Hunting season in the Grisons: scouting for clues in the Calanca Valley

It’s June 2021 in the Calanca Valley, a southern foothill in the Canton of the Grisons. Claudio, Marc and Marco, a group of hunters from the Grisons, have their hunting lodge here. There’s always something to do. For example, the power generator broke yesterday and had to be replaced at short notice. In the remote side valley of the Misox, the first hunt starts in autumn. During the Grisons Hunt of 2020, 400 deer and 57 roe deer were shot in the Mesolcina-Calanca area. A lot of work awaits the three before the first shot is fired in September.

Grisons Hunt

In the Grisons, hunting is a well-established tradition. This autumn, nearly 5,500 hunters will be roaming the canton. Figures on this can be found on the website of the Office for Hunting and Fishing (article in German) of the Canton of the Grisons. The passion for hunting passes from father to son, from uncle to nephew. There’s not a hunter behind every tree, but there’s one behind every other. They wait for their «piece», game in hunting terms. The main goal of hunting is regulating the game’s population, with a near-natural age and sex structure and species-appropriate distribution. Hunting in autumn, sweating today.

Scouting is the magic word

During the hunt, patience and sitting still in one spot are the main virtues, but to prepare the hunt, more hardened qualities are needed. It’s all about strength, endurance and tracking skills. In the next weeks Claudio, Marc and Marco will install mobile high and ground seats in the area around the hunting lodge. Thanks to their many years of experience, they know roughly where to find the right locations. For example, paths through the forest must sooner or later be crossed by the game. And what looks like a hiking trail to the novice, experienced trackers recognise at a glance as a deer crossing. Wild animals are regularly on the move on such trails.

In addition, the hunters trace the footprints (in hunting language, tracks) that deer, roe deer and chamois make on the forest floor. And they recognise the droppings that the animals leave behind. An experienced hunter reads the forest. And otherwise, the magic word is «scouting». Scout through the terrain and find the best locations for possible hunting lodges. Today’s goal: build two floor seats and scout further terrain. It’s noon when Claudio and Marc set off.

Under the street

One of the locations for a ground seat isn’t far from the hunting lodge. All material must first be hauled there on foot through steep and rough terrain. Claudio and Marc haul sledgehammer, pickaxe, shovel, chain saw, wooden pallets and various boards, as well as round and square timber through the forest. Finally, they reach the place where they will spend the next few hours sawing, screwing and hammering.

Finally, the bottom seat is camouflaged with all sorts of branches and fir brushwood. This is a so-called hunting blind. After all, the whole thing should blend into the landscape. Claudio and Marc have christened the seat «US». Hunters give their positions names that describe the terrain. US here stands for «under the street». Moving on to the next piece of forest. During one of their tours through the area, they found out that many chamois are on the move here. That’s why this seat will be called «Gamsbode», deriving from the German word for chamois (Gämse) and earth (Boden).

Gamsbode

And again hammering, sawing and screwing. Claudio drives square timber into the ground as supporting elements with a sledgehammer. Marc is collecting material for camouflaging such as dead branches. This area seems to be a real wildlife hotspot. At every turn, deer, roe deer and chamois have left their droppings on the path.

The work is progressing rapidly as rain clouds gather and the first rumble of thunder from the approaching thunderstorm can be heard. Time to call it a day and return to the hut. In a hurry, Claudio and Marc pack up their equipment and set off. It’s 6 p.m.

The next morning at 7 o’clock, they come back and finish the previous day’s work. How high should the seat be, how deep the support surface for the rifle? Claudio is just under 1.90 metres tall, Marco, who isn’t with us this weekend, just over 1.70 metres. Again and again, Claudio and Marc discuss the dimensions of the seat and always find a solution. Finally, they equip the finished floor seat with a canvas as a rain cover. The next rainfall won’t harm the hunters at this site.

And again, we’re scouting

The work on the «Gamsbode» is done in no time this morning. So it’s still early and there’s time to explore further terrain. Claudio and Marc want to look at two possible locations for ground and raised seats today. They were particularly taken with a remote high plateau. It’s located about 40 minutes walk from the hut through rough terrain, across a stream and about 100 metres steep up the mountain.

Once at the top, the two are thrilled by the 180-degree panoramic view. The perfect location. But how do they get all the material they need for construction up here on foot? And then how do they reach the seat before daybreak in September without stumbling through the forest and scaring away all the game? Or sliding down the steep slope into the valley on the dewy grass? Questions that will be answered in the coming weeks. More about this in September...