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FLAGGING: A Russian Classic Wolf Hunt

A bit on history of wolf hunting in Russia

Before 1861, the solution for the wolf problem in most parts of Russia was the borzoi dog […] But Russians came up with a new and very efficient way to hunt wolves. The invention is attributed to professional hunters of the Pskov Governorate. If old books are anything to go by, they brought the art of a driven hunt to near perfection, and one such hunter could push a wolf or fox in an open field within the range of his partner’s crude muzzleloader. They occasionally made an improvised scarecrow made of spare clothes to turn the quarry in the right direction. One thing after another, they realized that a regular line of bits of cloth, smelling of humans and twitching in the wind, appears to a fox or wolf as a danger, nay, an impenetrable barrier. The method that we shall call “flagging” was born.

What is flagging?

Flagging is a way of hunting canine predators by surrounding a bit of cover where they are in by a line of flags.

The greatest part of the impact is the “what’s unknown is dangerous” attitude common to most canine predators. There are mixed reports on flagging’s efficiency on felines; bears and ungulates don’t give a damn. But some wolves in areas not previously hunted with flags were known to stay within the surrounded area for up to a week, not daring to cross the frightful red line. Then, sooner or later, hunger will prove stronger than fear, or some freak accident like a fall of a tree will open a passage through the line. Innocent wolves, who see the flag line for the first time, will spend sometimes hours walking along the flag line, looking for a chance to crawl under or jump over. When they decide to crawl, often they leave yellow marks on the snow when passing under the line.

Wolves are intelligent animals who learn fast. A wolf that dared to break through the flag line once would never be afraid of flags again. In an area which is heavily hunted with flags the flag-immune wolves survive and teach their young not to be afraid of them, so hunting success drops. But after a few seasons without flagging, the “learned” generation is replaced by new, unsophisticated animals, and flags begin to work their magic again.

The right way (1) and the wrong ways (2-4) of laying the flag line. Arrows show where wolves can break the line. From “Wolf”, by A. Sokolov, 1951.

Flagging is a winter hunt. It works best when there’s snow on the ground. Snow cover makes it easier to track the animals and make sure they’re in the right position to be surrounded by the flag line. Flagging is possible without snow, too, but the minimum requirement is that there shouldn’t be any leaves on the trees, and the undergrowth should be down. Otherwise, the flags will be lost in the grass and leaves, and wolves will simply not notice them.