and indicates the direction in which the animal passed. If these hillocks are swept away by the wind or leveled by falling snow, then you need to follow them to a place where it has not lost its integrity. Such places are usually forest edges, bushes, ravines, etc.
Tracking the evening and even night trail of a hungry wolf only exhausts the hunter's strength and almost never achieves his goal. The morning trail and the trail of a well-fed wolf usually lead to its day. The ability to determine which wolf a taken track belongs to helps tracking and folding. When investing, you can get lost on the trail of a hungry wolf, and when the mistake is noticed, time will be lost.
It is easier to track and bypass a lone wolf or a pair of wolves than a brood. To prevent gross mistakes, it is necessary to verify each trail as carefully as possible and determine how many wolves have followed this trail.
In places where wolves trampled around for a long time, there is no need to untangle their tracks; this will take too much expensive time. In this case, having approximately determined the direction further path wolves, make a circle and, having reached their exit, conduct further tracking. If the brood breaks up, then you need to take the trail of the mother wolf. This trail will lead to the brood's day of nesting faster than the other. Without knowing the trace of the she-wolf, you can go after the pereyark, which may lie to the side. Then the brood will be missed.
You have to be very careful when tracking down wolves walking on the wrong road. Wolves can unnoticed leave the road along the dense crust of a field, along a hardened ski track, or make a huge dash towards a bush. It is even more difficult to understand the forks of such roads. There is no need to rush on the roads. Every place where a wolf could unnoticed leave the road must be carefully examined. In this case, it is no longer necessary to study traces, but barely noticeable scratches left on the hard snow surface by the claws of the animal.
It is easier, as they said, to track down wolves leaving the bait. There are no difficulties in determining the freshness of the tracks, since all the old tracks are marked with lines in the snow. When baited, wolves most often go straight to the day. The places where the day is spent are usually permanent and well known to the hunter (the hunter who invests the animals). Particular difficulties arise when two or more broods visit the bait at the same time. In this case, the entire small field on which the bait is laid out is completely covered with traces. In this case, again, it is necessary to be able to distinguish the tracks of a mother wolf. Having taken her trail, the payer straightens it out, knowing that soon the entire brood will join her.
It also happens that in the evening, having eaten heavily at the bait, the brood, without stopping for the day, sets off along its next hunting route. Knowing the directions of the brood's constant routes, it is not difficult for the hunter to determine the intentions of the animals.
Posting. When tracking animals, they follow them, a little away from him. When approaching a place where they are likely to spend the day, the hunter tries to go around this place in a roundabout way, as if pulling the animals into the ring of his trail. This process of closing in a circle is called nesting animals. Laying is a continuation of tracking and is always inextricably linked with it. The salaryman, having the skill of a tracker, must also clearly imagine the places of the most favorite days of the animals, know the area well and | easy to navigate.
Wolf broods and unafraid loners always fall into more or less certain places, often known to local payers. On frosty days, they prefer “warm” dense spruce thickets, small but densely overgrown pine moss swamps and islands large forest with a thick spruce undergrowth. In warm weather, and especially in rainy weather, animals lie down in more open places - in small forests, in rare pine moss swamps, in burnt areas, etc. When it starts to warm up spring sun, the southern edges of the forest, the edges of swamps and clearings are beginning to serve as favorite places for animals to spend their days. A “seasoned” wolf can be found lying down in a completely unexpected place.
To avoid any surprises, they track the animal to the forest and do not follow its trail any further (the exception happens when wolves enter the forest by road). Then, remembering the direction of the trail, they walk around the forest.
They begin to walk around the circle from the side from which they expect to cross the tracks of the animals more quickly if the wolves do not stop here for the day. The size of the circle depends on the nature of the terrain and working conditions. Average value the circle is 2 kilometers in circumference. If the shelves are full and lie in a strong place, and the snow underfoot does not make noise, then you can limit yourself to a circle of 1.5 kilometers. For wolves lying in a rare pine swamp, and even when the crust crackles under the skis, the circle should be at least 3-4 kilometers. When going around you need to use passing roads, clearings and smooth surfaces (Fig. 18).
