by Steve Erbland
Five years ago while working a part time job, I met Laszlo Albert or Albert. After a few minutes our conversation turned to hunting. Little did I know then that five years later I would be sitting in the Budapest airport writing about my second hunting trip to Hungary. This trip came about when I became aware that Albert's company Passion and Prey European Hunting Services had several hunters travelling to Hungary in October. I decided to go as well.
We landed in Budapest and after a scenic two and half hour drive, we arrived at our hunting area "Guth". This is a 20,000 hectare free range hunting area, which is managed by the Hungarian department of forestry. Guth is actually 75% a forestry operation and 25% hunting. Although this is a 100% wild herd it is strictly managed to ensure a sustainable population of deer as well as world class trophies.
After settling into the lodge and meeting the staff and guides, I turned in to get some rest before the morning hunt. I woke at 5:30 am, made a coffee and headed to the patio to await my guide. When I stepped outside I was taken aback by the bright orange, red and yellow fall colours which were accented by the lights from the lodge. This, along with the cool crisp temperature of 2 degrees Celsius, created much anticipation for my morning hunt. My guide arrived as I was finishing my coffee. We introduced ourselves and off we went. (I should mention that some guides speak English while other communicate using the universal language of hunting. Regardless, language was never an issue)
My first morning was more of a sightseeing/scouting trip. There was no pressure to shoot, just a relaxing morning enjoying my new surroundings. I think this was a great way to spend my first morning, since I had no way to prepare myself for the numbers of animals I was going to see. By not being pressured to shoot on the first morning I was able to see many fallow deer. Some quite close and others though binoculars. It was only after this that I really began to appreciate how many trophy typical and non-typical deer roam the forests of Guth.
The morning hunt typically lasts about 4 hours. We then returned to the lodge for breakfast, which like all the meals has a unique Hungarian flavour. The evening hunt begins around 3:30 so this left me several hours to relax and wander around the 5 star lodge and surrounding grounds. You can play pool, go for a horse ride or even check out the onsite saw mill operation.
This day I chose to hang out with some other hunters, one of whom was an Australian man named Michael, who had also booked his trip with Passion and Prey. Michael was a lifelong hunter who has hunted all over the world. This trip he was hoping to fulfil his dream of harvesting a trophy Fallow Deer. Australia has Fallow deer as well but Michael had visions of a much larger one then exists in his home country. This morning he had done just that and was eager to show off his success. We spent several hours recounting his hunt, admiring his trophy as well as doing some measurements of the antlers. The results of these measurements quickly revealed that Michael had indeed accomplished his goal. His Fallow d
Deer measured bigger than the current Australian record. The socializing was so much fun in fact, that I almost forgot to take time out to enjoy a bowl of Hungarian goulash for lunch.
My hunt that evening and the next morning were much the same. Slow stalking under 60 foot high trees, past traditional high seats and though meadows; knowing that any moment you might see wild boar, Red Stag or Roe deer. This was punctuated by the constant bellowing of the majestic prince of the forest, the Fallow Stag which I was after. I had read about this bellowing and watched videos, but nothing can prepare you for how uniquely vocal a Fallow stag is during the rut. In fact this is how we located the stags. We would wait till one called, then slowly try to stalk closer for a look. However, since the stags are often surrounded by does it is not easy to get within shooting distance. Oh yeah, did I mention that I was bow hunting, so shooting distance for me was 40 yards. My guides for the first three outings were able to get me within 20 yards of several small stags, but the size I was seeking remained elusive.
After the second morning's hunt we met at the lodge and after some discussion about bow hunting, the area manager and senior guide Peter decided to guide me for the remainder of my stay.
Fallow Deer are a unique ungulate in that the males don't generally travel around seeking females. They bellow to call does to them. Mating may occur anywhere, however Fallow deer have areas where they gather year after year to mate. These rutting pits are the areas where the Stags compete for their right to reproduce. The males fight each other and willing does will let the winner of each battle mate with them. Generally the closer to the center of the pit a stag is standing the more dominate he is. Thus many does seek mates in this area.
Albert, Peter and myself met at 3:30 to begin our evening hunt. What I was about to witness was one of the most spectacular things I have ever witnessed while hunting. We left the lodge and drove for about 15 minutes. Peter dove through a series of woods roads and trails until I was certain there was no chance of me ever finding my way out of the woods should the need arise. When he parked and I opened the truck door, I could hear in the distance what sounded like.. well to be honest, nothing I had ever heard before. I could make out the occasional bellowing stag, but these were mostly covered by a constant dull roar. We walked for about 10 minutes and with each step the noise became louder, until it was almost deafening. Ahead there was a high seat, beyond that a cloud of dust rose from what appeared to be a clearing. Peter climbed into the high seat and motioned for me to follow. When I reached the point where I was able to see over the front wall of the high seat, hunting became the furthest thing from my mind. I was looking over a traditional Fallow deer rutting pit which contained dozens of fighting stags and just as many eager does. I had been told the stags become aggressive during the rut, but what I as witnessing was nothing short of violent. A stag on our right slowly strutted to the tree line at the edge of the pit, then stopped. Eyeing the mayhem in front of him. It was as if he was looking for a particular foe. Then with a loud snort, he lowered his head so that his impressive head gear led the way into the action. At one point a medium sized stag decided it would be a good idea to charge sideways into two larger stags which were already locked together in battle. This resulted in the three of them becoming tangled together and spinning in a motion that resembled a helicopter trying to take off. The amount of noise and dust created equaled that of a chopper as well. We stayed till dark, however the larger stags were staying close to the edge of the pit and out of range of my elite 32 bow. So as darkness set in we left with a plan to return in the morning.
