Pheasants (Tolstoy)
Division into chapters is editorial.
Hunting pheasants with the hobby
In the Caucasus, wild fowls were commonly known as pheasants, and they existed in such abundance that they were actually cheaper than domesticated chickens in the local markets. Hunters employed three distinct methods to capture these birds: using the "hobby," by scaring them up with dogs, and hunting from under dogs.
Wild fowls are called pheasants in the Caucasus. There are so many of them that they are cheaper there than tame chickens.
The hobby method required specific equipment and technique. Hunters constructed a frame over which they stretched canvas, creating a portable blind. In the center of this frame, they installed a crosspiece, and cut a hole through the canvas to serve as a viewing port. This contraption, called a hobby, served as both camouflage and shooting rest.
At dawn, hunters carried the hobby to forest clearings where pheasants typically fed. Through the hole in the canvas, they observed their quarry, which might include entire broods with hens and chicks, pairs of cock and hen, or groups of cocks together. The birds showed no fear of the canvas barrier and allowed hunters to approach closely.
Hunting pheasants by scaring up
The pheasants do not see the man, and they are not afraid of the canvas and let the hunter come close to them.
Once positioned, the hunter set down the hobby, inserted his gun barrel through the opening, and selected whichever bird he preferred for his shot. This method proved highly effective due to the birds' lack of wariness toward the canvas screen.
The scaring up method involved releasing a watchdog into the forest and following its progress. When the dog located a pheasant, it would rush toward the bird, causing it to fly up into a nearby tree. The dog then positioned itself beneath the tree and began barking persistently at the treed pheasant, alerting the hunter to its location.
This chase would have been straightforward if pheasants chose open trees or remained visible, but they invariably selected dense trees within thick undergrowth. When they spotted approaching hunters, the birds concealed themselves among the branches, making detection extremely difficult. Navigating through the thicket to reach the tree proved challenging, and spotting the hidden bird required considerable skill.
The pheasants displayed different behaviors depending on what they observed. While only the dog barked at them, they remained unafraid, sitting calmly on branches, preening their feathers and flapping their wings dismissively at their canine tormentor below.
But the moment it sees a man, it immediately stretches itself out along a bough, so that only an experienced hunter can tell it.
Inexperienced hunters often stood nearby seeing nothing, while seasoned hunters could identify the camouflaged birds. The Cossacks developed a particular technique for approaching pheasants: they pulled their caps down over their faces and avoided looking upward, understanding that pheasants feared human eyes even more than guns.
Hunting pheasants from under dogs
The third method employed setters and required following the dogs into the forest. These trained dogs used their keen sense of smell to locate areas where pheasants had been feeding during the early morning hours. Once they detected the feeding grounds, they began the meticulous process of sorting out the various tracks left by the birds.
Despite the complex web of intersecting trails that pheasants created while feeding, skilled dogs possessed the ability to distinguish and follow the most recent track. This final trail led away from the feeding area toward the location where the birds spent their daytime hours, either sitting or walking about in the grass.
As the dog followed the trail, the scent grew progressively stronger, eventually leading to the pheasant's current location. The tracking process required patience and skill from both dog and hunter, as the birds' movements created intricate patterns that could easily confuse less experienced hunting teams.
When the dog approached the vicinity of the hidden bird, its behavior changed dramatically. Sensing the pheasant's immediate presence, the dog began moving with extreme caution to avoid frightening its quarry. It would pause frequently, remaining alert and ready to spring into action should the bird attempt to escape.
The climax came when the dog drew very close to the concealed pheasant, causing the bird to burst into flight, at which moment the waiting hunter took his shot.