We are on our way up to Ramundberget in Härjedalen, where we are going
to hunt ptarmigan.
For many, Ramundberget is perhaps most associated with skiing
in the winter or hiking, cycling, and fishing in the summer,
but they also offer hunting packages for ptarmigan hunting to a limited number of groups.
Each season. With a clear management plan based on
sustainable hunting pressure and culling, the bird population is generally good.
Welcome to a new episode of
Jakt är Jakt (Hunting is Hunting). Today we are at Ramundberget.
Fantastic view!
We will be spending two hunting days in the mountains
to hunt ptarmigan, ptarmigan hunting is something completely new to me.
I have never hunted ptarmigan before, so we have a hunting guide with us today.
We have a dog handler and we also have two winners
from the competition we held a while ago who will
join us for these days to hunt ptarmigan.
Who do we have with us?
-My name is Louice. -My name is Lillie, and we have Herman here.
Have you hunted ptarmigan before? Been out on ptarmigan hunts.
I have a pointing bird dog but have never shot a ptarmigan.
So it will be very exciting to hopefully shoot a ptarmigan today.
Exciting, what breed is it?
I have a Hungarian Vizsla, three years old, a young dog.
Quite a new hunter, I got my license last year.
A bit new for you too
even though you have more experience than I do. You always have more to learn.
Have you hunted ptarmigan before? More training without a gun.
Fairly newly licensed hunter.
And I have a bird dog, so I need to shoot for him at some point.
And this is a great opportunity, I think.
This is a fantastic hunting ground and a beautiful day.
Do you know these grounds from before?
I've been here both in summer and winter, hiking and skiing and such.
I recognize it a bit, but now it's
new to think about hunting, so this will be lovely.
Many might wonder what breed it is?
An English setter, actually from Funäsdalen.
He's three years old.
It's a typical bird dog? - Yes, a pointing bird dog.
Exactly. Exciting.
It will be exciting to see if he points!
It'll go well, I think we shouldn't delay this any longer.
Let's get started!
He looks very determined.
Now we’re standing up on the mountain. Indeed.
And now it's time to get going and
what’s good to think about now and how do we proceed?
The most important thing to keep in mind when hunting ptarmigan.
Is that once you’ve fired a shot, you can never take it back.
Safety is our number one priority, so
we always know where our fellow hunters are
and especially the dogs.
In this world, a bird dog is often worth more than
your fellow hunters.
It’s important, safe shots and
always being aware, you can think
that when we come across ptarmigans, they can be as close as
just a few meters away and they might fly up close, or they can fly
far away, so keeping contact with the dog is key.
The dog handlers are a vital part of the team to
handle the situation for you hunters upfront.
I don’t know how fast this dog advances, but for those dogs that have
strong advances, we want the shooters to be ready because things will move quickly.
It will go “smack” and off it goes.
And advance means?
Right when the dogs push the birds up,
so you have to be ready.
Otherwise, it’s all about safe shots
the right-side shooter has a shot angle
to the right, but never over.
-We are always two shooters?
Two shooters at all times.
That's how we'll proceed,
and then just enjoy
the weather.
You won't find a worse day!
It must be so, right? It’s a social hunt, we’ll be walking all the time
I’ll be walking with the group that isn’t in action,
and the two who are up next will go forward with the dog.
Those two will walk in the middle, and the dog handler up front.
Yeah, this will be exciting.
Totally new for me, so much to take in.
You’ll get to experience the most fun hunting there is!
Possibly except hare hunting, because then you don’t have to move and you can eat sausage.
…
Yes, now
we’ve brought him in so he can rest for a bit.
He could run forever, but
we need to save some energy for later.
He sure is having a great time.
You can tell.
Yes, yes, now we are all gathered.
Now we’ve spotted some ptarmigans.
We’ll just wait for the dog who is a bit further away,
then we’ll give it a try!
Now we’re crossing our fingers.
