Hunting traditions. Hunting traditions Russian hunting traditions

Hunting in Russia has an old tradition in terms of indigenous people, while the original features of state and princely economy were farming and cattle-breeding. There was hunting for food as well as sport.

The word 'hunting' first appeared in the common Russian language at the end of the 15th century. Before that the word 'catchings' existed to designate the hunting business in general. The hunting grounds were called in turn lovishcha. In the 15th-16th centuries, foreign ambassadors were frequently invited to hunts; they also received some of the prey afterwards. So did Feodor I in particular, once sending out nine elks, one bear and a black-and-brown fox.

The right of using the hunting grounds in Russia was once granted to every social class. The right of the nobility was even sometimes limited by agreements with others regarding hunting grounds. The hawkers and separate persons who dealt with hounds, beavers, black grouses, hares, etc. were permitted either on the landed properties, or on territories specified by local people. Though the Russian Orthodox clergy once disapproved the hunting, these persons were authorized to eat and feed their horses, hounds and falcons on others ’account or even demand participation in hunting. The Russian imperial hunts evolved from hunting traditions of early Russian rulers (Grand Princes and Tsars), under the influence of hunting customs of European royal courts. The imperial hunts were organized mainly in Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo and Gatchina.

If in society (state) the laws, rules, norms, traditions and customs of hunting are not observed, then the natural balance is disturbed, as a result of which hunting becomes obsolete. Therefore, modern hunting is unthinkable without a high general culture and ethics.

A man with a gun - a hunter - has a special relationship with nature, he is obliged to treat her with respect, to fulfill his duties conscientiously. Their implementation depends on the education, literacy, honor, dignity, special knowledge, culture and ethics of the hunter.

Hunting ethics - certain norms of behavior and relationships of hunters. It includes the entire unwritten code of conduct. We can say that these are rules of behavior that have become the inner conviction of the hunter and are followed not out of fear of punishment, but by conscience: the hunter, as a rule, does not have spectators who would applaud his good deeds or condemn bad ones.

Hunting traditions and customs are an integral part of hunting ethics; to a greater extent by its form, but it fosters discipline, honesty, friendliness, caution when shooting in the hunter. In a collective hunt, this is decency and modesty, calmness, prudence and self-control.

The hunter must restrain his passion for killing animals. Our distant ancestors hunted only to satisfy vital needs and they obviously did not feel the passion to kill as such. Centuries later, armed with firearms, man imagines himself the master of nature, and whole mountains of killed animals marked his hunting trails.

A cultured hunter will never appropriate someone else's prey, leaving a hunting hut, leaving a supply of firewood and food there, helping an animal in trouble during a natural disaster. A real hunter will not shoot at sitting or floating game, will not allow aimless shooting at a flock of birds or at a hare while lying down, as well as at escaping black grouse and partridges, will not shoot at a stark who pretends to be wounded. Compliance with these traditional restrictions is very important, as is compliance with legal regulations.

The morale of the hunter is fully revealed on the hunt. Observance of hunting traditions fosters discipline and a desire for order in hunters. For example, the correct use of a hunting horn teaches you to execute commands and signals, maintains order and the correct organization of a collective hunt. With the help of the horn, they announce the beginning of the hunt, the round-up, the gathering and the end of the hunt.

In addition to horns, hunters in Slovakia use large forest horns during large hunting, which trumpeters carry suspended from their left shoulder. In Estonia, if an animal is caught, hunters celebrate it. The hat of the hunter who made an accurate shot, as well as the carcass of the caught game, are decorated with a spruce branch.

In Slovakia, if a hunter hunted a game individually, he makes himself a fragment (twig) of a coniferous or deciduous tree and, as a symbol, attaches it to the ribbon of his hat, having previously dipped the twig in the animal's blood. If there is an accompanying person, then he will wet the twig in the blood of the caught game and give the arrow, placing it on top of the hunting hat, which he holds in his left hand.

The twigs are worn on the left side of the hat for only one day, before sunset. The same fragment (twig), but of a larger size, is placed on the hunted game, both in the forest and on the platform. The twig is placed between the teeth of the shot ungulate animal, and the bird of the game is placed in the beak as a symbolic “last injury”. The fragment is also inserted into the mortal wound of the hoofed animal.

Special mention should be made of the clothes of the hunter. Untidiness in clothing leads to sloppiness in behavior. A hunter looks bad in a torn quilted jacket or in a leather jacket rustling and restricting movement. It becomes a good tradition when the majority of hunters wear special (uniform for all) clothing, comfortable and seasonally masked (the Baltic countries, Finland). In many countries, hunter societies have a form that reflects national characteristics. Wearing this uniform while hunting creates a festive atmosphere and increases discipline.

Traditional rituals, customs, forms of hunting organization make it interesting and more emotional. So, in many countries (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, etc.), immediately after the signal "the end of the hunt", the prey is laid out. The shot animals are taken or carried to a certain place and laid out on the ground in a square bordered with needles or other greenery. The game is laid in even rows on the right side, with its heads in the direction of the place where the huntsman and arrows are standing. It is laid out in accordance with the value - first of all, large game (elk, deer, wild boar, roe deer), then fur and feathered. Every tenth individual is pushed out of the row slightly forward. This makes it easy to calculate the production. It is a sin to step over an animal in the layout, it means to commit an act unworthy of a hunter.

After the signal "formation", the hunters (arrows) face the layout, and behind the last row - the huntsmen and beaters. The signal "attention" is given, the assistants light bonfires in the four corners of the display. All the participants at this time stand at attention and with their heads bared - this is the last honor to the captured animals and gratitude to the hunters.

After the end of this traditional ritual, the hunters organize the so-called "last circle" in a suitable room or outdoors, where they talk, remembering the whole process of hunting, once again congratulate the distinguished shooters, rest and have a snack. Well, this is already like ours! I am talking about this, knowing the essence of the matter on personal participation in hunting in Finland and Poland.

What else do we observe from the old traditions of Russian hunting? In my opinion, apart from the aforementioned "final part" - nothing. Moreover, many hunters and the beginning of the hunt, and the end "celebrate" in the same way - drunkenness, accompanied by obscenities, and sometimes quarrels. And this turns into the most disgusting "tradition".