Having encountered an exit trail on the roundabout route and making sure that it belongs to the animal being put in, they cross it and continue to go around the wolf on the other side in a new circle. They continue to do this until the animal is in a vicious circle. If there is a suspicion that the exit trail belongs to another animal, the circle continues to be laid. In the case when the number of input tracks is greater than the number of output tracks, we can assume that the animals still remain in the circle. Therefore, each crossed trail is carefully examined to determine how many animals have passed through it. Otherwise, a serious mistake is possible. For example, five wolves entered the circle at the same time. Two of them left the circle one by one. At first glance, the circle seems empty - one entrance and two exits. In fact, there were three wolves left in the circle. The opposite may also happen. Having entered the circle one by one, the animals can converge and leave it in one trail.
All traces encountered along the way must be crossed out. This makes it possible to work more confidently. If the hunt does not take place, crossing out the tracks can act as artificial powder during the hunt the next day.
When laying down an animal, the handler’s attention should be attracted not only by the tracks of wolves. He should be interested in the area he is enclosing in a circle, and in the manhole places, and, finally, in the size and shape of the salary. He needs to remember and mark the places from where it will be more convenient to cut off the excess area of the circle, or even out its unevenness when tightening with flags. At the same time, it is necessary to roughly outline the shooting line.
Rice. 18. Laying down the beast
The finished flashing should be in the shape of a more or less regular circle or oval.
Tightening the circle with flags. When the frame is finished, the circle is immediately tightened with flags. This must be done quickly and silently. The paymaster walks ahead and unwinds the flags. Behind him move two or three people, carrying the entire set of necessary flags. One of them hangs flags.
In order not to let the wolves out of the frame, the less dangerous leeward side is tightened first. If, when folding, the circle turns out to be uneven and of an undesirable shape, then all the unevenness of the casing circle is leveled out when tightened with flags. In order not to rush into the circle of wolves when cutting off its excess sections, it is best to navigate using a compass.
The forest of medium density is most convenient for tightening, but you should not be afraid that in a dense spruce thicket the wolf will not notice the flags and cross them. On the contrary, if the line of flags is correct and they have a smell warning the beast, this section will be safe from breakthrough. However, pulling the flags more often is inconvenient and dangerous, as you can make the animals noisy. Therefore, if you have to do this, they leave such a place for last, even without taking into account the wind.
It happens much worse when there are a lot of cleanliness and smoothness on the bypass line of the circle. It is not advisable to pull the flags over a clean area and cut them to the frame circle. It's better to leave them behind the circle. Where the line of flags is open, as well as in its bends and corners if the circle is not tightened correctly, the wolves most often leave.
They hang flags on the branches of bushes and trees at the height of the animal’s eyes. There is no need to hang them higher, as the animal may not notice them. In open areas, flags are hung on twigs and sticks stuck in the snow.
The hunters' tracks should run along the entire line of flags inside the circle. You cannot make footprints deep into the circle. The wolf, caught in the corner between the hunter's trail and the line of flags, gets scared and breaks through the flags.
In Fig. Figure 19 clearly shows the places of the most likely breakthroughs of the beast when the circle is incorrectly tightened with flags.
If, while folding or tightening the flags, there is a noise and the wolf leaves the circle, then he is given the opportunity to lie down a little, and then the sheaf is taken into the circle. A wolf that is not very frightened does not go far.
Hunting from an open shooting line. When choosing a shooting line, the ability to correctly determine the direction in which the animal, touched by the beaters, will tend to go is of great importance. Rushing in a direction undesirable for the animal often leads to its breaking through the line of flags. The location of the shooting line should first of all take into account the direction in which the animals will strive.