We just reached the higher ground.
And the dog over there missed the ptarmigans.
About ten of them ran off.
Thomas will catch the dog.
He might come with the wrong wind.
He’s coming with the wind now. That could spook them.
So Thomas, catch the dog and we’ll release it from here.
Normally, you move forward
and walk past when you get close to the birds.
When the bird takes off, you usually...
…before that, you break the shotgun.
Don’t take the safety off until the bird takes off.
Let’s walk slowly.
Now he’s moving.
Be ready!
There he is, standing.
Good, good, fighter!
There might be more here.
Well.
It was fun to see the bird, but I wasn’t fast enough to shoot.
Unfortunately.
But hopefully, there will be more chances.
As a new hunter, I wanted to feel completely safe and secure
when I take the shot. But for my first encounter, going up to the dog
that’s pointing at the bird, it’s just about keeping practicing.
Hope for more birds!
Yes, now we can see the dogs working around quite a bit.
Yes, they cover many miles
during the day.
They sure do.
I think we usually say we average
about one and a half to two miles walking.
The dogs are at 4-5 miles.
And now we are going against the wind.
Yes, we’re heading into the wind, and that’s perfect because the dogs search the area
ahead of us very thoroughly, and it’s easier for the dogs.
When we turn around and the wind is at our backs,
the idea is for the dog to run far out,
maybe 500-600 meters, then come back to us.
That way, they really cover the whole area.
It means we don’t have to zigzag and can
walk pretty straight, saving some miles.
Exactly, exactly.
Is there a place where you can sense that…
…the ptarmigans might prefer to sit?
A small hollow or maybe a little hill?
I wish I could answer that.
After 20 years, you’d think I’d know, but I don’t.
It varies…
On a nice day like this, I’d say…
They’ve been grazing in the morning,
and now they’re resting.
It’s pretty fascinating with ptarmigan hunting
in that way. I know they had…
There’s research on it.
They put transmitters on ptarmigans, GPS trackers to see how much
the dogs pass by, and a good dog,
a really good dog passes by about 40-60%
of the ptarmigans, whereas a poor dog may miss 80-90%.
Yes, then…
Then the police came and landed with their helicopter, as I assume you can hear.
Checking everyone’s licenses,
state hunting cards.
Everything was clear for everyone, so now
we can continue.
I see to the left, you can see the head there!
That’s why I yelled “shoot”! -Yes, but it’s good that you keep things moving!
And he's standing up there.
Ready? -Yes.
We’ll let that one go, they were too small.
But good job, congratulations!
Do you want a retrieve?
What did you say? -Do you want a retrieve?
Absolutely!
That went well!
Three of them took off.
One flew to the left, and one…
I don’t know where it went. And one flew…
-He was a bit rough with that small bird. Yes.
…and one flew to the right.
Quite low, but I had control of the dogs. Fun!
Well done!
Congratulations! -Thanks.
Thank you, thank you!
They weren’t adult birds.
Is this a young hen then? -Yes, or a chick.
They had some ptarmigans up now.
Three of them, but no shooting opportunity.
Now things are starting to happen!
Lots of birds, there’s another one!
Move forward, so you’re in front of me.
Move forward. Forward, forward, forward!
It doesn’t matter if we spook them.
Good job, Peak!
That one was yours.
First ptarmigan!
Thank you!
That hit right where it should.
That wraps up today.
It went really well!
What a thrill!
I think my biggest achievement was that I ran.
Goodbye!
What a day!
This was really, really fun.
It’s getting late, and it’s time for dinner.
Tonight, we’ll sleep in the cabin down the hill.
After a full day on the mountain with several exciting situations,
and first ptarmigans for several of us, we’re looking forward to a cozy evening in the Östsjö cabin.
While dinner simmers, we’ll try our luck fishing in the nearby lake,
and even manage to take a very refreshing dip before dinner.
