Truly Russian hunting. Hunting traditions And who will reign

Hunting in Russia has an old tradition in terms of indigenous people, while the original features of state and princely economy were farming and cattle-breeding. There was hunting for food as well as sport.

The word 'hunting' first appeared in the common Russian language at the end of the 15th century. Before that the word 'catchings' existed to designate the hunting business in general. The hunting grounds were called in turn lovishcha. In the 15th-16th centuries, foreign ambassadors were frequently invited to hunts; they also received some of the prey afterwards. So did Feodor I in particular, once sending out nine elks, one bear and a black-and-brown fox.

The right of using the hunting grounds in Russia was once granted to every social class. The right of the nobility was even sometimes limited by agreements with others regarding hunting grounds. The hawkers and separate persons who dealt with hounds, beavers, black grouses, hares, etc. were permitted either on the landed properties, or on territories specified by local people. Though the Russian Orthodox clergy once disapproved the hunting, these persons were authorized to eat and feed their horses, hounds and falcons on others’ account or even demand participation in hunting. The Russian imperial hunts evolved from hunting traditions of early Russian rulers (Grand Princes and Tsars), under the influence of hunting customs of European royal courts. The imperial hunts were organized mainly in Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo and Gatchina.

A man with a gun - a hunter - has a special relationship with nature, he is obliged to treat it with respect, to fulfill his duties conscientiously. Their fulfillment depends on the good manners, literacy, honor, dignity, special knowledge, culture and ethics of the hunter.

Hunting ethics - certain norms of behavior and relationships between hunters. It includes the entire unwritten code of conduct. We can say that these are rules of conduct that have become the hunter's inner conviction and are observed not out of fear of punishment, but out of conscience: the hunter, as a rule, does not have spectators who would applaud his good deeds or condemn bad ones.

Hunting traditions and customs are an integral part of hunting ethics; to a greater extent its form, but educating the hunter discipline, honesty, friendliness, caution when shooting. In a collective hunt - this is decency and modesty, calmness, prudence and self-control.

The hunter must restrain his passion to kill animals. Our distant ancestors hunted only to meet the needs of life and they clearly did not experience the passion to kill as such. Centuries later, armed with firearms, man imagined himself the master of nature, and his hunting trails were marked by whole mountains of dead animals.

A cultured hunter will never appropriate someone else's prey, leaving a hunting hut, leaving a supply of firewood and food there, and helping an animal that is in trouble during a natural disaster. A real hunter will not shoot at sitting or swimming game, will not allow aimless shooting at a flock of birds or at a hare lying down, as well as at fleeing black grouse and partridges, will not shoot at a starka pretending to be wounded. Compliance with these traditional restrictions is very important, as is the implementation of legal regulations.

The moral character of the hunter is fully revealed on the hunt. Observance of hunting traditions brings up discipline and a desire for order among hunters. For example, the correct use of a hunting horn teaches to execute commands and signals, maintains order and the correct organization of a collective hunt. With the help of the horn, they announce the beginning of the hunt, round-ups, the gathering and the end of the hunt.

The hunters of Slovakia, in addition to horns, during large-scale hunting use large forest horns, which trumpeters wear suspended on their left shoulders. In Estonia, if the animal is caught, the hunters perform a ceremony to honor it. Hat of the hunter who made accurate shot, as well as the carcass of the game caught, is decorated with a spruce branch.

In Slovakia, if a hunter has obtained game individually, he makes himself a piece (twig) of a coniferous or deciduous tree and, as a symbol, attaches it to the ribbon of his hat, having previously dipped the branch in the blood of the animal. If there is an escort, then he will soak a branch in the blood of the hunted game and hand over the arrow, putting it on top of the hunting hat, which he holds in his left hand.

Twigs are worn on the left side of the hat for only one day, until sunset. The same fragment (twig), but of a larger size, is placed on the game caught, both in the forest and on the display. A sprig is put between the teeth of a shot ungulate animal, and a feathered game - in the beak as a symbolic "last herb". The fragment is also inserted into the mortal wound of an ungulate animal.

