→ Russian Hunt

Russian Hunt

Alfa Horse company gives you a unique possibility to see by your own eyes how the old Russian hunt revives in it’s best traditions.

Hunting had great importance and was widely-spread in old Russia. Quality hunting resources, the skills of the country’s inhabitants, large spaces, diversity of the environments and species of animals contributed much to this.

The rich history of Russian hunting exceeded other countries in it’s forms as well as it’s content and scales.

Hunting with birds, the falconry is considered the most ancient. It reached it’s prime at the reign of Alexis I, in the XVII century. Falconry was not just a sport but a means of maintenance of diplomatic intercourse: falcons were sent as gifts to the rulers of the neighbor lands.

One of the most important pages of Russian history is the development of riding to hounds. It is inseparable from Russian society’s culture, traditions, customs and morals. Riding to hounds in Russia dates back to XV century. It was the entertainment of the elite, of the rich landowners. It emerged in Russia after the taking of Kazan and was adopted from the Tatar local rulers. It developed to it’s top level in the times of serfdom when many landowners kept tens and hundreds of dogs, large scores of horses and numerous servants. The most well-known Pershino hunt involved 250 dogs, 87 horses, 78 serving people, and it’s maintenance costs were around 100 thousand of rubles in prices of the year 1870. This hunt gained in average 1,5 of game animal per dog every year. The loose of fortunes of the landowners and the development of the gun hunting in the middle of the XIX century led riding to hounds to decline.

The history of the gun hunting begins in the XV century. But it could grow in large scales only after the invention of the bird shot and the case-shot in the end of the XV century. This type of hunting evolved in the industrial countries of Western Europe. In Russia bird hunting with guns appeared in the end of the XVII century, and after that the archery declined. In the middle of the XVIII century gun hunting was mostly the occupation of the middle class and the bonded shooters who supplied the Tsar and the nobility with the wild fowl.

Alfa Horse company invites you to the hunt organized by “Barskiye Zabavy” (“Aristocratic Game”) manor. This manor is situated in Ryazan district, 190 km away from Moscow and 10 km away from Konstantinovo village. It’s location is unique: just several km from Poshchupovo monastery famous for it’s curative font basin and sacred spring, Konstantinovo village (the birthplace of Sergey Yesenin), the most ancient settlement of the district – Old Ryazan site, Solotchino cloister.

The revival of the old traditions of correct Russian hunting is one of the goals of the manor; horseback hunting with Borzoi dogs is it’s landmark. There are other types of hunting tours for the choice of a client: for example, gun dog field and upland game hunt, hare hunt with hounds, driven hunt, falconry, pheasant hunt. The adjacent bottomland meadows are inhabited by lots of partidges, quails and daker hens, small lakes are the favorite places of rest of water and moor fowl.

The hunters can train at the special stand with the possibility of regulation of the target’s angle and speed of flight. (Please inform the manager about your wish for stand training while tour reservation).

Please don’t forget your hunting permit, arms license and other documents.