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ČR wins Europe deer-calling title

A colorful competition of hunting skills draws 15,000 spectators

By Ondřej Bouda
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
July 2nd, 2008 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Deer-calling pros from nine European countries took part in the contest using various instruments.
Hluboká nad Vltavou, south Bohemia

The 10th annual European championship in red deer calling took place June 28 in the hunting castle Ohrada near Hluboká nad Vltavou. Michal Franče, a 20-year-old forestry student, beat opponents from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to claim the first place for the Czech Republic.

“I am ecstatic. The competition here was very tough and this is my first big success in competitive deer calling,” he said after his win.
In total, 25 competitors arrived from nine countries for the event, which drew a crowd 15,000 strong. The competition was close, with the first three finalists all obtaining 97 points out of a possible 108. The winner had to be decided in an additional round.
Deer calling is a skill hunters use to simulate the sounds of a buck or doe in order to attract deer with various instruments (such as a seashell, cow horn or plastic tube). Although the practice is thought to have originated in the18th century, the European championship started only 10 years ago. But it has steadily grown in popularity ever since.
In three rounds competitors were asked to imitate different deer calls. This year, they started off with an old buck searching for a herd. “This call has to include a longing for company, while at the same time it has to be deep and rumbling to show that the buck is old,” said Jan Kupka, the Czech judge at the competition.
In the second round, competitors had to imitate a buck with his herd. “This is the most beautiful and melodic discipline there is,” said Kupka. “Obviously, the buck is content and the overtones are very sexual, but at the same time he is constantly herding the does together and warning other bucks not to enter his territory,” explained Kupka. The third round was a victory call after a duel of two bucks.
In the extra round, competitors had to imitate a content buck. “That is possibly the most difficult call of all and not many hunters can do it realistically,” said Kupka.
Judging is a difficult process in which the jury listens for technical details as well as the overall impression of the call.
“Just like we all prefer different types of women, each judge prefers a different type of call. Most of the participants have perfected their technique, but have experienced different calls in the forest that individual judges might not like,” said Kupka. “It would be best if a deer could be among the judges,” he added.
Kupka also explained that the goal of many hunters is not always to kill the game but rather to merge with nature. “We prefer to talk with the herd and get to understand the deer better. Some of the hunters are so good at this that they have managed to talk with each other and realized it only when the game turned out to be one of their colleagues,” he said.
As well as winning the individuals competition, the Czech Republic went on to claim the Nation’s Cup, which is based on the cumulative scores of its participants.
“I think we have more opportunities to listen to the deer in our forests than other nations,” explained Franče, who has been calling deer since childhood. He added that it also helps if one has a deep voice and can make sounds usually associated with a sore throat or worse. “Practicing is not as important. I only spend two hours each week training, but real-life experience counts for a lot,” said Franče. “The largest buck that I ever called was a 14-pointer,” he boasted.
The program accompanying the competition included hunting dog and falconry exhibitions. Another display featured the hunting expeditions of the Schwarzenberg family, and depicted the world’s oldest calling instruments, which were used by the Incas to lure turkeys more than 6,500 years ago.

Ondřej Bouda can be reached at news@praguepost.com


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[19:50 07/07/2008] : What an unpleasant subject for an article!
Margot Winston
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