Big Games of Gyulaj Co.

Fallow deer:

The fallow deer (Dama dama) is a mammal belonging to the family of deers (Cervidae). This species is native to western Eurasia but has been reintroduced after the two latest ice ages (Integlacial age) when they were native here in Central- Europe as well at that time. The male is known as buck, the female is a doe, and the young a fawn. The bucks wear trophy called palm (or antlers) because it is naturally shovel- shaped. All of the fallow deer have white spots on their backs, and black tips at the ends of their tails as well as a black line at their spinal-column and longer tails than the red deers have. When they sense any danger they flap up their long tails to make their white patches visible and run away. They are fast animals, can run up to 45km/h (~28mph). Their native habitat is the mixed broadleaved forests combined with some agricultural fields and natural meadows, grasslands. That is why we can easily see fallow deers taking sun bath on open grasslands even in daytime.Not really picky animals they can find food to graze easily. Mainly graze herbaceous, non- woody plants but love to eat woody plants too as well as agricultural plants causing damages on the fields.

The 1971 established Gyulaj Fallow Deer Reserve is one of the most famous and biggest reserve of fallow deers in entire Europe. This reserve is more than 7.500 hectares (~18.600 acres) big. This became a reserve from the biggest wilderness of Count Esterházy's the local landlord family of the 17 & 18th century. This family was a big hunting enthusiasm held world famous 2-3 weeks driven hunts inviting many people from all over Europe, the UK, France, Germany, etc. The famous driven hunt took more than 2 weeks and more than 12.000 beaters from the local villages drove and chased the games towards the hunters. The result of this driven hunts was more than 1.000 taken red deers, fallow deers, wild boars, roed deers and wolves. Even the Romans mentioned this deer species as their sacrificial animal. The first reliable historical source about the local herd is from the 16th century. This herd has such a good genetical substance that many of individuals have been using to introduce or re-introduce this species many places.

Now the entire reserve is fenced around by wirefence to avoid of the vanish and failure of that ecxellent genetical substance and to avoid the local poaching as well as the agricultural damages.

The main hunting season for fallow bucks is the rutting season of them, October. At this time the old rutting bucks find the traditional rutting places, dig a shallow "rutting- stand" and take their place then make a special, deep roaring sound we called troating of fallow buck or rutting sound. The hunt for fallow buck always happens in daytime. Really interesting and exciting way of hunting what many hunters simple love.

From the reserve 50% of the taken bucks achieve golden, silver or bronze medal in the official trophy measurement. 60% of the first 50 trophies of the CIC fallow buck trophy ranklist come Hungary and from this Hungarian trophies four world record fallwo buck trophies come from Gyulaj. One of our world record trophy topped the world ranklist for more than 20 years. The most recent Hungarian and English written 2009 hunting book, the "Our Natural- Hunting Heritage – The Most Excellent Game- Trophies of Hungary" says about this territory: “Without exaggerating, the Gyulaj and the neighboring Tamási forests are Hungary’s fallow deer ‘paradise’… 11 of the first 50 fallow deer trophies on the world rank list come from Gyulaj“.

Official world rank list

Place Year of killing Hunting ground Size of trophy (kg) CIC-points

7th place 1972. Gyulaj 4, 44 kg 220, 31 IP

12th place 1970. Gyulaj 5, 15 kg 217, 25 IP

19th place 1969. Gyulaj 3, 85 kg 214, 99 IP

25th place 1974. Gyulaj 4, 10 kg 213, 76 IP

28th place 1980. Gyulaj 5, 15 kg 212, 70 IP

32th place 1965. Gyulaj 4, 30 kg 212, 12 IP

35th place 1967. Gyulaj 4, 50 kg 211, 92 IP

37th place 1970. Gyulaj 4, 12 kg 211, 52 IP

Red deer:

Red Deers by Judit Prihoda

This beautiful animal is native in Hungary as well as in Europe. The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is also a mammal belonging to the family of deers (Cervidae). One of the largest deer species (actually the fourth largest deer species). The hunters and outdoor lovers just call the male, the stag as the "King Of the Hungarian Forests" describing their antlers as a crown of a king. In entire Europe the numbers of the red deers are notable but the leading country regarding the population's number is Hungary. The red deer is the most important big games of Hungary.

The male is known as stag (or bull sometimes), the female is a hind, and the young a calf. The stags wear trophy called antlers.

The red deers prefer the dense broadleaved woods (such as oak woods, beech woods, etc) and mixed wet groves combined with some agricultural fields nearby. The calmness and quality food makes a habitat good enough for the stags grow large antlers with many tines and points. The size of the antlers culminates in the age of 11-13 years. The stags shed their antlers every year mainly in February and March.

