Boar Hunting in Georgia

As we speed through the deserted roads of Tbilisi, we passed a flask of cognac around the car for a ceremonial pull. At 7:30 AM on a Saturday, these five guys all looked refreshed and well rested. What a rare sight to behold.

At this hour, it would not be uncommon for any of us to be at Machakhela, finishing up some late night khinkali, after a night at DIVE bar. Instead, we were in a car, burdened with more guns than an ISIS Hilux on its way to battle.

That said, as we all know, the standard Georgian can handle a hangover better than most. So I shouldn’t speculate on the number of libations my fellow passengers had imbibed the night before, or I.

Then again, from harsh life experience, I knew there was nothing worse than trudging through the forest with a splitting headache and I wasn’t going to spend my very first Georgian hunting expedition wishing I was still in bed. So, like a responsible adult, I had gone to sleep before midnight, excited for next day’s adventure.

Let me start with results of the hunt.

Me: zero

The hunt: one boar

The fun: total.

So how does the hunt work, you ask? After wine hour (aka breakfast), we pile back into our vehicles and caravan from the lodge to hunting location. While en route, the guides have gone to pick up the dogs and then go to another location a couple of kilometers away from where we’ll be hunting. Once the hunters arrive at the designated spot, everyone forms a single file line, and, under orders from a guide, begin dropping off one by one. Some people are by a tree, some in a thicket of bushes, some literally up a tree. The dozen hunters end up forming a wobbling semi-circle, each hunter being approximately 100 meters from the next. After about 45 minutes go by, you start to hear the dogs bawl. They’re on something. You sit perfectly still, hoping the pushers (pushers are the men who “push ” the dogs towards the hunters, thus forcing whatever animal is between the dogs and the hunters, towards the hunters) will encourage an animal in your direction. After about 5 hours, a guide walks through, sends us back to the vehicles and leads us to another location where the same process is repeated. bitcoin casino

Hunting in Georgia is not like back home (Texas, in case you’re interested). Then again, nothing is like it is back home, so why should I expect anything different? For instance, prior to your typical morning hunt in Texas, coffee would most certainly be served. Here, you get coffee, and WINE!

But, in a way, that’s satisfying. Its visceral, real, and gets to the point.

And hey, we got a boar!

Robert Cooper

Men gather at the first hunting location. They're getting in their last cigarettes and bits of conversation before entering the woods, where they must be completely silent

Injured but eager for the next drive, the dogs tend to each other's wounds and await their next call to duty

The men stand by to admire the kill and pose for pictures