Special mention must be made of the hunter's clothing. Sloppy dress leads to sloppy behavior. A hunter in a torn padded jacket or in a leather jacket that rustles and restricts movement looks bad. It becomes a good tradition when most hunters wear special (uniform for all) clothes, comfortable and seasonally masked (the Baltic countries, Finland). In many countries, hunting societies are shaped to reflect national characteristics. Wearing such a uniform on the hunt creates a festive atmosphere, increases discipline.

Traditional rituals, customs, forms of organization of hunting make it interesting and more emotional. So, in many countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, etc.), immediately after the “end of the hunt” signal, the prey is laid out. The shot animals are brought or demolished to a certain place and laid out on the ground in a square bordered with needles or other greenery. The game is laid in even rows on the right side, with their heads in the direction of the place where the huntsman and the shooters stand. They lay it out in accordance with its value - first of all, large game (elk, deer, wild boar, roe deer), then fur and birds. Every tenth individual is pushed out of the row a little forward. This makes it easy to count prey. Stepping over an animal on a display is a sin, it means committing an act unworthy of a hunter.

After the “formation” signal, the hunters (shooters) stand facing the layout, and behind the last row are the rangers and beaters. The signal "attention" is given, assistants light fires in the four corners of the calculation. All participants at this time stand on command “attentively” and with their heads bare - this is the last honor for the hunted animals and thanks to the hunters.

After the end of this traditional ritual, hunters organize the so-called “last circle” in a suitable room or in nature, where they talk, remembering the whole process of hunting, once again congratulate the distinguished shooters, relax and have a snack. Well, it's like ours! I say this, knowing the essence of the matter of personal participation in hunting in Finland and Poland.

And what else do we observe from the ancient traditions of Russian hunting? In my opinion, apart from the above "final part" - nothing. Moreover, many hunters “celebrate” the beginning of the hunt and the end in the same way - a booze, accompanied by obscenities, and sometimes quarrels. And it turns into the most disgusting "tradition".

Another, no less dangerous "tradition" of hunters is random shooting at bottles, caps; shooting at extreme distances at flocks of birds flying at a height of 200 meters, shooting just like that (salute) into the air at the opening and closing of the hunt, when the “hunters”, showing off their new foreign semi-automatic and self-loading carbines, “fire at White light like a pretty penny."

Of course, in such an environment, elementary safety standards are not observed; the number of killed and wounded hunters in Russia does not decrease every year.

To tell the truth, I do not see in the near future the establishment of any order in this matter, as well as in the entire public life of our country, where all moral foundations are trampled underfoot and the spirit of swindle, money-grubbing and inequality and, most importantly, conscience and truth prevails everywhere. became outcasts, and lies, deceit, brute force - everyday phenomena that no one fights.

In general, as we live, so we hunt.

If laws, rules, norms, traditions and customs of hunting are not observed in a society (state), then the natural balance is thereby violated, as a result of which hunting becomes obsolete. Therefore, without a high general culture and ethics modern hunting unthinkable.

The hunters of Slovakia, in addition to horns, during large-scale hunting use large forest horns, which trumpeters wear suspended on their left shoulders. In Estonia, if the animal is caught, the hunters perform a ceremony to honor it. The hat of the hunter who made an accurate shot, as well as the carcass of the hunted game, is decorated with a spruce branch.

Another, no less dangerous "tradition" of hunters is random shooting at bottles, caps; shooting at extreme distances at flocks of birds flying at a height of 200 meters, shooting just like that (salute) into the air at the opening and closing of the hunt, when the "hunters", showing off their new foreign semi-automatic machines and self-loading carbines, "shoot into the white light, as in a pretty penny."

Of course, in such an environment, elementary safety standards are not observed; the number of killed and wounded hunters in Russia does not decrease every year.

In general, as we live, so we hunt.

Speaking about hunting traditions in general, it is worth noting right away that in most cases a hunter is not a barbarian who kills defenseless animals just for pleasure. Most often, a hunter is a kind-hearted person who truly loves nature and knows how to enjoy every moment spent hunting. After all, hunting for him is just an excuse that he uses in order to escape from Everyday life, following the oldest instinct on the planet - hunting. Hunters not only know how to love nature, but also protect it and competently manage its gifts.