Another, no less dangerous "tradition" of hunters is indiscriminate shooting at bottles and hats; shooting at exorbitant distances at flocks of birds flying at a height of 200 meters, shooting just like that (fireworks) into the air at the opening and closing of the hunt, when the “hunters”, showing off their new foreign semiautomatic devices and self-loading carbines, “fire into the white light, as in a pretty penny. "

Of course, elementary safety standards are not followed in such an environment; the number of killed and wounded hunters in Russia does not decrease every year.

To tell the truth, I do not see in the near future the establishment of any order in this matter, as well as in the entire social life of our country, where all moral foundations are trampled down and the spirit of cheating, money-grubbing and inequality prevails and, most importantly, conscience and truth everywhere. became outcasts, and lies, deceit, brute force - everyday phenomena with which no one fights.

In general, we both live and hunt.

Speaking about hunting traditions in general, it should be noted right away that a hunter in most cases is not a barbarian who kills defenseless animals just for pleasure. Most often, a hunter is a kind-hearted person who truly loves nature and knows how to enjoy every moment spent on the hunt. After all, hunting for him is just an excuse that he uses in order to escape from everyday life, following the oldest instinct on the planet - hunting. Hunters not only know how to love nature, but also take care of it and competently dispose of its gifts.

Throughout its history, humanity has been defending its right to exist fighting the elements, wild animals and, of course, hunger. In fact, we can say that thanks to hunting, people now exist on earth, including those who act as ardent opponents of hunting. Since hunting was actually the basis of existence at the initial stage of human society, it is logical that, like any other work, hunting and necessity grew into a need. For generations, the culture and ethics of hunting have been formed, which by their nature are humane, since they appeared in the name of continuing life, and not stopping it.

Hunting culture should be established from an early age. A young hunter must be worthy of the heritage of his ancestors, honor and honor the laws and covenants established for centuries.

First of all, the hunt must be “correct”. Immediately, we note that this term implies something more than a simple adherence to certain restrictions. Let's take a closer look at the traditions of correct hunting using examples.

Before a beginner hunter undertakes, he must master the knowledge of hunting and nature in general. Otherwise, his hunt will be "wrong." In fact, his success in his hunt will either be entirely dependent on chance or the work of the gamekeepers, from finding the beast to hunting it. Each hunt of such a would-be hunter will be held under the motto "Maybe you're lucky" and will be accompanied by nervousness, unwillingness to meet the beast, shooting for good luck, an indispensable attribute of which will be wounded animals and prohibited prey in the form of pregnant animals. As a rule, the trophies obtained by such "lucky" hunters do not bring them satisfaction, because deep down they understand that this is not their merit, but the will of chance.

"Correct" hunting is another matter. First of all, it is based both on certain hunting techniques, experience accumulated over many generations, and, of course, personal participation in the organization of hunting. As a rule, the basics of "correct" hunting are comprehended for quite a long time, for several years. The methods of hunting, methods, habits of animals, peculiarities of hunting for each of their species and, of course, future hunting grounds are being studied. "Correct" hunting does not exclude a certain amount of luck, but nevertheless, every skilled hunter should make the main bet on his knowledge and experience.

And although learning all the intricacies of hunting takes a long time, the first thing every beginner should learn is hunting traditions and ethics. Here are the main provisions of the ethics of each hunter:

A trophy cannot be considered random prey. And if, moreover, accidental prey is prohibited, for example, black grouse or wood grouse, which the hunter must hide, then this is a real shame for a self-respecting hunter. That is why hunters have developed a tradition to carry trophies home so that everyone can see them.
Hunters, under any pretext, are prohibited from shooting at seagulls, small animals and birds that cannot represent a trophy. Shooting for fun is a sign of a poor hunter. Also, real hunters have an extremely negative attitude towards "heroes" who boast that they shoot birds of prey - falcons, eagles, owls, etc.
By tradition, the hunter is obliged to take with him all the trophy obtained during the hunt, trying to avoid unnecessary suffering of the wounded animal. The highest indicator of the skill of a hunter, for example, is a shot in which the deer dies even before it collapses to the ground. Real hunting has never been a simple thoughtless extermination of defenseless animals to satisfy the lust for killing.
It is worth noting that experienced hunters value the very process of finding and tracking prey more than killing it. A shot at the game, the deprivation of its life has never been savored in our hunt. No wonder such humanists as L.N.Tolstoy, N.A.Nekrasov, I.S.Turgenev, S.T.Aksakov were fond of her.

Throughout the history of hunting, ethical and legal norms for the conduct of hunting have been formed. As a rule, most of these norms are associated primarily with the moral and practical side of the matter. For example, among taiga hunters, prey is assigned to the one who first took its trail, and even more so, injured the animal. An experienced taiga hunter will not miss his prey in any case. Even if it haunts her for several days. Round-up hunting is another matter. Here, prey is awarded to the one whose shot knocked the beast down.

It's no secret that the task of raising a good hunting dog is extremely difficult, so the etiquette of a good hunter prohibits shooting at an animal pursued by someone's dog. At the same time, even if you kill the game with a shot, it still belongs to the owner of the dog, but he owes you a cartridge as compensation.

This is just a small part of all the unspoken hunting traditions that make up the etiquette of a true hunter, but they can be called fundamental. If you want to become a real hunter, be sure to study the hunting traditions and honor them. You will not only earn the respect of other hunters, but you will also be imbued with the spirit of “right” hunting.

Irina Paltusova

Court hunting in Russia

"... Hunting with justice should be honored as one of the most important human occupations, - wrote I.S. Turgenev. - Russian people from time immemorial loved hunting. This is confirmed by our songs, our legends, all our legends. But where can we hunt, as not with us: it seems that there is where and there is something. Knights of the time of Vladimir shot white swans and gray ducks in protected meadows. Monomakh in his will left us a description of his battles with turs and bears; worthy father of a great son, one of the wisest Russians Tsars, Alexei Mikhailovich, passionately loved hunting. "

The excitement of hunting, a duel with a strong and cunning forest predator, competition with other hunters in dexterity and the number of trophies turned hunting from a trade into entertainment and art.

It was in the third quarter of the 17th century that court hunting became a constant occupation of the Russian tsars. It was a special world with its own ceremonial, designed to demonstrate to subjects and foreign guests the splendor and greatness, authority and power of the government and state.