Ending the first ptarmigan hunting day with good company,
great food, and some bubbly in front of the fire feels just perfect.
Day two of the hunt. We arrived at the cabin yesterday.
Everything was in order and in top condition.
A great start to what will be another perfect day on the mountain.
Thomas has arrived, so we’ll go have a chat with him.
And I think he brought another dog today.
New day! And today it’s drizzling a bit.
A little different weather than yesterday.
How does that affect things?
It might affect the birds a bit; they may not
have grazed as much this morning.
But the scenting conditions are great with some moisture.
So it should go well.
We’ll try to go around the Örsan area today,
then try to find a ridge where the birds are sitting.
Exciting.
The dog has taken off! A bit beyond the ridge,
so we’ll release the next dog.
We’re still a bit low in the valley but heading upwards.
No slow pace now!
Good wind, at least!
Wow, they’ve run far off.
Did they fly too far? They flew onto the grounds.
He didn’t catch the scent!
We got to see some birds.
Without counting, but… In total, 15-18 birds.
Yes, as a beginner here hunting ptarmigan,
what would be good to think about?
A good way to start would be to find a hunting trial,
for example, a mountain trial, and try to tag along as a spectator.
That’s what I’d recommend.
And try to join a hunt and then
what’s good to think about as a beginner is to take things step by step,
ask questions if you’re with someone experienced.
And maybe go without a gun at first
just to…
Study how the dog works.
Exactly, to be part of the situation
and see how it’s done, so you have an understanding
before you start shooting, that’s a good tip.
But you should always trust the dog, usually, there’s a bird where the dog is working.
As we’ve seen today,
a few birds flew up, then
another bird flew up a bit later.
It’s a classic mistake to relax
after the first bird flies, then you break the shotgun
and there’s no shell, but one or two more birds fly up.
Let’s keep going!
Move ahead of me.
Now he’s moving.
Remember not to shoot over the dog.
It’s not easy...
We had a great situation.
Yes, the dog did a great job.
Yes, it was great.
Only one bird, but
it flew away.
It got a bit of help from the wind, so we’ll let the dogs sort it out
in case there’s another bird here.
Then we’ll leash the dog,
and move on.
We’ve seen some great bird work again.
Always exciting, and it’s great to see the dogs freeze like that.
Yes, really fun!
Now we’ll head toward the cars,
through a bit of birch forest, about half a kilometer.
That’s all we have left, and well,
Lillie’s dog, Herman, is starting to feel done for the day.
A bit tired from yesterday, so we’ll
slowly but surely head back.
Well, folks! Two days
of hunting, it goes by fast. -Yes, and it’s been fun.
It’s been great having you with us!
We should be thanking you, it’s been fantastic!
I hope you’ve found it rewarding, incredibly rewarding, educational,
fun, and enjoyable. And Lillie, you got to shoot your first ptarmigan.
Yes, I’m speechless.
Wonderful!
And you, one step in the right direction.
Yes, I’ve managed to miss two ptarmigans.
But, well, that’s how it goes.
There’s a lot to think about with the dogs.
Yes, you feel like you’re making progress at least.
Today, it felt good all the way up until the shot.
But then I missed, it happens…
That’s the way it is.
The ptarmigans deserve a chance too.
Absolutely.
It’s been really fun.
Now we only have a few hundred meters left to the cars.
I think the dogs are tired, and my legs
are starting to feel it a bit too.
Waiting for us down there is a three-course dinner and a sauna.
Lovely, that’s not going to hurt.
Everything has been top-notch.
There’s not much to complain about.
Nothing special, nothing at all.
Let’s head toward the cars.
No…
There really isn’t much to complain about.
The incredible environment we’ve been hunting in, the warm welcome
from everyone we’ve met, and not least, getting to shoot my first ptarmigan.
This is a hunt I will remember for a long time and will definitely do again.
Thank you all for watching and last but not least, good hunting to you all.