European Big Game Hunting

LINK

Looks like these guys operate all over the country

Honestly didn’t know there was such a thing as big game hunting in Europe

A buddy of mine did the same thing. Took the family to Italy last year, did a week or so there, then he went to Croatia and went bear hunting.

He said the hunting was great in some beautiful country but the accommodations were downright awful. He said he would have rather slept outside on a blanket than inside the Soviet era hell hole they had him in.

Here is where the story gets interesting: On the last sit of the last day of the hunt, he shot a blondish bear over a bait pile. It was bigger and shaggier than a black bear but smaller than a grizzly. The bear took off and they tracked it with a good blood trail until dark. My buddy had to get back to Italy the next morning to link up with his family and this was the kind of remote place where if he didn't take his scheduled bus to his scheduled flight, he was gonna be stuck for a few more days. The guides said they'd recover the bear, get it caped out and send it to the States with his CITES paperwork. The next morning at the airport, he gets a text from the guide saying they found the bear but it had wandered into an UNCLEARED MINE FIELD from the war in the 80's. They said that they would have to wait until their equivelant of the Corps of Engineers could come in and help guide them in to recover the bear. Took a couple days, but they got the bear and were still able to save the cape. The rug looks great.

Can you imagine getting shot in the shoulder only to run into an uncleared mine field?

That’s a wild story.

I’d keep that rug in my family forever

Start browsing around on Worldwide Trophy Adventures and other sites for starters to get an idea of what you’re looking at. You could get it done in 2-3 days depending what you want.

Chamois, Mouflon, Sika, Red Stag, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer are all over Croatia, Hungary, Czech, Austria, France etc

Do your due diligence and account for all pricing, they charge per size of the animal.

Thank you!

We are going to head to the Dallas Safari Club show in mid July to see what’s available as well

You know, the bear isn't what we'd all consider "pretty". It was a Eurasian Brown Bear, so its really shaggy but not in a uniform way across its coat. You kinda have to look at it the right way to see the appeal. Then again, I guess I haven't seen a grizzly rug up close so maybe they're all like that?

Bears wouldn't be top of my European hunt list. I'd really like to get a Red Stag, Ibex, or Chamois...probably more due to the setting than the critter. If an Ibex fed on the edges of a soybean field, I'm not sure it would have the same appeal for me!

Are there that many bears in Europe? I didn’t realize.

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OB member wiltznucs has hunted all over the world. Perhaps he will see your post and chime in with recommendations.

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Called me out! LOL…

Happy to help…

I’ve done most of my hunts in the Americas and Africa.

Someone mentioned WTA; that’s a great place to start.

As others have mentioned; the typical high end international hunt tends to lure you in with what seems like a low price on a specific species. Then sign you up for a few days to get your trophy. Knowing full well that they are going to tag you out the first day and then it’s bonus time. You, free time, FOMO and a checkbook.

European hunts are awesome. The way they respect the animal is on a different level from the typical American hunt.

I hunted stags in Latvia last Fall. Saw many and had a blast despite not pulling the trigger. We had a target in mind and he never showed himself.

I’d sort of base my decision on proximity. Hit up the nearest quality location to what’s already on your itinerary. You’d be surprised. Trophies are harvested just outside major European cities all the time.

Spain is your answer.