The animal most willingly goes through manhole places. Such a place can often be identified by old tracks. It is impossible to place a shooting line along the edge of the forest, near a field or in open places, since the wolf likes to go along paths that camouflage him. It is best to drive a lone wolf to its entrance trail. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the direction of the wind. A more favorable wind is on the shooting line, but a side wind is also allowed.
The circle should be as intense as possible. Its best shape for this hunt is an oval with a narrowing towards the shooting line. If the goal for shooters is too wide, then the circle from the shooting line is drawn with spare flags, as shown in Fig. 20.
Rice. 19. Schematic representation of the places where wolves are most likely to break through when the circle is incorrectly tightened with flags:
1 - correctly tightened circle; 2, 3 and 4 - incorrectly tightened circles (arrows indicate places where a wolf can break through the line of flags)
The guard places the shooters in an even line at a distance that the terrain allows, but no further than 80-70 steps from each other. Flank shooters must clearly see the line of flags and stand no further than 40 steps from it. To avoid accidents when shooting, it is not recommended to place shooters in a zigzag pattern. Each shooter must imagine the location of his neighbors and under no circumstances shoot along the shooting line. The place in front of the shooters should be clearly visible and comfortable for shooting.
The shooter will admit gross mistake, if he stands behind a tree.
The best camouflage covers would be a small Christmas tree or juniper bush that covers it to the waist and a white robe.
As soon as the last shooter takes his number, the payer goes along the line of flags to the opposite end of the circle to direct the race.
The departure of the shooter from the shooting line before the rut is of great practical importance. Animals, being in a circle, often hear everything that happens on the line of the circle, but they do not yet attach any importance to it. The animals will perceive the quiet sounds on the shooting line and the steps of a person leaving there as a sign that the danger from this side has passed. In this case, they go to the shooting line more boldly. It is especially important to keep all this in mind when hunting wolves that are already familiar with flags.
The flags behind the shooting line are removed or trampled into the snow.
Beaters must be instructed in advance by the payer. So that in the deep, impenetrable thicket of the circle the beaters do not get lost and go astray, a sound connection is necessary between them. It is best to drive with three people, but if the circle is too large and there is a large suspension of snow hanging on the trees in the forest, then three beaters are not enough.
The position of the beaters in front of the pen and their approximate movement, see Fig. 20.
At a signal from the handler located in the center, the beaters begin to quietly move forward, occasionally shouting and tapping the tree trunks with a stick. It is necessary to drive in such a way as not to overly frighten the wolves. The frightened wolf quickly panics and breaks through the flags. The wolf is accustomed to the fact that a person is in the forest. Having heard the woodcutter, the animal is not afraid of him; he calmly leaves his bed and quietly heads down the hole. Therefore, the rut should resemble the familiar wolf’s ear, the noise of people who came to the forest on business that had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Rice. 20. Scheme of organizing a hunt with flags with an open arrow line
The beaters always keep aligned with the head of the rut walking in the center. In order not to lose their direction, the flank beaters occasionally check their position along the line of flags. The payer is guided by the flanks and by the compass. He walks in a zigzag manner and directs the corral with shouts. After the first shot, the beaters begin to move more slowly, trying to make as big zigzags as possible and shout louder.
Some “experienced” wolves do not go to the shooting line, but try to slip between the beaters in the opposite direction of the rut. To drive such a wolf towards the shooter, you have to drive it without noise (silently), trying to somehow steal it in a circle. In this case, the wolf goes in the direction where it is being driven.
Hunting in a closed circle. Such hunting was first widely used in 1935 by the famous salaryman Khartulari. There is no continuous shooting line on this hunt. The shooters are placed one by one inside a circle along the line of flags at a distance of a sure rifle shot from them. As a result, they occupy the most convenient manhole positions.
