A Hunting Drama: Who Are the Poachers Shooting At?

Royal woodcock hunt exposes tensions over illegal hunting crackdowns

Vladimir Dahl's dictionary defines a poacher as "one who hunts unlawfully on another's land, a thief of game, a thief with a gun..." In essence, a thief who plies his trade in the forest. His psychology is that of a thief—greed, a lack of empathy or compassion, weak legal awareness, and a false sense of impunity. The only difference is that a true thief would never break the thieves' code or dare to commit murder.

A Royal Pastime

I recall how, a few years back around this same time—late April—I found myself with a group of hunters on what's known as a "royal" hunt in the forests near Semenov. The hunt is called royal because it takes place at dusk, targeting the woodcock, a wary and elusive forest wader. Traditionally, it lasted no more than half an hour, and in times gone by, hunters could even take part without leaving their chairs. Bagging a woodcock, a bird both secretive and hard to spot, has always carried more prestige than shooting a duck, goose, or snipe—especially outside its spring hormonal frenzy.

No one promised us chairs, of course. A grizzled gamekeeper in a camouflage padded jacket and tall boots assigned us our positions and ordered us to wait. An hour and a half of waiting only deepened the beauty of the forest. In the rapidly falling twilight, patches of snow still lingered shyly, while in the wide clearings—like reflections of the starry sky—tiny white flowers bloomed, faintly resembling lilies of the valley. Then, in an instant, the silent woods transformed into a music box: as if on cue, the birds began to whistle, chirp, and sing all at once. Just as our eyes adjusted to the dark, the first woodcock flew over the treetops, its loud, croaking call piercing the air. My fellow hunter—decked out in full gear—explained that the male's call was meant to lure a female...

When the flight ended, the men gathered by their vehicles. They sipped scalding coffee from a thermos, ate sandwiches, and awkwardly discussed the "unsuccessful hunt."

To my great relief, not a single bird was shot that evening.

"Well, lads," one of them said, climbing into his Jeep, "we didn't come for the meat, after all..."

Only three men walked out of the forest.

The hunters left no doubt—they had come "for meat." And clearly, they weren't after small game. Stocky, broad-shouldered men stood with legs planted wide, spitting through their teeth and cursing loudly—every inch the lords of the forest. A battered, mud-splattered UAZ jeep sat off to the side on a forest path, while its passengers, rifles already unholstered, were mapping out their hunt when the three locals emerged from the trees.

Two brothers, older and younger, and the younger one's girlfriend had also arrived in a UAZ, all from the village of Krasnaya Sloboda. They had come to let Naida, their young Laika, run free—after a winter spent chained to her kennel.

"Let her stretch her legs while it's still off-season for mushrooms!"

What followed could only be called "Unexpected Guests." The hunters fell silent, glaring at the uninvited witnesses.

"Poachers? Hunting season's over!" the older brother began. The response was a torrent of obscenities—"Mind your own damn business!"—and the confrontation escalated in an instant.

From the criminal case files:

*"The investigation and court established that on May 18, 2025, the defendant, born in 1986 and a resident of the village of Omanovo, was in a forested area of Borovsky Urban District, Nizhny Novgorod Region, near Omanovo. Motivated by personal hostility toward two men and a woman who were intervening in his illegal activities—fearing they would report him to wildlife inspectors—he fired multiple shots in their direction. One victim sustained a gunshot wound to the abdominal wall... The injured party was rushed to the hospital, where emergency medical care saved his life... A forensic medical examination confirmed that the victim suffered grievous bodily harm...

"The accused left the scene during the altercation but then returned," recounts Senior Investigator Maxim Chikishev, a lieutenant of justice with the Investigative Department for the city of Bor under the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Investigative Committee of the Russian Investigative Committee. "The argument turned ugly fast. When the younger brother threatened to call the wildlife inspectors, the shooter raised his rifle—a Taiga model, .308 Winchester caliber—and fired..."

Later, during interrogations, the detainee claimed he had gone into the woods "to sight in his rifle" and that he had shot "at the dog," alleging it had attacked him.

"However, we conducted a series of investigative actions—a field experiment at the crime scene, multiple expert examinations, including ballistics, and even measured the height of the dog," continues Maxim Nikolayevich. "At the scene, we recovered shell casings. The hunter fired three times at the fleeing witnesses..."

"The evidence gathered by the investigator from the Bor City Investigative Division was deemed sufficient by the court to convict the shooter," adds Senior Assistant to the Head of the Investigative Directorate, Justice Lieutenant Colonel Olga Kruglova. "He was found guilty of attempting to murder two or more persons in connection with their performance of a civic duty, as stipulated under the Russian Criminal Code. The investigation lasted three and a half months..."

General Hunting Regulations:

"Hunters must carry a valid hunting license, a permit for the storage and carrying of firearms, and a permit for harvesting game. Starting September 1, 2025, obtaining a hunting license will require passing a mandatory test on essential hunting knowledge. The exam covers wildlife biology, hunting rules, safety measures, permissible hunting methods, and current restrictions. Note: Violations of hunting regulations may result in administrative or criminal liability."

Since April 11, forests have been under a heightened fire safety regime. Before grabbing your rifle and heading out, check the wildfire risk map—if the danger level is 4 or 5, forest visits are prohibited. Decided to ignore the rules and hunt without documents? Expect a fine. And poaching can land you criminal charges. Spot a violator? Don't stay silent—call 8 (831) 433-22-11 or 8 (800) 200-99-25.

"But the worst poacher of all is the one who kills their own conscience!" the young investigator blurted out, slamming shut the case file.