Latvia in the Baltic region offers great roebuck hunting. Follow us, as we head out to call some of the country’s fine bucks.

It's insanely hot as we hurry out the deserted road the first morning. The sun has begun to come up, and on some of the many fields we pass, we spot active roe deer. However, we are not yet in the hunting area and our hunting guide, Oscars Ivans, keeps his eyes on the road and both hands on the steering wheel.

As the guide turns off the engine and everything around us falls silent, he points out a large meadow as this morning’s hunting area. He explains that the hunter must decide for himself how to hunt the field, while he, the guide, stays with the car and waits for us to return.

The fact that Oscars has chosen to let us venture out on our own is quite fine with us, as the hunter has decided that he wants to call the bucks personally and that he would like to decide from which place to call, himself. In other words: The hunter gets it exactly as he wishes. The hunt has started, but to make a long stalk short, we finish the morning without the least reminiscent of an exciting situation.

Eight bucks in three days

The guide is a member of the local hunting association that controls a 6.000 hectare wide hunting area named Obzeri, which is located in the heart of Latvia's Eastern part, near the city of Madona.

In 2012, the winter was hard in Latvia and lasted until April. That winter, about 70 percent of the country's roe deer population expired, as the small deer could not penetrate the thin layer of ice on top of deep snow to feed. However, the roe deer population is increasing again in Obzeri, while it in other parts of the country – according to Oscars – suffers because of predations by wolves, among other threats.

Before departure, the hunter has decided that over course of the three hunting days, he can take a maximum of eight bucks. However, during the first day we don’t see many roebucks. To think that we can take eight bucks in three days seems – one hour before the closure of the first day – to be something grabbed out of the heavy Latvian summer air. The hunter has not yet had anything that remotely resembles a chance of a shot, when we finally spot a mature buck in the open. The buck is in the company of a roe and will therefore be hard to call. But who dares, wins.

First buck taken

In coverage of a haybale, we slowly move towards the animals. They still seem like two small spots of red on the green field, as we have to give up on getting any closer. From here on the field is completely open, and if we will move forward in cover of the woods on the left, the wind will not be in our favor.

On the other hand, we are here to call roebucks rather than stalk them. After a few minutes, the hunter begins to call, first gently and in low tones. As the buck shows no real interest for the calls, the hunter increases the intensity of the calls.

A few times, the mature buck looks at us, and then after almost 15 minutes of calling, he suddenly reacts. He has had enough. He lifts his head, turns and sets off. He comes straight towards us for a long time, as the hunter slides down a little behind the hay ball, grabs the rifle and take the first buck of the trip as it stops not far from us. With a well-placed bullet in front of the right shoulder and the exit hole behind the left, the buck falls to the ground, dead.

Searching for the trophy buck

The temperature has fallen a few degrees the next morning, and it is clear that this morning will offer more roebuck activity than the previous day. We set out to hunt in an area in which Oscars knows there is a medal trophy buck, which he thinks the hunter should try to call. To make sure we are in the right area, Oscars go with us, but it is still up to the hunter to do the calling as well as to decide from where he would like to call.

The fog is moving in waves over the meadow as we quietly move into the terrain. It's incredibly beautiful and almost windless. Older bucks will often search into the wind to capture the scent of their rivals. Therefore, it is advantageous that we place ourselves on an open area in the wind direction, where the hunter can take a shot before the big bucks smell our scent.

On the way to the stand, the hunter repeatedly checks the wind's directional changes, but eventually he finds a good spot and starts calling. A couple of young bucks comes in this morning, but we do not see anything of the supposed trophy buck. Later, we move on and continue to call in other areas. The hunter succeeds in taking a couple of nice bucks before lunch break, and then it's time for a midday sleep.

Our guide was born in 1980 and speaks both German and English. He started out as a woodcock and duck hunter, but today, one of his greatest passions is hunting roebucks. He has shot about 75 bucks over time, and in addition, he has taken no less than five lynxes.

For the average Latvian hunter, the roebuck is a valued piece of game, as it is one of the most common species in that country. Earlier, this also applied to the wild boar, but that was before the African swine fever arrived in 2014 and almost eliminated the wild boar population from large areas of the country.

Another buck taken

Half an hour before sunset, we see a nice six pointer behind a group of tall poplars on a meadow. The hunter stalks into position, places the rifle on the shooting stick and points towards where the buck could come... if it comes. The hunter has not even called for 10 seconds, as a buck comes thundering around the trees, directly towards us. With a decisive look in the eyes, it stops 50 meters away. Jens places the crosshair on the right shoulder of the buck, breathes halfway out and lets the shot go. The beautiful six pointer shows perfect signs of a hit before running a short distance and falling over.

Poachers!

The next morning, we are back to try calling the medal trophy buck. With the increasing rutting activity, he ought to respond to the hunter’s calls. We see a lot of activity that morning – young bucks, storks, martens, foxes and even moose – but there is no trace of the old ruler.

On our way back, we are talking about how clever the old buck must be, as the otherwise fresh morning air is suddenly filled with a rank odor. Following the smell, we find the beautiful buck dead. He is lying behind a small shrub. Upon closer examination it turns out he has been shot in the back leg. Most likely a poacher’s piece of work.

The last buck

Oscars knows the whereabouts of another big buck, supposedly a silver medal, which he proposes that we go look for. Before sunset, we have moved into position on the edge of the big buck’s area. One kilometer away, the forest begins, while the field in front of the forest is used for harvesting hay. Everywhere on the ground there are small areas with low trees and dense bushes.

Jens begins to call from a small hilltop, overlooking the pasture. First quietly, but, as time passes, with increasing intensity. It's almost dark as a buck breaks out of the bushes. The hunter reacts promptly, but quickly recognizes that it is not the big buck. It is a nice buck though, a good six pointer, but not the one we are after. However, the situation is perfect, as the hunter succeeds in calling it even closer. In the last minutes of the three-day hunt, he chooses to take the buck that will be the sixth and last of this in many ways amazing trip.