The traditional hunting season for red stag is September when they rut in their breeding season. The stags make beautifully deep "roar" ruting sound can be easily heard from even a big distance. The taken stags of Gyulaj Co often achieve the dream trophy weight of 10kg.

After the rutting season the female and cull stag hunting season starts and goes on till January. The Hungarian hunting laws and regulations allow to shoot the red hinds and calves in winter driven hunts as well.

The international indicators of the red stag trophies are the weight of the trophies and the CIC points of the trophies. Gyulaj Co is proud to manage such a good quality local red deer population with such an excellent trophy indicators as the following table shows:

year: 2005. place:Hőgyész Forestry trophy weight: 13, 80 kg CIC points: 239, 22 IP
year: 2005. place:Hőgyész Forestry trophy weight: 13, 50 kg CIC points: 234, 84 IP
year: 2010. place:Hőgyész Forestry trophy weight: 13, 46 kg CIC points: 226, 75 IP

Wild boar:

Wild Boars by Judit Prihoda

The wild boar (sometimes called 'wild pig') (Sus crofa) is the wild ancestor of the doemstical pig. Wild boar are native across Central- Europe and many other parts of Eurasia. Populations have also been artifically introduced in some parts of the world, most notably America and Australia principally for hunting.

The male is known as tusker, the female is a sow, the 11 year old is a yearling and the really young a pig or piglet. Adult tuskers develope trophy called tusks, which are their continously growing teeth that protfude from their mouth. The sows also develope small tusks.

Originally the wild boar was the big game of the large wet swamps and marshes, but after their original and native habitat changed by the human kind they moved to the forests and agricultural fields. Nowadays the wild boar is a common big game species almost everywhere - even close to bigger towns and cities- within Hungary by its extremely good adaptability. Their daytime resting place often can be found in big agricultural fields such as in large cornfields and wheat or barley fields. After rains and showers they love to stay on meadows and pasture lands to root and dig up snails, earthworms and other worms and insects. Because of their rooting activity and way of feeding they cause serious damages for farmers and landowners.

As it is the wild ancestor of the domestical pig it can freely hybridises. As the result of some traditional way of domestical pig open air holding method and management nowadays many spotty and different colored hybrid wild boars can be observed.

Gyulaj Co.’s experts and professionals have been laying big emphasis on supporting and developing of wild boar stock for many years. The result of this that nowadays Gyulaj, Inc. Co.’s killed wild boar tusks rise big echoes among the national and international hunter groups all over the world. The hunters got richer by unforgettable hunting memories of these trophies. No doubt about the greatness of the Gyulaj’s wild boar stock but if any questions would appaer about it the hunting results give the answers: the 4th and 9th place of the Hungarian rank list belongs to two killed Hőgyész tuskers.

Hungarian Wild Boar Trophy Ranklist:

4. Place 2004. Hőgyész 25, 50 cm 140, 85 IP

9. Place 2004. Hőgyész 25, 55 cm 136, 00 IP

Roe deer:

Roe Buck Portrait by Judit Prihoda The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a Eurasian species of deer. It is wide spreaded all over Europe and Hungary. Has the widest range of all European deer species. It is relatively small, the smallest among the Hungarian big games. The male is known as buck, the female is a doe, and the young a fawn. The bucks wear trophy called antlers.

The original habitat of roe deer was the forests but after the humankind change their original habitats they moved to the huge meadows, pasture lands and agricultural fields. Still prefers the sparse woods combined with grasslands and bushy parts. Hungary got its great hunting reputation from the many world record roe buck trophies of the last few decades. The south-eastern big lowland of Hungary, the "Great Hungarian Plain" or Great "Alföld" is the ultimate habitat for the roe deer. This area gave many world famous and record roe buck trophies to the world. The best habitat area can be found in Szolnok and Békés counties along the river Tisza and Kőrös. The South- Western regions of Hungary are also rich in roe deers but their trophy sizes are not as good as in the lowland regions. If a hunter does not look for giant trophies but more looks for the experiences of the roe deer hunts then the perfect place for him or her is our area.

The buck season starts from April 15. Many of the hunters prefers this time to hunt as the vegetation is not as dense as later on so they can observe more of their beloved game. In summertime when the roe deer has its breeding season the bucks chase the does and that time is the traditional hunting time for taking some bucks with calling them with special caller. Both hunting methods are really exciting and give many memories for our Clients.

In winters we hunt the does what is also really exciting and attractive for many hunters.