A hunting story by Norbert

After my unforgettable Weidmannsheil with “Diana Jagdreisen” in the hunting destination Poland in September 2023 with a mature red stag, I decided to inquire with the same hunting tour operator about hunting a mouflon ram. After detailed consultations, travel recommendations, and game harvesting criteria, we reached an agreement again, and the date was set.

Arrival and Accommodation
On October 20, 2025, from 5:00 a.m., the drive took me from my hometown of Lupendorf (MSE) Mecklenburg to Srebrna Gora (Sudetenland), Poland, 581 km away. Already about 20 km before the destination, I could see the long-stretching mountain silhouette of the Owl Mountains with its autumn colors after a long flatland drive.

In Srebrna Gora, the road climbed steeply. At the guesthouse, I was greeted warmly and was provided a clean, practical room for five days. Before meeting the interpreter and my hunting guide Andrey at 2:15 p.m., I was able to have lunch.

First Hunting Drive
After discussing and completing all formalities, Andrey picked me up at 3:45 p.m. for the first hunting drive. Less than 2 km from the guesthouse, we were in the forest area of the Jugow Forestry Directorate, which manages an area of over 4,000 ha, including 1,000 ha of meadows and fields with breaks, hedgerows, and similar features.

His “Toyota Hilux,” as he revealed, his third vehicle of the same brand, had always reliably taken him everywhere without failure. I noticed this during the daily hunting drives, from the main roads in top condition – partly new – to the “side tracks” and paths he probably only uses alone. I would never attempt these with my VW Alltrack.

Throughout the hunting week, we always saw red deer and roe deer. Mouflon were first sighted on the second hunting drive on October 21.

The Mouflon Hunt
From 6:30 a.m., I was picked up every morning. That morning we drove uphill into the forest again. On a meadow at about 8:20 a.m., one young mouflon ram and three sheep. My hunting guide said:

“Watch carefully now. If a sheep is there, just look once and it’s gone… If ram alone… look, look, look.”
And so it happened: after stopping the vehicle, the scene was empty! His confirmed hunting experience with mouflon during the rut at this time of year would prove true later in the afternoon.

Andrey picked me up again at 3:00 p.m. from the guesthouse; I had had lunch before. We drove uphill again, where the tall, sparse beech forests transitioned through beech-spruce/fir mixed forests into pure spruce stands at the highest elevations (1,000 m above sea level), always on the “track ruts,” uphill and downhill.

The landscape here at this autumn time, daily sunshine at 14°C – a picture for painters and for those who can still see and understand nature. In the age of smartphones, laptops, and computers, many people no longer know what oak, beech, willow, stag, roe deer, and hare are – simply sad! I enjoyed these “colorful” autumn views – now is the time!!!

Suddenly, Andrey, driving uphill through the beech forest while I looked downhill, said:

“There stand mouflon, is old, can shoot.”
It was 4:10 p.m.! My eyes immediately to the left, glass up, yes, there stands a mouflon ram at about 110 m, slightly angled in front of us, looking at us. I thought: “This will never work before I get out of the Hilux…”

In a split second, getting out, loading the weapon, and aiming at the mouflon, I remembered Andrey’s words:

“If mouflon alone… look, look, look…”
And already the 30.06 Geco round flew from the barrel of the Blaser R8. As he stood angled, I aimed left in front of the shoulder.

The mouflon ran clearly, three bounds to the right, and the ram lay at the end of his trail.

Weidmannsheil

Andrey:

“Good shot, good hunter, mature mouflon dead, Weidmannsheil, Norbert, now calm, first we go to the mouflon, look and take photos!”
Arriving at the carcass, yes, the bullet hit exactly as aimed: entrance left in front of the shoulder, exit right behind the shoulder; the short flight path clearly indicated bright lung blood.

As I walked uphill to the Weidmannsheil, I cut two beech branches and laid the claim branch; Andrey gave the “last bite” in the forage. He also had a beech branch, placed it on his hat, and handed it to me with a sincerely meant:

“Weidmannsheil, Norbert, a mature mouflon!”
Tradition is maintained here!!

Of course, a small photo session followed, both by me and Andrey. When I asked, though I had never handled mouflon before, if I could, he said:

“No, no, that’s my job, you already shot!”

Further Hunting Experiences
After the work was done, the mouflon on his Hilux bed, we drove slowly downhill through the beech high forest. Andrey always had a smile:

“You shot a mature mouflon, good, good.”
After dinner, I could toast my Weidmannsheil with two Tyskie Pilsners. The next morning, at 6:30 a.m., Andrey picked me up again to go into the hunting ground. I had achieved my hunting goal, a mouflon ram, but still had four head of big game (red, roe, mouflon, or wild boar) free.

We drove uphill again from the beech high forest through mixed spruce/fir forest to the conifer plantations. “We are now about 1,000 m above sea level,” said Andrey. But heavy fog reduced visibility, so we went downhill again. We also saw small red deer herds, but they didn’t linger as long as the ram.

After returning to the guesthouse from the morning tour, Andrey suggested:

“If you want, we go a bit later into the hunting ground tonight to look for wild boar, I’ll come at 8 p.m.!”
Punctually, Andrey picked me up. I was able to shoot a yearling at about 60 m. Andrey handled all formalities correctly, including African swine fever and trichina tests.

The morning after the last hunting tour, the final discussion took place with Andrey, the interpreter, and the head forester. My mouflon received a gold medal and certificate, and we said goodbye with great respect and joy for the hunt experienced.

I then returned home with the trophy of an 8-year-old, mature mouflon ram, including a gold medal and unforgettable hunting and nature experiences.