Albert had business to attend to that morning so Peter and I left early enough so that we could be in position before daylight. After the short drive and 15 minutes of crawling on our bellies, daylight broke to reveal Peter had led me to within 60 yards of the rutting pit at the best Fallow deer hunting area in the world. It was surreal! However that feeling quickly changed to excitement when Peter motioned that a shootable stag was standing 45 yards beyond the log I was currently hiding behind. I slowly moved into shooting position on my knees, raised my bow over the log and released my arrow.. which flew low under the deer. I was devastated and as I sat down to regroup I remembered that I sight my bow in using yards. Hungarians use meters and Peter had ranged the distance of 45 using his range finder. In the excitement I had forgotten to compensate, thus missed low.
When I finally looked at Peter the look of excitement on his face was not something I expected to see from a guide who had been working at Guth for 33 years. For the next hour we sat and waited. Stags and does wondered around us as close as 10 yards, while the mating ritual continued in front of us. Then a stag which we had been observing for quite some time 80 yards away started moving in our direction. We had already agreed this was a shooter and I was going to take the shot given the opportunity. With this in mind the tension mounted with every step closer he got and after what seemed like an eternity the light brown spotted stag stopped broad side at 35 yards. I raised my bow and fired. This time my arrow arched high, inches over his back. Peter tried to console me by saying the deer was looking directly at me and had ducked the shot, as they sometimes do when bow hunting. This did little to consol me and I still feel that it was just a case of nerves. Being at Guth, where bow hunting is not understood and generally not allowed, combined with the knowledge that Peter could not recall anyone ever shooting a Fallow stag with archery gear, simply got the best of me and I missed. I was now certain that this was going to become a rifle hunt.
We stayed long enough for me to see a stag Peter estimated to be bigger than the world record set at Guth which stood from 1994 to 2001. It walked within 18 yards and was a sight to see. Unfortunately, since fees are determined by the size of the trophy this monster was out of my price range. We decided to back out of the area since it was getting late in the morning and we were both thinking about breakfast. On the ride back to the lodge Peter surprised me by suggesting we do some stalking that evening, so that we would not disturb the rutting area to much before the next morning's bow hunt. Peter's experience as a lifelong professional guide was evident. Regardless of what he must have thought about me missing two shots, he did not criticize or mention putting my bow away in favour of a rifle.
That evening Peter and I did some stalking and even though I was unsuccessful in getting my stag it was another perfect evening hunting. So after returning to the lodge and eating supper I turned in early in preparation for the early rise.
Daylight broke to find us again sitting behind the same log as the previous morning. This time we were again joined by Albert. During the first hour several smaller stags had passed within shooting distance, however not the one we were after. By this time my legs were cramping from kneeling in one spot for so long, so I decided to sit on my butt and lean back on the log for a break. It was then caught in that position, that a nice stag and three does appeared and began walking directly towards us. Peter and Albert discussed whether or not this was a shooter. I thought it was but again Peter wanted me to wait. So I relaxed and watched the stag and does wonder around us, sometimes as close as 20 yards. Then, after watching the stag and getting a closer look at its antlers and Albert explaining to Peter that I really love bow hunting and this would be a trophy of a life time for me Peter whispered "shoot him".
So, as my adrenaline spiked to levels which should have sent me to the hospital, I resisted the urge to reposition to a more comfortable shooting position. Since all eyes of the does were looking at us, trying to figure out if we were a threat, I simply had to wait knowing that if I got a clear shot I was going to take it, without moving, even though I was sitting on my butt, back against the log and legs outstretched in front of my. This was far from ideal but a makeable shot.. I hoped. After what felt like an eternity all 4 animals turned and began walking away from us. This gave me a clear quartering away shot. I came to full draw. When Peter whispered 35 I quickly adjusted for my aim and placed my 40 yard pin on the vitals and feathered my release. This time my arrow found its mark and within seconds my first archery Fallow stag was down 70 yards in front of us. After enough high fives and back slapping to totally empty the rutting pit behind us, I lead the way to my Stag. As I laid my hands on his antlers Peter approached with a tree branch. He broke it into three pieces, and placed the first piece over the stags wound, the second in its mouth and the third he gave to me to place in my hat. This is a Hungarian custom to pay respect to the animal and to congratulate the hunter. After some photos and discussion about what had just occurred we headed back to the lodge for the morning ceremony which celebrates the successful hunt.
This ceremony involves placing the harvested animals in a respectable manner on the ceremonial grounds. Each hunter stands behind his or her kill while bulges play one song to pay respect to the animal and one song to congratulate the hunter. Let me say that standing on those ceremony ground listening to the bulges echo is something I am thrilled to have been a part of.
Since I still had a day and a half to hunt I decided to put my bow away and use a rifle in hopes of harvesting a wild boar, or a management buck. These are smaller yearlings which are harvested in order to keep the herd from becoming too large for the area to support. The hunting of management bucks is common practice in many parts of the world and prevents over feeding as well as aids in the prevention of disease. That evening, with my guide Bayla I was successful in harvesting a management buck. The next morning, once again being guided by Peter I also shot a respectable 250lb wild boar.
With my hunt already surpassing all my expectations, my last evening at Guth I chose to spend a couple of hours walking with my guide. I was not really concerned with shooting anything and as it turned out, it was the perfect choice for my last evening at Guth. While sitting in a high seat enjoying the spectectular views, a huge Fallow Stag walked out to feed in front of us as daylight faded on my hunt.