The shooter on such a hunt does not depend on his neighbor and does not interfere with him in any way. He is guarding his completely isolated section of the broken rifle line (Fig. 21). He doesn’t see his neighbor’s number and doesn’t even know it. Therefore, in order to avoid accidents, the salaryman chooses numbers located from each other at a distance beyond the reach of a rifle shot. The shooter is responsible for guarding the hole he occupied.
Sometimes you have to stand for a very long time. The beast can appear every minute and from any direction. The tense environment tires the shooter. On cold days he will quickly feel cold, but he must stand until the end of the hunt without losing vigilance and steadfastly enduring all adversity. Therefore, only a seasoned, disciplined and well-dressed shooter can participate in this hunt.
Gon is led by one salaryman. Having arranged the shooters by numbers, he goes to the entrance trail and follows it deeper into the circle. He drives quietly, only coughing occasionally, letting the shooters know his location. The wolves rise calmly from such a rut and quietly approach the shooter. This makes them easy to shoot. Once hit by the first shot, the brood breaks up one by one. The wolves begin to look for a way out of the circle and come under fire. When hunting in a closed circle rare wolf breaks through the line of flags.
Rice. 21. Scheme of organizing a hunt with flags in a closed circle
The advantage of this hunt over the first is undeniable. But it often drags on for too long long time. Tired shooters often miss animals. It is difficult to survive for a long time on frosty days. The slowness of hunting in a closed circle will perhaps be its only drawback. If you didn’t manage to shoot all the wolves before dark, then leave them in a circle until the next morning:
Knowing about the methods of hunting with flags described above, every hunter will always be able, having reasonably assessed the situation, to use the most convenient of them.
Rules of conduct for shooters
1. The shooter occupies a room and leaves it only at the direction of the hunt manager.
2. Having stood on the number, you need to disguise yourself, remove the belt from the gun, silently load the gun and cock the hammers, carefully study your sector of fire, remember the numbers of your neighbors and, frozen in place, watch for the appearance of animals, since a wolf can enter the shooting line before the start of the rut.
3. Smoking, making sounds, or moving from place to place in the room is prohibited until the end of the hunt. The wolf is very careful. He will notice the slightest movement or rustle and turn back into a circle.
4. Having noticed a wolf, you need to let it as close as possible and only then raise your gun.
6. In addition to buckshot charges, there should be no other charges in the shooter’s cartridge belt. They only shoot the wolf with buckshot. The cartridges must be carefully loaded, ensuring that they fit freely into the chamber of the gun. To be guaranteed against misfires, the cartridges must be equipped with a “jevelo” primer.
7. The wounded wolf must be immediately finished off with a second shot, but do not leave the number.
8. If the wounded wolf has left, then he is allowed to lie down and again pulled into the circle.
9. While the wolf is still moving his tail, it is dangerous to approach him.
10. At the end of the hunt, the shooters, upon a signal from the hunt manager, leave their rooms. Before leaving the room, you must unload the gun.
It must be remembered that discipline in round-ups is the key to success and a guarantee against accidents.
Pskov way of hunting
Hunting in Pskov style means driving the animal into a predetermined hole. This method is applicable both in the forest and in open areas. In open places they hunt using a zerka, and in the forest they navigate by the tracks of the animal.<
Pskovich determines the hole that the animal touched by him should go through. In this case, the hole must be determined extremely accurately, since it often takes one shooter to drive the animal. The success of the hunt largely depends on knowledge of the area. Having seen an animal or walked around it in a circle, a Pskov resident may not be sure of the nearest holes. With a good knowledge of the area and the habits of the animal, this does not confuse him. He knows which island the animal he touches will go to and feels that when moving from island to island the animal cannot avoid the passage known to him - the hole. Let this hole be far from the location of the animal - it does not matter; regardless of the distance from the animal, the shooter stands exactly there.
Sometimes Pskov residents make a so-called “curtain”. To do this, they use the first available means - a hat, scarf, shirt, sack, bag, etc., hanging these items on openings that are dangerous in the sense of an animal breaking through, not occupied by shooters.