Foreign ambassadors, merchants and travelers were amazed at the sight of the ceremonial trips of the Russian tsars to hunt. There is a description of one of such trips to the village of Pokrovskoe in 1651, when the Polish-Lithuanian ambassadors were in Moscow. Ahead of the whole procession, an eyewitness recalls, a "bed cart" was moving, accompanied by a bed carriage and three hundred "junior" nobles. They rode in three in a row on argamaks, stallions and horses "in all military harness." They were followed by three hundred horse archers, five in a row, in full dress and with carbines. Five hundred reitar with broadswords and pistols moved behind the archers. Further, forty clockwork horses were led in rich harness with gilded and silver chains and saddles covered with gilded covers and rugs. They were followed by spare carriage horses, and only then the tsar himself rode in an English carriage. The boyars, okolnichy, Duma people, stewards, solicitors and nobles accompanying him followed three people in a row on "good" stallions dressed in a beautiful harness - "rim" bridles and "loose" chains.

For the royal hunt, ceremonial horse decoration was made by the masters of the Konyushenny Prikaz. Several craftsmen took part in its creation: saddlers - made saddles, saddlers - harness; blacksmiths - forged horseshoes and stirrups, silversmiths - silver jewelry.

Russian craftsmen were known as skillful saddlers. They made saddles - archaks with low bows and a pillow fastened to the frame filled with swan's down. Comfortable and lightweight, they were perfect for hunting. The saddle did not adhere completely to the horse's rump, but rested on it only with "lime" - protruding boards, pasted over with embossed birch bark from below. Archak was covered with cherry-colored velvet, the porch and little girls were embroidered with a silver cord. The bows of the saddle were pasted over with "pangolin" - the skin of sturgeon fish or stingray.

For equipping the horse, the "lightest bridle" was used. The concept of "bridle" included several items needed to harness and control a horse. A bridle itself was put on the horse's head - a headband with iron bits and reins, a porch was fastened to the saddle in front - chest harness belts. The horse's face was decorated with a reshma - a curved metal plate with chains, decorated with a chased floral pattern. In the center was placed the image of the Russian coat of arms - a two-headed eagle under a crown.

The masters of the Konyushenny Prikaz turned every detail of the bridle into a unique work of art.

The most important part of the ceremonial horse decoration was made up of blankets. Some of them covered the chest and croup of the horse, others were put under the saddle, and still others pounced on it from above. One horse could have several types of blankets at the same time. They were sewn from various fabrics, decorated with stones and pearls, decorative sewing.

The headdress of the "hatching" horse was complemented by a neck tassel made of silver or silk threads, chased, gilded knee pads and silver "rattling" chains, which emitted a melodic silver ringing at the slightest movement of the horse. The horses were led by the bridle by eminent nobles in ceremonial dress. Traditions of ceremonial hunting existed in the following centuries, but it was the 17th century that brought a purely Russian flavor to this colorful action.

The royal hunt itself - falconry, hound and bear - was distinguished by a variety of ceremonies and obeyed its own rules and traditions.

Falconry has existed in Russia since ancient times. But the period of its heyday was the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the father of Peter I, who was an ardent admirer of falconry. It was a true passion, marked by the stamp of constancy and even inspiration. In the hunt, the tsar found joy and heartfelt consolation.

By order of the tsar, more than two hundred birds of prey were brought to the capital every year: falcons, gyrfalcons, saker falcons, peregrine falcons, coccyx, hawks. White gyrfalcones were at a high price. They were prized for their unusual coloration. The places where the gyrfalcons were caught were guarded, and only professional catchers - "scavengers" who had permission from the sovereign, could get them.

The falcon hunt of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was served by a hundred falconers, who all year round, day and night, were with hunting birds in the palace villages - Kolomenskoye, Sokolniki and Pokrovskoye. Contemporaries left enthusiastic descriptions of the wooden palaces of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye and Izmailovo and his krechaten, in the words of a member of the Danish embassy J. Streis, "very elegantly built of wood", with "very beautiful rooms decorated with wonderful wallpaper and velvet." However, for an outsider, everything that happened on the krechatna was shrouded in deep mystery. So, in 1673, one of the members of the Austrian embassy in vain sought permission to see at least one royal gyrfalcon and to sketch it. Only six months later, such permission was received in the form of a special royal favor. There is only one known case when a foreigner who lived in Moscow was admitted to the tsarist krechatnya. This was a reward for the fact that he was able to cure two king's falcons.

In the 17th century, the Secret Order was engaged in falconry hunting of Russian sovereigns. The head of the falconry - the falconer - was a confidant of the Moscow sovereign. Enrollment in the sovereign's service was a great privilege, it was carried out by oath, the ranks of the royal hunt received food from the royal table, an annual monetary salary and dress.

The ceremony of consecration to the rank of falconer was developed by the tsar himself and is described in detail in the treatise "The Verb Book Officer: A New Code and the Order of the Falconer's Path". The whole ceremony involved a special "preparation", which symbolized the stages of the "red hunt". In the front hut, before the sovereign's arrival, there was a "wild carpet" (gray-blue), on which a pillow filled with wild ducks down was laid. Opposite the pillow were four elegant chairs for four of the best, first-class birds - falcons and gyrfalcons. Between the chairs was laid hay covered with a blanket, where the new entrant was dressed up. Hay and blanket are symbols of a horse: there is no falconer without a bird, but there is no real bird hunting without a horse. All of this is collectively called "place". Both people and birds, arranged in place, should all be in the best dresses and in the "big outfit". The novice himself must stand dressed "in the sovereign's salary" - this is a new cloth caftan with gold and silver stripes, in a "ferzee" and a hat, which must be worn "twisting". This is followed by the procedure for the coming of the king and the greeting of the initial falconers and privates. Then it was time to "declare the pattern and rank." The procedure was opened by "dressing up" the birds. It was not the everyday putting on of the birds' stripes, bells, hoods, but a real sacred rite, full of deep symbolic meaning. It is no coincidence that this action opens with the phrase of a podokolnichego: "Beginners, time alongside and an hour of beauty." The initiate is given a mitt, which he must "lift up quietly and harmoniously." Having put on, "having fixed himself" and crossing himself, he takes a falcon. The "sergeant" demands to do it not just like that, but "wisely", that is, skillfully, and "exemplarily". Further, the podokolnik had to approach the sovereign. Here the "sergeant" demanded to go "deceitfully, quietly, orderly"; it was necessary to stop "alongside" from the tsar "humanely, quietly, carefully, cheerfully", while keeping the bird "honestly (dignified), clearly, dangerous (carefully), harmoniously, correctively (regularly, according to the model), signally (for show) ". The ceremony itself demonstrated beauty, honor and measure to everyone.

