Waiting course: a hunter hid in the taiga for a week after meeting a bear
Due to bad weather in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, rescuers reached the place of Vitaly Elfimov's death only on November 5, a week after the predator attack. The partner of the deceased, Yuri, who went to the taiga with Elfimov, took refuge in a hunting hut and waited for help for almost a week. As a result, he was able to leave the taiga on his own and point out to the investigators the place of his comrade's death. How events unfolded and why the hunters were in danger — in the material of Izvestia.
How did the rescue operation go?
The search party was able to get to the scene of the tragedy only on the afternoon of November 5: before that, snowfall covered the taiga. For almost a week, the victim's partner, Yuri, waited for help: after the attack of the beast, he hid in a hunting hut with a small supply of food and ammunition. However, a day before the arrival of rescuers, he managed to get out of the taiga on his own and go to the nearest village, Izvestia found out. And already on November 5, he showed the place of his comrade's death.
According to the editorial office, at first the body was planned to be carried out of the taiga in his arms, but this was prevented by a river with a fast current. Then the rescuers cut down two dry trees and built a ferry out of them. The police moved across it to the other side, who examined the scene in about an hour. After that, the body was carried across the river on a stretcher.
Vitaly Elfimov became the ninth resident of the Krasnoyarsk Territory to die after being attacked by a bear. The TFR department for the region and the Republic of Khakassia informed Izvestia that the circumstances of the incident would be checked as part of a previously initiated criminal case on negligence.
What happened in the taiga
Experienced hunter Vitaly Elfimov and his partner Yuri, who was just starting to master fishing, went to the taiga at the end of October. According to the Izvestia source, they were hunting fur-bearing animals about 160 km from the village of Cheremshanka. Local residents emphasize that the men did not get bears.
Alexander Sebov, head of the South Siberian search and rescue squad of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, told Izvestia that the hunters were going to spend only a couple of days in the taiga to check and load the traps.
"They took with them a supply of food for literally a day, as they expected to finish their work in two days and return to the winter quarters (where the hunting hut is located — Ed.)," he explained.
During the fishing, the partners split up. Elfimov and his dog went to check one of the hunting huts — such shelters in the taiga are used for living during fishing. A few hours later, the dog returned alone. Then Yuri went to look for a friend.
"I realized something was wrong. He took two extra cartridges out of his pocket, and two were loaded. I turned on the flashlight to the fullest. I can clearly see the silhouette of a bear sitting on a pile," Yuri told the staff of the Investigative Committee.
The hunter took aim and shot at the predator. The bear died. Nearby, Yuri saw the body of his partner and dragged him to the hut. Then he contacted his relatives by satellite phone and informed them about the incident. He explained that he could not get out of the taiga on his own, and decided to wait for help in hiding. He had some ammunition and food left with him.
A few hours later, two colleagues who were nearby came to Yuri. They brought water and food, and also stayed in the hut. Several agencies assured Izvestia that the three men had no shortage of food and water. During the week, Yuri contacted his sister's husband twice a day and informed him how he and his comrades were feeling. As soon as the weather allowed, he got out of the forest by himself.
Why bear encounters are dangerous in the fall
Commercial hunting usually begins in winter in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Mikhail Kretschmar, a hunting expert and editor-in-chief of the Russian Hunting Magazine, told Izvestia. In the south of the region, bears enter their dens in late October and early November, but individuals can still roam the taiga at this time.
As previously reported by Izvestia, the number of brown bears in Russia continues to grow: now it stands at 307.9 thousand individuals. Predators are increasingly being spotted near populated areas, which poses a threat to residents. The authorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory are trying to encourage hunting for them: in September, the region introduced a reward of 36.5 thousand rubles for a captured bear. This was announced by the chairman of the government of the region Alexey Medvedev. According to him, hunters use only about 15% of the allocated production limits, so the authorities decided to encourage amateur and sports hunting.
However, bears are not in demand among hunters, Andrei Sitsko, acting president of the Russian Hunting and Fishing Union, told Izvestia. In his opinion, the extraction of these animals should be made more accessible. Currently, a permit is required for shooting in the forest, and weapons cannot be used in populated areas even if the animal threatens people.
According to Mikhail Kretschmar, the first three to four weeks of the hunting season are considered the most dangerous due to the activity of bears. In addition, there are difficult conditions for movement in the forest right now: snow has already fallen, but ice and water patches remain under it.
At the same time, the expert believes that Yuri, who remained in the taiga, had a good chance of surviving even with a small supply of ammunition. Hunting huts, as a rule, are located near water, so you can replenish its reserves without long trips through the forest.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