For the same purpose, some Pskov residents carry a small supply of flags. In treeless areas, flags are hung on sticks.
Pskov drives the beast carefully, as they say, “leading it on the reins.” When he sees or senses from the trail that the animal is avoiding the desired move, then with quick approaches he tries to direct the animal to the direction it has lost. In open areas, it is more convenient to carry out a surge on a horse.
No hunt requires such skill from its performer as hunting in Pskov style. It is not easy to prepare well for hunting in Pskov style. Only a persistent and observant hunter, who painstakingly and carefully studies the habits of the animal, can learn this art of hunting, which is surprising to others. But how exciting and varied such a hunt can be. How many problems have to be solved on the go and how exciting the moments are when the hunter sees that he correctly guessed the intentions of the animal and forced it to obey him.
Hunting with a dog
The best time to hunt with a dog is a frosty moonlit night. Having made themselves comfortable in the sleigh and taking with them some vocal mongrel, the hunters go in the evening to places where there are wolves. Behind the sleigh, on a four- to five-meter-long tow rope, is a dragnet. It is best to make it from dog bedding.
The dog is tied on a short strap in the sleigh and occasionally tugged by the ear so that it gives voice. Guns must be loaded and camouflaged. You cannot remove the gun from the sled until the shot is fired.
Hunters must wear normal traveling clothing; They do not wear any bandoliers or other hunting armor, so as not to arouse suspicion among the wolves.
At this time, special restraint is required from hunters. The slightest sign of impatience can make the animals turn back. Finally, the wolves rush at the slut, mistaking him for a dog. And only when they are at a short distance, the hunters stop the horse and shoot.
Sometimes a wolf appears completely unexpectedly and rushes at the slut. Therefore, the attention of hunters should not weaken for a minute.
In areas where wolves attack piglets, you can take a pig with you instead of a dog.
Just like the traces of other wild animals, wolf prints need to be able to be distinguished by both a hunter in search of prey and a traveler in order to protect himself from meeting a wolf pack in the forest. Without understanding the tracks, the hunter can fail in the hunt, waste a lot of precious time, besides, from the tracks you can learn a lot of information about the animal: is it full or hungry, is it calm or alarmed, in what direction is it moving, is it a lone wolf or is it moving a whole flock. Of course, understanding tracks comes with practice and experience, but you can try to figure out whether the tracks of a wolf in the snow or of another animal are located along the path of following the prey.
The Greatest Wolf
The wolf's paws are heavily furred, which allows them to leave a large footprint on soft snow, and its weight causes it to fall through in deep snow, as well as on weak crust. Therefore, when a large level of snow falls, wolf paw prints should be looked for on paths made by humans or elk, as well as on open hills, clearings, and forest edges.
The footprint of an adult seasoned wolf also differs from that of a she-wolf: it is larger and more round.
In the photo you can clearly see the tracks of a wolf in the snow. The prints of the front paws are larger than the hind ones, because the front part of the predator’s body is more powerful and heavier than the back. In this case, the pads of the forelimbs are rounded inward, and the hind limbs are rounded outward. The average size of an old wolf's paw print is 10.5 cm, width - 8 cm, for a she-wolf it is 1-2 cm smaller. In younger male specimens, the print is 9.3 cm long and 7.2 cm wide. If the found print is 12 cm or slightly longer in length, it can be identified as a dog belonging to one of the large breeds (for example, St. Bernards, Caucasian Shepherds, Great Dane).
To correctly determine the age of footprints left in the snow, practical experience is required. The quality of the imprint left depends on the depth of the snow, ambient temperature, lighting and other factors. To imagine how long ago a wolf walked along the trail, you need to practice from your own experience: leaving your prints in the snow and monitoring their modification after one, two, three days, or even several hours. When determining how long ago a predator passed, it is necessary to take into account various external factors that influence its appearance and structure: the degree of moisture of the snow, the depth of its layer, the size and structure of snow flakes, the presence of wind.