The most beautiful of the falconry hunting was considered to be hunting with a gyrfalcon. The attacking gyrfalcon at high speed strongly hits the victim with its claws, quickly gains altitude and, if necessary, repeats the attack - "rate". Well-trained gyrfalcons stubbornly pursued their prey for a distance of 6 versts and made up to 70 bets. The prey of the gyrfalcon were geese, swans, ducks, black grouse, kites, herons, cranes, crows and even eagles.

Saker falcon and peregrine falcon were also favorite hunting birds of the royal hunts. They were able to successfully catch not only game birds, but also hares. Hobby and merlin were used for catching small birds, as well as "ladies" falcons at ceremonial trips. Hawks were considered universal hunters, capable of catching a wide variety of prey. At the royal court, white hawks were especially appreciated.

The tsar hunted with gyrfalcons almost daily, or even twice a day: "after an early meal" or "before and after a table meal", i.e. afternoon. Favorite hunting grounds with falcons were the villages of Pokrovskoye, Izmailovskoye, Semenovskoye, Kolomenskoye, Kuntsevo, Sokolniki, Preobrazhenskoye, Rostokino. Members of the royal family and invited foreign ambassadors took part in the falconry. The ceremony of going out to hunt was notable for its special solemnity. Ahead were hatchery horses, equipped with luxurious saddles and blankets, in precious harness. They were led by the servants of the Konyushenny order. Warriors, carriages, horsemen, hunters, grooms, hundreds of servants of various specialties and, finally, a large baggage train with everything necessary for hunting and a festive feast - slowly moved to the hunting place, where everything was prepared in advance for the royal fun. There were already pitched tents, about which Samuel Collins - an Englishman, a doctor in the service of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich - wrote that he had never seen anything more majestic. The tents of the king himself, the queen, and their children formed a circle, in the center of which a camp church was erected. Ahead of a rifle shot from the tents, guards were posted, not allowing strangers to approach the place of fun.

The invitees admired the wonderful spectacle of bird hunting. At the signal of the king, the loud sounds of hunting horns and small timpani - "tulumbas" - scared ducks and other game from the surface of the lake. Falcons one by one soared into the sky from the falconer's hand, protected by a glove, and fell down like a stone, hitting the prey. Hunters enjoyed the beauty of the falcon's flight, its height and swiftness. The birds of prey were taught to fly to the call. If the falcon was hiding with the prey, the hunters, saddling their horses, rushed in search and found it by the ringing of silver bells suspended from the tail of the bird.

All falconry accessories - weapons (bows and arrows), small drums and "vabila" (devices for summoning birds of prey), woolen colored caftans (usually red) with gold or silver stripes, yellow morocco boots and falconers' mittens - were made in the Kremlin workshops , and the outfits of birds of prey are in the Tsarina's workshop.

After the hunt, the most daring falcon was brought to the king. He admired the fellow and caressed him. Traditionally, the hunt ended with a feast. In his camping tent, the tsar treated all participants in the hunt with vodka, honey, gingerbread, Astrakhan grapes and cherry jam. Drinks were served in silver cups, cups, bros and ladles.

During the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich, hunting acquired a noticeable political significance, as it facilitated the establishment of contacts with neighboring countries. Falcons and gyrfalcons were presented as diplomatic gifts and were socially significant symbols. The exchange of hunting trophies between representatives of the state and political elite of Russia and other countries contributed to the development of good-neighborly relations. These gifts reminded of the services and benefits already performed and expressed the hope of the donors for the same relationship in the future.

The hunting traditions of Alexei Mikhailovich were continued by the Russian Empresses Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II. For Elizaveta Petrovna, hunting with birds of prey was also a strong passion. She started her own falconry in Tsarskoe Selo. During the hunt, the Empress in a man's dress rode on horseback to the Traveling Palace on Pulkovskaya Gora. Therefore, the road leading through the fields to this palace, until recently, retained its old name - "falcon road".

Catherine II preferred hunting with merlin, who were specially trained for this fun. Judging by the entries in the camera-foursier journals, once or twice a week she went for a walk in a carriage - a carriage or one-wheeled carriage - accompanied by falconers and admired the flight of a falcon, striking prey. Sometimes she went hunting on horseback, in a hunting caftan or the uniform of one of the guards regiments.

The last hunts with hunting birds took place during the coronation celebrations of Alexander II. Then, on the occasion of a significant event, golden eagles were brought to Moscow from the Orenburg province to hunt wolves and foxes.

But Peter I, by his own admission, did not like hunting. "This is not my fun," he said. "And without animals I have someone to fight with: outside the fatherland with a daring enemy, but inside to tame my rude and restless subjects." However, in different years he also had to hunt deer, elk, wild boars, and hares. The monarch was obliged to this by a court ceremony.

The transformations of Peter I changed the traditional order of Russian life. An active perception of Western European culture, the formation of a new political elite, a change in the forms of court life, the transfer of the capital to St. Petersburg gradually affected the forms of the imperial hunt and its organization. Imperial hunting in Russia began to develop in the general traditions of European court hunting.

Hunting in both capitals - Moscow and St. Petersburg - came under the control of the new court hunting departments - the Ober-Jägermeister Chancellery and the Court Stables Office. The first, in particular, was responsible for the manufacture of guns for the imperial hunting. They were manufactured at the Sestroretsk and Tula factories, the St. Petersburg Arms Yard and other weapons centers in Russia. New hunting positions have appeared: Jägermeister, Ober-Jägermeister, Ober-Jäger, Yacht Junker, Parfors Jäger and Picker. Numerous staff of foot and horse rangers, musicians, servants of various names were engaged in the "parfors" hunt, which especially attracted the rulers of that time. The tempting feature of this type of hunting was frantic obstacle racing in unknown terrain, which later turned it into a dangerous and exciting sport.

