Dutchtrapper
AH member
Romania reddeer rut
In the beginning of September i was getting nervous.
In 2 weeks i was going to Romania for the redstag rut.
Its every year a gamble wich dates to go, it was still extremly hot for the time of the year, and the rut is more actif if its litlle bit colder.
But i was lucky, after a long hot and dry period in Romania, the weather changed 1 week before i came, it had rained and in the night it was getting colder.
I started my journey on a Suterday and spend one night in Austria, so the next day i didn’t have to drive far, I arrived early at the hotel, and contacted Marius @HUNTROMANIA, that i arrived, he contacted the local guide Cosmin, and we agreed on getting out in the evening.
We went to a dry lake, surrounded by Forrest and swamp.
The wind was bad, but we saw some redstags in the swamp, but only the females came out early, after dark we went back to the hotel.
The next morning we where going to the forrest, where they where active in the morning, we parked the car deep in the woods, and we heard them already roaring.
The plan was made, in complete darkness we went to an high seat, soon we saw a group of reddeer about 500 meters away with our thermal scope.
Slowly it was getting light, and Cosmin started to roaring and it works, the group was getting closer.
The thing was the bushes between us, they where getting closer but we could not see them.
So Cosmin decided to stalk them.
Slowly we moved in there direction, but the wind and the many females where a problem.
Cosmin told me to prepare the shooting stick and rifle, and soon after that they started to cross the forrest road, may females and young ones, but some how they smelled us or they had seen us.
The last one wo gets out of the bushes was the stag, but it was walking fast thrue the cover, no chance to give a shot.
Cosmin his son was on another highseat and had seen some stags, we decided to do some stalking, but the activity was gone and we went back to the hotel.
In the evening the swamp again, the activity started early, we saw some spikes, females and calves, then in good day light a nice stag appeared, accompanied by some females.
I was about 3 mtr from my rifle, and slowly i went to it.
The group was nervous, we had to be careful, I managed to get the rifle on the tripod, and looked through the the rifle scope, the stag was looking to me, it didn’t take long and the started running from us.
Nothing came back and it’s was getting dark.
Back to the hotel.
The next morning back to the forrest, we sit on a highseat, and heard a stag roaring nat far from us.
Cosmin started roaring, and the stag answered.
It was still dark, but with the thermal we could see 2 females getting out of cover, followed by 2 stags, the big stag, chased his competitor away and return to the females.
They didn’t came closer, and it was still to dark, they moved back in cover.
After a while it was getting light, and we heard that the stag moved from us, so we decided to do some stalking.
Within 10 minutes we where on eye contact with the stag , it was moving behind some bushes.
I placed the tripod, and prepared when he was in the open again, that didn’t take long and.
I fired and could see the impact on the deer, it was in the good place.
So after a short run it dropped, pff my body was full with adrenaline.
We took some pictures and loaded the deer.
In the car.
On the day time i did some sleep.
In the afternoon we would go back to the forrest.
A local game keeper has seen a deer coming out the forrest with his females for some days in the evening.
I checked on my phone, it was a big forrest, and we would sit outside in some bushes.
I didn’t think i would get a deer here, but the local game keeper was convinced.
We took position about 60 mtr from where he should get out of the forrest.
Some where not really close by where some people working with a chainsaw, the guides where afraid of a now show.
But then things got quiet, and after a while the local guide give me a signal with his head, some across us was in the forrest, i took my thermal and scout the forrest, maybe 30 mtrs from us was the deer looking at us, pff this was not the plan.
He looked for about 10 minutes to us without moving and then he walked back further into the forest.
I thought my chances where gone.
But Cosmin started roaring, and then he walked stag responded with roaring, this took about 5 minutes and then it became quiet.
After 5 minutes the local guide give me a signal that he heard something 50 east of us, and there the stag came.
After a while it was standing in a good position to shoot, after the shot the deer stands where it was shot, so i give it another shot, it walked a few mtrs and it dropped.
Pff, wha a release that it dropped in the open, when we approached the deer, it was a deer i know, Cosmin had showed pics and some movies of the deer before from trailcams.
We took some pics and headed back to the hotel.
In the hotel i met @Mekaniks the next morning, he was together with Florin, when he came back he already had his first reddeer,
After one more day i met @Chris M also, he came with Marius and another forum guy.
But the next day i would drive home,so it was a short meeting with them.
Thank you Marius and youre team for this wonderful 2026 reddeer rut. “Waidmannsdank”
And now the first deer
In the beginning of September i was getting nervous.