When moving calmly, the wolf leaves an even chain of footprints, while the hind paws step exactly in the footprint of the front paws. It is difficult to determine the number of predators in a flock with a calm step based on their prints, since they move in each other’s tracks. Their even formation crumbles only when turning or when overcoming any obstacles. In addition, the fact that several animals passed through can be understood by how strong the drag remains, which breaks the edges of the imprint pit, making it larger. In this case, the trace recess turns out to be repeatedly covered with several prints, and if you look closely, you can clearly notice this. Such tracks are denser than those of a single predator. By these signs you can determine that a flock has passed, but it can be very difficult to understand how many individuals it consisted of.
The gait of this predator also affects the quality of the prints. This may be a step, then the chain of tracks is not as even as when moving at a trot, the distance between steps is approximately 25 cm, or a gallop while chasing prey or when escaping a chase. At a trot, the predator is able to walk long distances, leaving a uniform line of prints; the length between steps ranges from 70 to 100 cm. Moving through the quarry, the predator pursues its prey with two-meter jumps. The animal can move in this way for only a short time, because it runs out of steam (at the same time developing speeds of up to 85 km/h). When moving at a quarry or gallop, prints of all four paws remain on the snow, with the hind paws being placed in front of the front ones.
What do wolf tracks look like in the snow: photos, differences from other animals
The wolf has five toes on its front paws and four on its hind paws. Often the footprint of a wolf is confused with the print of a large dog. This is logical, because both of these animals belong to the same biological family. The wolf leaves a larger print than the dog's. This figure is somewhat controversial, since there are breeds of dogs whose height and size reach the size of a calf.
However, wolf tracks can be distinguished from dog tracks by the shape of the print and its location:
- A wolf's paw leaves a print that is more "composed" than that of a dog. At the same time, the toes are pressed to the foot, and in the dog they are somewhat distributed.
- The wolf claws on the foot are directed inward. For a dog it is outward.
- The wolf always has an even chain of tracks, which lies straight and stretches uniformly. The step is wider than that of a dog with the same distance between the tracks.
To accurately determine who exactly left the mark, experienced hunters place a match on the tip of their side and middle fingers, thus measuring the distance between them. In addition, if it is not certain whether these are dog prints or wolf prints, gently look closely for the presence of human tracks nearby; as a rule, dogs do not stray far from their hunter-masters.
Often, in deep or loose snow it can be very difficult to identify wolf prints. This is due to the fact that on such snow the wolf moves by jumping, and its prints can be confused with the prints of a roe deer or lynx. The situation is aggravated if there is a wild boar trail nearby, along which wolves can move without leaving traces. To determine the number of wolves and their movement on such snow, it is necessary to distinguish between trail tracks and jumping tracks. When moving through loose and deep snow, the track of a lone wolf can easily be confused with that of a lynx. To eliminate the possibility of error, in this case you need to walk along the path for about three hundred meters. At the same time, the identity of the prints should already become clear: the wolf path is characterized by purposefulness and straightness of movement, the width of steps is 35-40 cm (the width of the lynx is 10-15 cm), a significantly smaller width of the path than that of the lynx. The prints are dense, clear, and oblong. The density of the print can be felt by removing the mitten. When jumping, you can distinguish the tracks of a wolf from a roe deer as follows:
- A stable jump length of 150 cm. The length of roe deer jumps ranges from 100 to 300 cm.
- Unlike the wolf print, the jump of a roe deer is characterized by the retraction of one forelimb, this is clearly visible in the snow.
- The shape of the imprint of a wolf's jump is close to oval; in a roe deer it resembles an inverted drop.
- When changing the trajectory of movement, the wolf makes a smooth arc, but the roe deer always sharply changes the direction of movement.
To gain the necessary experience, you need to constantly memorize, photograph, analyze animal tracks in order to navigate the place.