Among the Russian rulers of the 18th century, Peter II was the most passionate admirer of the hound hunting. The emperor, who reigned on the Russian throne at the age of eleven and a half, was distinguished by his early physical development and bodily strength. "He is very tall and large for his age. He has white skin, but he is very tanned while hunting; his facial features are good, but his eyes are heavy, and although the emperor is young and handsome, there is nothing attractive or pleasant about him," she wrote about Peter II Lady Rondo, wife of the British ambassador. Having moved to Moscow for the coronation ceremony, he devoted all his time to hunting fun. "The Tsar does not tolerate the sea or ships, but passionately loves hunting with dogs. There is nowhere to hunt here in St. Petersburg, but in Moscow it is very possible, so no one doubts that having arrived there once, he will hardly return here ..." - the Spanish ambassador reported to his government. Most of the time the tsar spent in his beloved village of Izmailovo, near Moscow, where hunts with dogs were arranged for him.

The most valuable gifts for the emperor were dogs and guns. Knowing about Peter II's addiction to hunting, the Spanish ambassador to the Russian court, Duke de Liria, presented him with a gun made by the famous Spanish master Diego Iskubel. As a token of gratitude, the emperor invited the ambassador to dinner, which at that time was considered a great honor, and presented him with hunting trophies - shot deer and wild boar.

Peter II died in his early youth, when he was not even fifteen. He did not have time to leave a noticeable trace in the political and state history of Russia. But it was precisely during his short reign that the design of the imperial hunt of the 18th century belongs, with a clear predominance of hound hunting over hunting with hunting birds characteristic of it.

For Anna Ioannovna, hunting was also a strong passion. Having become the Russian empress, she arranged everything necessary for hunting in Tsarskoe Selo. Under her, in the parks laid out around the palaces, aviaries, menages, menageries were arranged in which hares, black grouse, deer, wild boars and roe deer were kept. They were looked after by people of the northern peoples specially brought for this - Lapps and Samoyeds, who knew the habits of animals well.

According to the testimony of contemporaries, the empress had a passion for shooting at a target. In all corners of the palace, Anna Ioannovna had loaded guns at hand. At any moment, she could shoot from the windows at flying birds. For this fun, a huge number of birds were kept at the court (nightingales, finches, buntings, bullfinches, canaries, siskins and linnet). By order of the Empress, they were released, shooting began, the rooms were filled with smoke and the smell of gunpowder. The ladies of the court were afraid of shots and crackling, but Anna Ioannovna forced them to follow her example.

Weapons for the imperial hunting were purchased in the best centers of Western Europe. In 1736, on the personal order of Empress Anna Ioannovna, six French guns were ordered personally for her from Paris.

Anna Ioannovna also passionately loved hunting for dogs. In the 18th century, they went on horseback hunting or in special carriages - yacht-wagens. Hunters organized a raid on wild goats, wild boars, deer, elks, hares, and the courtiers, led by the empress, shot and poisoned them with dogs. The newspaper "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" for 1740 informed its readers about the hunting of Empress Anna Ioannovna: "From July 10 to August 26, Her Majesty, for her special pleasure both with a parfors yacht and with her own hand ... she deigned to shoot: 9 deer (with 24, 18 and 14 horns), 16 wild goats, 4 wild boars, 1 wolf, 374 hares, 68 wild ducks and 16 large seabirds. "

After her accession to the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna elevated her favorite pastime in Tsarskoe Selo to the rank of an official state ceremony: foreign ambassadors and guests were invited to hunt. Aleksey Razumovsky was appointed Ober-Jägermeister, who arranged excellent trips. The Empress usually went out in a man's dress. She was surrounded by a magnificent retinue of gentlemen and ladies, dressed extremely luxuriously. In Tsarskoe Selo, in the center of the menagerie, a gathering point was appointed, where richly decorated tents were pitched. The Empress brought to incredible splendor the setting of the trips, the outfits of the hunters and the ritual of the hunt itself. The surviving description of one of them, which took place in the vicinity of Tsarskoe Selo in 1751, gives an idea of how magnificent and magnificent the royal hunts were at that time. In the hunt, - wrote one of the eyewitnesses, - more than 30 noble persons of both sexes, dressed in the same dress, in turquoise Circassians and in scarlet caftans, trimmed with gold and braids, took part. The hunt began at twelve and ended at six in the evening. When Empress Elizabeth arrived at the assembly place, there were already up to seventy gamekeepers in Circassian dress, scarlet cloth caftans and long camisoles with gold braids; they had more than three hundred hounds and greyhounds. The hunt began at the sound of the draft horns. The magnificence of this hunting festival was further enhanced by the participation of richly dressed servants and court lackeys. The riders' horses glittered with precious harness. Upon returning from the hunt, the participants were offered a sumptuous dinner in a magnificent tent. During the feast, music was played. The Empress returned to Petersburg from this holiday only at three o'clock in the morning.

By order of Elizaveta Petrovna in Tsarskoe Selo in the center of the menagerie designed by F.B. Rastrelli, the Monbijou hunting pavilion was built. It was a lovely two-story pavilion with a dome in the center and four side buildings. A light, elegant, bright building enclosed a middle hall with 16 columns. Between the porches and along the cornices, the building was decorated with snow-white alabaster statues, alternating with vases and flower baskets. The roof and dome were surrounded by a wooden balustrade and gilded carvings. The most magnificent decoration was the chambers, hung with paintings that covered all the walls of the hall like trellises.

On December 15, 1748, the manager of the works received a decree from the Empress that the "yacht chamber" (hunting hall) would be decorated with paintings by the German artist Johann Friedrich Groot. The master painted 43 paintings "of every rank and of all kinds of birds and animals", which were hung in the walls of the central hall. Groot also placed picturesque compositions in the dome, sails and plafond. The hunting scenes became part of the magnificent architectural and decorative ensemble and aroused great interest among the guests of the residence.

Groot's decoration of the hunting pavilion was a completely new event for the artistic life of Russia. His paintings were reproduced in engravings and tapestries, he had many students and followers. A series of hunting paintings in the Monbijou pavilion has become a unique phenomenon in the development of the animalistic genre in Russia.

