Hunter's Path XVI

Top left: Enjoying lunch around
the campfire after a dawn start.
Bottom left: The spectacular
landscape of Jämtland made the
long days of walking worth it.
Top: Mattias’ young tracking
dog, Scott.
your guide. The Sámi know the Swedish
wilderness better than anyone, as they traverse
the expansive landscape herding their
reindeer atop motorbikes. So how many
reindeer does Mattias own? “I would never
disclose a figure – that’s like asking me
how much money I have in the bank!” he
quipped before cramming more snus onto
his gums. Hunting is an integral part of his
life. Not only does he make money by guiding
hunters, but hunting also keeps predator
numbers in check. Mattias watches his herd
of reindeer around the clock, but still loses
around half of the calves to predators such as
wolves, lynx, eagles, and of course bear. “Last
year was the worst on record, I lost seventy
percent of my calves,” shrugged the fatherof-five,
adding: “Everything else in life
comes second to my reindeer.” Lars added:
“Hunting is very much part of the culture in
Sweden. Local hunters would think nothing
of strapping a dead moose to the top of their
pick-up and driving through town.”
The next morning we were out the door
at dawn. The sense of anticipation and excitement
was audible, palpable and intense.
The air was bitingly cold so we wrapped
up in layers and loaded up with a heavy
backpack containing rifle and ammo as well
as water and rations for the day. The plan?
To spot and stalk while scouting for sign.
Thankfully bear are a hulking great mass –
with boars weighing up to three hundred
kilograms – so they are relatively easy to
spy even from hundreds of metres away.
We were primarily targeting an old boar, so
anything with cubs was off-limits. So how
do you judge a shooter? “Big boars have a
lot of space between their ears,” explained
Markus. “If there’s a crease down the middle
of his forehead, stop judging and shoot.”
Lars explained that a mature, big boar will
not behave as cautiously as other species –
like fox for instance – so I should have time
to take a well-placed shot. “Believe me, you
don’t want to track a wounded bear in thick
cover. Aim midway up the front shoulder,
which will put the bear down fast. Of course,
if he appears out of nowhere, you may have
to shoot in self-defence.”
At this time of year, autumn, the bears
are fattening up on the raspberries, crowberries,
cloudberries and blueberries which
carpet the forest floor. They enter a stage
called hyperphagia in which they gorge
themselves in advance of hibernation,
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