Throughout its history, humanity has been defending its right to exist by fighting against the elements, wild animals and, of course, hunger. In fact, we can say that thanks to hunting, people now exist on earth, including those who act as ardent opponents of hunting. Since hunting was actually the basis of existence on initial stage human society, it is logical that, like any other work, hunting and necessity grew into a need. For generations, a culture and ethics of hunting have been formed that are humane in nature, as they appeared in the name of continuing life, and not stopping it.

Hunting culture should be established with early age. A young hunter must be worthy of the heritage of his ancestors, honor and revere the laws and covenants established for centuries.

First of all, hunting must be “correct”. We note right away that this term implies something more than a simple adherence to certain restrictions. We will analyze the traditions of proper hunting in more detail using examples.

Before a novice hunter undertakes, he must master the knowledge of hunting and nature in general. Otherwise, his hunt will be "wrong". In fact, his success in his hunt will either depend entirely on chance or on the work of the rangers, from finding the beast to hunting it. Each hunt of such a would-be hunter will be held under the motto "Maybe you're lucky" and will be accompanied by nervousness, unpreparedness to meet the beast, shooting for good luck, an indispensable attribute of which will be wounded animals and forbidden prey in the form of pregnant animals. As a rule, the trophies obtained by such "lucky" hunters do not bring them satisfaction, because deep down they understand that this is not their merit, but the will of chance.

Another thing is the "correct" hunting. First of all, it is based on certain hunting methods, experience gained over many generations, and, of course, personal participation in the organization of hunting. As a rule, the basics of the "correct" hunting are comprehended for quite a long time, for several years. Hunting methods, methods, habits of animals, features of hunting for each of their species and, of course, future hunting grounds are being studied. "Correct" hunting does not exclude a certain amount of luck, but still, every skilled hunter should make the main bet on his knowledge and experience.

And although the study of all the intricacies of hunting takes a long time, the first thing that every beginner should learn is hunting traditions and ethics. Here are the main provisions of the ethics of each hunter:

A trophy cannot be considered random loot. And if, moreover, random prey is forbidden, such as black grouse or capercaillie, which the hunter must hide, then this is a real shame for a self-respecting hunter. That is why hunters have a tradition of carrying trophies home so that everyone can see them.
Hunters, under any pretext, are prohibited from shooting at seagulls, small animals and birds that cannot be a trophy. Shooting for fun is a sign of a bad hunter. Also, real hunters have an extremely negative attitude towards “heroes” who brag about the fact that they shoot birds of prey - falcons, eagles, owls, etc.
By tradition, the hunter is obliged to take with him the entire trophy obtained during the hunt, while trying to prevent unnecessary suffering of the wounded animal. The highest indicator of the skill of a hunter, for example, is such a shot at which the deer dies before it collapses to the ground. Real hunting has never been a simple thoughtless extermination of defenseless animals for the sake of satisfying the thirst for murder.
It is worth noting that experienced hunters they value the process of finding and tracking prey more than killing it. Shooting game, taking its life has never been savored in our hunting. No wonder such humanists as L. N. Tolstoy, N. A. Nekrasov, I. S. Turgenev, S. T. Aksakov were fond of it.

Throughout the history of hunting, ethical and legal norms for hunting have been formed. As a rule, most of these norms are primarily related to the moral and practical side of the matter. For example, among taiga hunters, prey is assigned to the one who first took her trail, and even more so injured the animal. An experienced taiga hunter will not miss the prey in any case. Even if he haunts her for days. Another thing is hunting. Here the loot is awarded to the one whose shot knocked down the beast.

It's no secret that the task of raising a good hunting dog is extremely difficult, so the etiquette of a good hunter forbids shooting at an animal pursued by someone else's dog. At the same time, even if you kill the game with a shot, it still belongs to the owner of the dog, but he owes you a cartridge as compensation.

This is only a small part of all the unspoken hunting traditions that make up the etiquette of a real hunter, but they can be called fundamental. If you want to become a real hunter, then be sure to study the hunting traditions and honor them. You will not only earn the respect of other hunters, but also imbued with the spirit of the “right” hunt.