Young Catherine, no less than Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, was fond of hunting, about which she left curious memories. Summer and autumn of 1747, the "small courtyard" spent in Oranienbaum, and Pyotr Fedorovich, as a rule, in other residences apart from his young wife. "As soon as he got there," Ekaterina recalled, "everything became a military man; he spent the whole day with his gentlemen on guard duty or in other military exercises. I resigned myself to my fate: I hunted all day with a gun on my shoulders." Elsewhere in the Notes a more detailed description is given: “This is the way of life that I then led in Oranienbaum. I got up at three in the morning, dressed myself from head to toe in a man’s dress; the old huntsman that I had was already waiting me with guns; on the seashore he had a fishing boat completely ready. We crossed the garden on foot, with a gun on our shoulder, and we sat down - he, me, the pointing dog and the fisherman who carried us - into this boat, and I went to shoot ducks in the reeds bordering the sea on both sides of the Oranienbaum canal, which goes two miles into the sea. "

Over the years, from a direct participant, she turned into an interested spectator of magnificent court hunts. During the years of her reign, the imperial hunt became even more than in the time of Elizabeth Petrovna, to resemble a theatrical festival, which was by no means limited to the actual hunt for the beast. On one of her visits to Moscow, Catherine II visited the equestrian Lev Aleksandrovich Naryshkin in the village of Znamenskoye, near Moscow, on the banks of the Moskva River: during lunch, guns were fired at every toast; a brass band of clarinets and French horns played, and in different parts of the garden the court huntsmen played on hunting horns. After dinner, the empress went out on the porch and admired the hound hunting for deer and hares, on the field beyond the Moskva River. At this time, opposite the house of Naryshkin, the peasants sailed in boats under the flags, and in the grove across the river peasant women danced in round dances with songs. After the walk, Catherine II departed for Moscow with cannon fire and bell ringing.

However, the old forms of royal hunting have not yet been forgotten. Following the traditions of the Moscow sovereigns, in the 18th century empresses often combined hunting with pious trips to Trinity-Sergius and other famous ancient monasteries.

Among the Russian rulers of the 19th century were also passionate hunters. Alexander II and Alexander III turned out to be fans of large animal hunts for bears, elks, bison, Nicholas II was remembered by contemporaries as a lover of gun hunting.

The fact that hunting was an integral part of the leisure of Emperor Alexander II is evidenced by numerous documents - notebooks, camera-furrier journals, memoirs of contemporaries. The passion for this fun awakened in Alexander II very early. According to the testimony of his educator K.K. Merdera, the heir-crown prince, already at the age of ten, had a good command of the technique of rifle shooting. From the age of thirteen, Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich hunted ducks and hares, at fourteen he first took part in a wolf hunt. The Tsarevich's passion for hunting was so great that at times he preferred it over his studies.

This passion of the heir naturally grew into the special hunting seasons of the emperor, which began with the coronation celebrations.

Alexander II.

The imperial hunt was a well-thought-out ritual. In addition to the usual preparations, a detailed plan of action was developed, a list of participants in the hunt was drawn up, and upon its completion - a detailed report on the results of the hunt for each participant and summary data. The choice of the hunting site itself depended on the total amount of game in the area and the specific area for finding and taxing the animal. The program, in addition to the quarters planned for hunting, indicated the patterns of movement of people, the time and place of the parking of the crews, etc. Usually the sovereign, grand dukes, generals of suite, distinguished foreign guests, representatives of the diplomatic corps, grand dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich, Mikhail Nikolaevich, Vladimir Alexandrovich and Duke Georgy Mecklenburg-Strelitsky, the husband of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Mikhailovna, took part in the imperial hunt. Among the foreign guests we find the names of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, Grand Duke Karl of Saxe-Weimar, the passionate hunter and collector of weapons of Prince Karl Frederick Alexander of Prussia, the third son of Frederick Wilhelm III; Prince Augustus (Friedrich Ebenhart) of Württemberg, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Hesse-Kassel, Spanish envoy of the Duke de Osun, German ambassador of Schweinitz, Prussian envoy Prince Reiss, French ambassador Morny, Austrian long-time military agent of the Baron Bechtardonsheim, other high officials.

Before the start of the hunt, breakfast was usually arranged in the forest. According to the recollections of an eyewitness, "early in the morning the kitchen with the maitre d 'and the camera-furrier went to the hunting place; they chose an open place not far from the beast, even in the wilderness of the forest, as far as possible; they would clear some snow, prepare a table, and set up a stove on the sidelines, and breakfast is ready. ”The Emperor comes up to the table, making a gesture with his hand, inviting to breakfast; everyone comes up, surrounds the table and has breakfast standing up; chairs were not supposed to be done. Sovereign ".

The hunt, as a rule, ended with a gala dinner. All the loot was taken to the palace and placed in a certain order. The first row was occupied by trophies obtained by the emperor, then - by other participants in the hunt. By this time, lists of large game hunted were compiled, some of which were transferred to the participants in the hunt, the other - to the ownership of the anatomical museums of the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Arts and universities.

Like every hunter, Alexander II had his favorite types of hunting. He loved hunting deer, foxes, hares, black grouse and woodcock draft, but he was especially attracted by large game hunting for bears, elk, and bison. It was during the reign of Alexander II that bear hunting became fashionable for the highest court. The bear hunt was carried out according to a certain scenario.

As soon as the huntsman's office received news from the peasants about the found bear, it immediately sent an experienced huntsman to the place to watch the beast until the Highest Hunt. By the day of the hunt, peasants-beaters were hired from neighboring villages, who were placed at the disposal of the servants of the imperial hunt. Participants in the hunt were given the numbers of their places where they were supposed to be without changing their location. The huntsmen were armed with hunting knives, spears and hunting rifles, which were loaded with blank charges for a round-up. When the hunt began, the gamekeepers, skillfully, put the lined bear on the sovereign's number.

