Where to hunt Manchurian Wapiti
Manchurian Wapiti (Cervus canadensis xanthopygus) is a close relative of North American Elk that inhabits mountain ranges on the Asian side of the North Pacific. Adaptation to softer climate and coevolution with such predators as Siberian Tiger and Leopard made Manchurian Wapiti smaller and warier than other Asian subspecies of Wapiti (such as Maral). Manchurian Wapiti hunting today is legal in Russia.
Price distribution
Only a few outfitters offer Manchurian Wapiti hunting. The prices range between $4,500 and $6,000, depending on the location and the duration of the hunt. Considering that travel expenses make a great part of the hunt’s budget, a hunter may consider combining a Manchurian Wapiti hunt with a Manchurian Sika Deer, Siberian Roe Deer, or Amur Brown Bear hunt.
Learn more from our blog story
Siberian Tiger and Leopard, Manchurian Sika Deer, Chinese Roe Deer, Hymalayan Bear, Amur Brown Bear, and world’s biggest Wild Boar - just the list of the species is enough to show that Primorye, the part of Russia on the Pacific Coast, which is the home of Manchurian Wapiti, is a place like no other.
9 Nov 2017 Do Tigers Call Deer? 7 Facts a Hunter Must Know About Primorye.When to hunt Manchurian Wapiti?
Historically there are two seasons for Manchurian Wapiti hunting. In the spring and early summer the animal is pursued for its antlers in the velvet stage, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine. Autumn and early winter are the time for trophy and meat hunts, respectively. Most international hunters prefer to hunt the Manchurian Wapiti during the rut. As with the Elk, the rut usually peaks in late September or early October.
Hunting methods
As with North American Elk, by far the most popular way of Manchurian Wapiti hunting is a combination of calling and spot-and-stalk during the rut (or, in the local lingo, “at the roar”). As the dominant bulls gather and guard their harems of cows from competing bulls, the guide uses a call made of tree bark or cinema film to imitate a rival bull and challenge the dominant bull to come and deal with the intruder (use of cow calls is almost unknown in Russia and Kazakhstan). If the bull won’t come in, the hunters may try to stalk it, or, alternatively, the guide will retreat a few hundred yards, “showing weakness”, and the hunter will stay in place waiting for the bull to pursue the “impostor”. In the spring season, Manchurian Wapiti are hunted over salt licks.
Why hunt Manchurian Wapiti?
Manchurian Wapiti dwells in a truly unique habitat, where animals that originated in boreal forests and Indian tropics live side by side. This habitat features a denser vegetation than the areas where most North American Elk hunts take place, making for an unusual hunting experience full of close encounters with wildlife. You will have a chance to cross tracks with animals such as the Himalayan Bear or Siberian Tiger (especially given that the big striped cat loves to hunt Wapiti “at the roar” too!). Add to this the general thrill of Elk hunting - the bugle of the bull raising the hairs on the hunter’s neck, the sight of the Monarch of the Woods, breathing clouds of smoke into crystal clear mountain air - and the offer to hunt Manchurian Wapiti becomes irresistible.
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