In 2 weeks i was going to Romania for the redstag rut.
Its every year a gamble wich dates to go, it was still extremly hot for the time of the year, and the rut is more actif if its litlle bit colder.
But i was lucky, after a long hot and dry period in Romania, the weather changed 1 week before i came, it had rained and in the night it was getting colder.
I started my journey on a Suterday and spend one night in Austria, so the next day i didn’t have to drive far, I arrived early at the hotel, and contacted Marius @HUNTROMANIA, that i arrived, he contacted the local guide Cosmin, and we agreed on getting out in the evening.
We went to a dry lake, surrounded by Forrest and swamp.
The wind was bad, but we saw some redstags in the swamp, but only the females came out early, after dark we went back to the hotel.
The next morning we where going to the forrest, where they where active in the morning, we parked the car deep in the woods, and we heard them already roaring.
The plan was made, in complete darkness we went to an high seat, soon we saw a group of reddeer about 500 meters away with our thermal scope.
Slowly it was getting light, and Cosmin started to roaring and it works, the group was getting closer.
The thing was the bushes between us, they where getting closer but we could not see them.
So Cosmin decided to stalk them.
Slowly we moved in there direction, but the wind and the many females where a problem.
Cosmin told me to prepare the shooting stick and rifle, and soon after that they started to cross the forrest road, may females and young ones, but some how they smelled us or they had seen us.
The last one wo gets out of the bushes was the stag, but it was walking fast thrue the cover, no chance to give a shot.
Cosmin his son was on another highseat and had seen some stags, we decided to do some stalking, but the activity was gone and we went back to the hotel.
In the evening the swamp again, the activity started early, we saw some spikes, females and calves, then in good day light a nice stag appeared, accompanied by some females.
I was about 3 mtr from my rifle, and slowly i went to it.
The group was nervous, we had to be careful, I managed to get the rifle on the tripod, and looked through the the rifle scope, the stag was looking to me, it didn’t take long and the started running from us.
Nothing came back and it’s was getting dark.
Back to the hotel.
The next morning back to the forrest, we sit on a highseat, and heard a stag roaring nat far from us.
Cosmin started roaring, and the stag answered.
It was still dark, but with the thermal we could see 2 females getting out of cover, followed by 2 stags, the big stag, chased his competitor away and return to the females.
They didn’t came closer, and it was still to dark, they moved back in cover.
After a while it was getting light, and we heard that the stag moved from us, so we decided to do some stalking.
Within 10 minutes we where on eye contact with the stag , it was moving behind some bushes.
I placed the tripod, and prepared when he was in the open again, that didn’t take long and.
I fired and could see the impact on the deer, it was in the good place.
So after a short run it dropped, pff my body was full with adrenaline.
We took some pictures and loaded the deer.
In the car.
On the day time i did some sleep.
In the afternoon we would go back to the forrest.
A local game keeper has seen a deer coming out the forrest with his females for some days in the evening.
I checked on my phone, it was a big forrest, and we would sit outside in some bushes.
I didn’t think i would get a deer here, but the local game keeper was convinced.
We took position about 60 mtr from where he should get out of the forrest.
Some where not really close by where some people working with a chainsaw, the guides where afraid of a now show.
But then things got quiet, and after a while the local guide give me a signal with his head, some across us was in the forrest, i took my thermal and scout the forrest, maybe 30 mtrs from us was the deer looking at us, pff this was not the plan.
He looked for about 10 minutes to us without moving and then he walked back further into the forest.
I thought my chances where gone.
But Cosmin started roaring, and then he walked stag responded with roaring, this took about 5 minutes and then it became quiet.
After 5 minutes the local guide give me a signal that he heard something 50 east of us, and there the stag came.
After a while it was standing in a good position to shoot, after the shot the deer stands where it was shot, so i give it another shot, it walked a few mtrs and it dropped.
Pff, wha a release that it dropped in the open, when we approached the deer, it was a deer i know, Cosmin had showed pics and some movies of the deer before from trailcams.
We took some pics and headed back to the hotel.
In the hotel i met @Mekaniks the next morning, he was together with Florin, when he came back he already had his first reddeer,
After one more day i met @Chris M also, he came with Marius and another forum guy.
But the next day i would drive home,so it was a short meeting with them.
Thank you Marius and youre team for this wonderful 2026 reddeer rut. “Waidmannsdank”
And now the first deer
Last edited by a moderator:
Those stags are truly beautiful. It was great to meet you and I hope we share a camp again someday in the future, Waidmannsheil