Bear hunting has always been a great danger. So, during the hunting season of 1872, an accident occurred. The hunt took place in Malaya Vishera. The wounded bear rushed to Alexander II, and only the accuracy of the non-commissioned jagermeister I.V. Ivanov and the quickness of the slingshot saved the life of the emperor. Later, Ivanov was awarded a specially minted gold medal on the Vladimir ribbon with the inscription "Thank you", and the horn was awarded the medal "For Salvation".

For the imperial hunts, there were special grounds with hunting palaces, menageries and a whole staff of court rangers.

Among the numerous royal hunting grounds, Belovezhskaya Pushcha was a particularly valuable reserve. Its territory was inhabited by bison, elk, roe deer, wild boar, hares, wolves, foxes, martens, lynxes, and from birds - wood grouse, black grouse, hazel grouses, snipe, cranes, herons, owls. In the fall of 1860, Alexander II initiated the highest hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The choice of the location was not accidental. The hunt was timed to coincide with important diplomatic negotiations between Russia, Prussia and Austria. Therefore, the highest representatives of the state elite of the German states participated in it together with Alexander II.

On the night of October 5-6, 1860, Alexander II and the Duke of Saxe-Weimar arrived in Bialowieza. There they were already awaited by the princes Karl and Albert of Prussia, August of Württemberg and Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel with their retinue, invited to the hunt. In honor of the distinguished guests, fireworks were arranged, and then all the crowned heads were placed in the emperor's hunting palace.

The hunt began the next morning, but it was preceded by a long and careful preparation. For several days before the start of the hunt, two thousand beaters organized raids on bison, elk, chamois, wild boars, foxes, wolves, badgers, and hares in the reserve and drove them into the menagerie. On its territory, 12 covered galleries were built for hunters - stands, camouflaged with branches. The first standard was intended for Alexander II, the next five - for the Austro-Germanic princes, the rest - for the emperor's retinue. An amphitheater was built for the public at the walls of the menagerie.

At dawn on October 6, all the characters took their places in the covered galleries and amphitheater - according to the table of ranks and their assigned role. At the signal of the emperor, the beaters drove the animals to the rifle line, and after a rifle shot, the foresters lowered the hounds. The hunt, which lasted until four o'clock in the afternoon, was successful: 44 animals were killed, including 16 bison and 4 wild boars, of which 4 bison and one wild boar became the emperor's hunting trophies. In the evening of the same day, Alexander II arranged a dinner in honor of the distinguished guests, accompanied by the orchestra of the Veliky Lutsk Infantry Regiment. On October 7, the hunt lasted until two o'clock: 52 animals were killed, 6 bison became the prey of the emperor.

Alexander II was satisfied with the organization and results of the hunt, which cost the treasury 18 thousand silver rubles. Local officials of the administration of state property were presented to the emperor and awarded with diamond rings, some of the rangers - gold watches, peasants were given cash prizes.

The skins of animals killed by the princes were transferred to their property. Several bison, shot while hunting, became exhibits at university museums (in particular, the Museum of the University of Freiburg in the Grand Duchy of Baden).

In memory of the hunt, Alexander II and Prince Karl of Prussia exchanged gift cups and all participants in the hunt signed the album of honored guests.

The enthusiasm for large game hunts was passed on to Alexander III. According to the recollections of Count Sergei Dmitrievich Sheremetev, an informed man, close and devoted to the emperor, "the sovereign was a hunter in his soul and a good shooter." Alexander III's favorite hunting grounds were the outskirts of Gatchina, which he chose as his permanent residence. Here the royal family and the Grand Dukes usually accompanying it participated in cheerful picnics in the bosom of nature, in driven hunts or walks in the woods with a gun. In these places they hunted for wolves, deer, fallow deer, foxes, and hares. Of the birds, they often beat black grouse, pheasants, wood grouses, less often ducks.

But the sovereign did not miss an opportunity to hunt for a large animal. "... Their Majesties intend to go on a bear hunt next week on Wednesday," said Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich to the head of the imperial hunt GA Chertkov. participation of two or three more ladies. It would be quite enough if you ordered eight numbers to be prepared. I insist on breakfast in the forest: in the old days it was always so; there is a lot of time to arrange and clear a suitable place. "

Two weeks later, Alexander III himself reported to Chertkov: “The bear hunt can be arranged on Thursday, March 18. Invite: 1. V.K. Vladimir Al., 2. Alexei Alek., 3. Mikhail Nikolaevich, 4. Gr. Vorontsov , 5. Richter, 6. VA Sheremetev, 7. Prince VA Baryatinsky, 8. NG Girsha. The train was ordered at 10 am ".

Among the participants in the hunt were foreign guests, whose appearance at such events was not always dictated only by hunting preferences. In a letter to Chertkov, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich wrote: “I suggested that the Duke of Edinburgh go hunting on Tuesday night after our ball, along the Warsaw road to Bilak station. I really wanted both bears to be killed by my beau-frere. I hope that there will still be enough time for the necessary orders. "

About the last hunting season of Alexander III in Bialowieza in 1894, interesting memories of the Grodno head of post and telegraph N.K. Field:

"At eight o'clock in the morning, the hunters usually went into the forest; they went to the place of hunting in carriages; it was interesting to see this departure. The head of the hunt rode ahead in a pair of chaise, showing the way; behind him the sovereign's carriage, etc. At the same time, the Tsar's kitchen made a special trip to the hunting site in several bulky carriages specially arranged for this. , boxes with dishes and provisions ... At half of the day there was a break in the hunt, and everyone involved in it was invited to breakfast.Two companies of soldiers were called to Bialowieza to carry out a raid; I saw how they, usually early in the morning, went to the hunting place with small flags in their hands, breakfast was being prepared for them, and after breakfast the hunt resumed and lasted until five o'clock, when the hunters returned to the palace and sat down to dinner.

At this time, all the killed game was brought to the palace; she was carried by hired peasant carts. Bison were rarely killed; it was agreed to spare them; but they occasionally appeared in this exhibition, and in the form of huge specimens. The most numerous were goats, deer and especially wild boars. The red deer were very large, with branched antlers. All this game was beautifully laid out on the porch of the palace; each animal had a note of who killed it. When the news came that the royal dinner was over, the hunters lit torches to illuminate the spread out game, and one of them blew something into a huge hunting horn, letting them know that the game show was ready. The emperor, empress, the whole royal family and their retinue came out onto the porch; they approached the game, admired beautiful animals, talked about especially successful shots ... After the departure of the royal family, the senior chef chose what he considered necessary for the royal cuisine; the rest of the game was distributed to those who arrived in Bialowieza to serve the sovereign. "

Along with animal hunts, the canine hunt of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich in the Pershino estate was very popular at the court. Here he created a specialized hunting farm with an extensive staff of servants.

