when the GPS display registers movement again. In most types of hunting, it is often best to cool things down, take a break, weigh up the situation and examine the options. Since everything seems to be going wrong now, Daniel decides to sit down and wait a while. Suddenly everything changes. Calm turns into intensity, relaxation into excitement. From the GPS display, Daniel can see that the dog and elk are heading towards them. If they move just a little, to the top of the hill on the edge of the marsh, Jens will surely get a shot.
10-pointer bull They quickly reach the top, where there is a view. Jens sees a grey colossus of an elk bull with a 10-point antler. It runs to the foot of the small hill, and it is broadside on to them. The rifle is immediately cocked, the animal sighted, and the finger crooked. The elk, hit clean on the shoulder blade, doesn’t appear troubled, but turns 90 degrees to the right and runs directly towards Jens and Daniel. Jens puts bullet number two into the enormous animal front-on. There’s no reason to shoot again since both guide and hunter are certain that both bullets have landed where they should. The bull falls seconds later under a young fir tree branch – hard work now awaits. The ProTeam gathers around the felled elk. Despite the hard towing work needed to recover the several hundreds of kilo of heavy beast, everyone sports a smile and a glint in the eyes. The spirits are no less high a little later, when the hunters and guides make camp on a little hilltop amidst the colours of autumn. A fire is lit, and while the water for the coffee heats up, the elk’s heart is cut into thin slices that are fried in a hot skillet. The ProTeam spend the rest of the day jointly transferring and readying the many kilos of valuable meat for further preparation in Swedish country kitchens. When the hunters finally turn in after a busy day, it is with sore muscles but also the anticipation of more thrills to come – they’ll be out again tomorrow!
Bear? The demeanour of the Swedish elk hound shows clearly that he’s ready for the task, ready to track and hold the elk at bay, to ensure that the hunting guide and hunter can take a shot. The woods here in the heart of Jämtland offer up some of Scandinavia’s largest elk bulls, but also a
As the camp fire heats up the coffee, the heart is cut into slices and fried.
very large population of bear. In addition to licences for elk, there are also licences for bear in this area, and if the opportunity arises, the hunter has permission to take one. On this day, Daniel is hunting with Claus Juul. Given the success of the previous day, both are full of optimism when the dog is released. It runs at high speed down the hill, and seconds later vanishes into the dark undergrowth. The GPS tracker shows that it is still moving through the forest at high speed. Daniel immediately decides to follow and sets a quick pace over the trackless terrain. These are minutes that put the hunter’s physical prowess to the test, minutes that soon become hours of endless movement.
Visibility in the undergrowth is never more than 30 metres, and often less than 10. Daniel, however, ups the pace, since the little GPS display shows that the dog has something at bay. It is still many kilometres off. Daniel wants to get closer as quickly as possible, so they run the next kilometre. The ground is uneven. Slopes of blueberry bush give way to rocky ground with pronounced outcrops, and they have to constantly duck under branches or step over fallen moss-clad trunks. Finally, they are close enough for the dog’s baying to reach their ears. Daniel immediately slows down but still heads for the noise. A few metres on
WITH SHARPENED SENSES
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