The Grand Duke's hunt was unique in composition, bloodiness of hounds and packs of hounds. She was famous not only in Russia, but also in Europe. It was its own world, with its own rules, traditions and language. The Grand Duke's hunt consisted of two packs of hounds, 45 dogs each, and 10 spare dogs; one flock - crimson color, Russian blood; the other is a nightingale, of mixed blood, bred by the Grand Duke himself. In addition to them, there were 130 greyhounds, 87 horses and 78 employees on his farm. The senior hunter (arriving) was engaged in the training of greyhounds. He also disposed of these dogs during the hunt. The hunt was led by a hunter. The vyzhlyatnik was in charge of hounds, the greyhound was in charge of greyhounds. All had uniforms: the rider and the costumer wore red half-caftans, belted with black belts, hats of a white lamb with a red top, wide trousers and long boots, and the greyhounds had blue half-caftans, the stirrups had half-caftans trimmed with gold galloon and black lamb hats with a blue top. Hunting accessories were a dagger in a scabbard, an arapnik, a signal horn (for greyhounds - a semicircular one, for scavengers - a straight one) and wolf snares, special nets for catching animals or birds.

Correct hound hunting with greyhounds and hounds was carried out only by a complete hunt, consisting of a pack of hounds of 18 - 40 dogs with a driver and two scrubbers and 15-20 packs of greyhounds, 3-4 dogs each, with hunters or greyhounds. Usually, from 25 to 28 packs left with guests in the field. As a rule, they hunted near Pershin at any time, and in the fall they moved to distant places, the so-called departing fields. The essence of hunting with greyhounds and hounds was that those who arrived directed the hounds on the trail of the beast, which they drove out of the forest, swamp or ravine to an open place where the greyhounds were waiting for it. At the right moment, they let the greyhounds down from the leash (a leash on which a couple or several greyhounds are driven), and they chased the hounds and the beast with an intensified gallop until the dogs seized him. When the animal was caught, the hunter, jumping off the horse, "took" it from the dogs. The hare was "chipped off" by stabbing a knife into the chest between the shoulders, "otpazanchivali" and "screwed" into the rear toroks to the saddle by the hind legs. The fox was killed with a blow from the whip of arapnik on the head and was "gripped" by the neck. The wolf was beaten with a knife under the left shoulder blade, or they were taken alive for setting up a cage - persecution by dogs; in this case, he was "chuckled" by squeezing his jaws with a loop.

The main manager of the hunt was Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich: he determined the hunting places, the time of departure, and who and where to occupy which hole. 10-15 people took part in the imperial Pershin hunt: the grand dukes, confidants and guests of the king. The hunt lasted, as a rule, two to three weeks. Hound hunting in winter was carried out with horse beaters and with packs on sleds. Moreover, it was subdivided into three types: "on a trip", when the animal was found on the trail, "by eye" - they tried to see the animal without a trace, and with the help of a bait. Winter hunting usually began with the fact that early in the morning the handlers left for the bait. When they found wolves, they surrounded them. A horseman went to Pershino with a message about the presence of wolves at the bait. Having received this news, the hunters went to the hunting place in 12-15 sledges. The beaters began to drive the wolves, occasionally blowing their horns and directing the beast to the packs that were in the sleigh with the hunters. The hunters tried to let the wolves close to them as close as possible and in time to throw the dogs out of the sledges, which rushed to the beast and hunted him.

In the great princely hunts, great importance was attached to the ritual. The most solemn event of the hunting day was the "drift" - a feast after the hunt. Near the killed animals, the entire hunting team lined up in a semicircle with torches in their hands. When the grand dukes appeared, the huntsmen sounded with fanfare. Then the head of the hunt greeted the distinguished guests, and the gamekeepers again sounded with fanfare, giving peculiar honors to the bison, deer, and elk - in the order of the meaning of game. Music gave a special flavor to the Russian hunt. During the imperial hunt, there was a brass orchestra, and the musicians were among the full-time attendants of the grand ducal hunt.

Nicholas II also loved hunting all his life, considering it a real man's occupation, "refreshing the soul," and tried to use every opportunity to hunt in the Gatchina remise - for hares and pheasants, in Peterhof - for ducks, in Belovezha - for bison and deer, in Mürsteg with the Austrian emperor, on "never seen game". He recorded all hunting episodes in detail in his diary. “It was a wonderful sunny day at 4 ° C. We went together to mass at 10 o'clock. We went to Gatchina. We had breakfast on the way. The raid was in a pheasant near Remiz. I deeply enjoyed the wonderful weather and a spring day. The hunt was very successful - 879 were killed in total. I: 115 - 21 partridges, 91 pheasants, a white hare and 2 rabbits .. "A week later, a similar entry was made in the diary:" ... I went with Misha to the railroad and with the rest of the hunters to Ropsha, where they arrived at about one in the afternoon. The hunt was in the same pheasant and was very successful. Total killed: 489 By me: 96 - 81 pheasants and 14 partridges and white hare. The weather was excellent, calm and warm. We drove the hunting teams. At 6 I returned home very happy with the day. "

Father's enthusiasm was passed on to the Grand Duchesses. On September 21, 1912, Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna reported her participation in this hunt to her aunt, Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, from Spaly. "My dear aunt Ksenia .... It was terribly fun in Bialowieza. Dad and I went hunting. Olga and I. Marie was with Anastasia only twice. I stood twice at Dad's room, once at Prince Golitsyn, Prince Beloselsky and once at Drenteln's. It was terribly good. "

Judging by the entries in the diary, the last time in his life Nicholas II hunted on March 9, 1914 near Ropsha.

This was the end of the court hunt in Russia.

Of course, elementary safety standards are not followed in such an environment; the number of killed and wounded hunters in Russia does not decrease every year.

In general, we both live and hunt.

Hunting traditions. Hunting traditions Russian hunting traditions

The last

You need to know