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Hunting is the oldest occupation of man, which has fed him along with gathering and fishing since ancient times. Hunting was one of the main occupations of the indigenous population of Siberia.

The Khanty and Mansi were hiking taiga hunters who hunted the beast. Wild deer and elk were chased across the snow in winter, catching up on wide skis. The hunter was armed with a bow and arrow, a short throwing spear and a knife. When hunting a bear, they used a massive spear with a long tip — a palm tree. Grouse and grouse were caught with slops (a pressure trap), ducks and geese were caught with a net on flights.

The Nenets hunted wild deer, waterfowl that nested on tundra lakes and swamps, using bows and various traps. Nenets living on the seashore hunted sea animals — seals, walruses, seals.

Fur hunting among the indigenous population was initially only a secondary occupation — fur was used only to decorate clothes. But then the fur trade began to play a big role, as merchants bought furs, and yasak was formed from it.

Russian peasants have adopted hunting skills from local residents. But hunting was actively engaged only in the north — Tobolsk, Surgut and Berezovsky counties of the Tobolsk province. In the south, hunting was a secondary activity.

In Soviet times, commercial hunting, for example, for sable, marten, and mink, was of great importance for Siberia. The fishermen handed over the furs to the state.

Today, hunting is not a means of livelihood, but many people devote their leisure time to it. It has long been noticed that anyone who has at least once picked up a gun and experienced a longingly sweet expectation of good luck, forever becomes its ardent follower. The phenomenon of hunting is primarily communication with nature, the opportunity to enjoy its beauty, clean air and silence. For loyalty, they give a person peace of mind, a charge of vivacity and health.

Hunting of the indigenous population of Siberia

The main weapon (before the arrival of the Russians) was a bow and arrow. The arrows were different: thin ones for hunting birds, thick ones for fur-bearing animals, with a blunt end so as not to damage the skin. In addition, a special arrow was used — a "hawk", which in flight made a sound similar to the cry of a hawk. Ducks and geese landed on the water and were extracted from the water.

The bear was the most respected by the northern peoples. According to legend, in ancient times the bear was a man, but was punished by the gods for offending the weak and not honoring the elderly. One day, climbing over a mossy forest, he grew fur and went into the forest. Bear hunting was not prohibited, but if it was possible to kill it, then a Bear festival was held in the village, which lasted from 4 to 7 days, if a bear was killed, they walked for 4 days, a bear — 5 days, if several bears, then seven days. According to the aborigines, a woman has 4 souls, a man has 5, the fifth is responsible for masculine strength. The dead bear was laid on its stomach and its paws were stretched out. A cap was put on his head, if it was a bear, then a handkerchief. The hunters themselves wore birch bark masks so that the bear’s soul could not recognize its killers. Moreover, only a "good" bear deserved to stay, which did not harm people and pets.

Hunting among the peasants

Hunting is most developed among the indigenous population of Siberia. Hunting lasted from October to April; fishing for waterfowl — for three weeks in May and July; hunting for wild game — from the second half of August to October. Russians hunted only in their free time from their main work, for birds and sometimes for animals. In the southern regions of Siberia, hunting was not of a commercial nature and did not have much importance. Thus, in the Gotoputovskaya parish of the Ishim district, one of the leading places was occupied by hunting wolves in order to preserve livestock

In the nineteenth century, public figures noted that this fishery was declining every year as forests were cut down and fires destroyed the taiga urmans. Of the large animals, they hunted elk, wild deer, wolf, fox, and sometimes bear. Sable, ermine, ferret, hares and squirrel were extracted from fur-bearing animals. Moreover, squirrel hunting was the most common in Siberia. Pits, loops and various traps were set up for the extraction of large animals.

Small animals were hunted with a gun and a dog, killing a hunted animal with a small shot, foxes and wolves were poisoned mostly with strychnine. The hunt for the beast began in October and lasted until severe frosts. Hunters had to go far from home and stay in the taiga for a long time, so they arranged "winter quarters" or united in artels of 5−10 people. The hunters' earnings depended on chance and were profitable only when hunting a large animal. Fur prices were volatile. For example, at the beginning of the twentieth century, a squirrel skin cost 20−25 kopecks, a sable — 8−20 rubles, a ferret — from 70 kopecks to 1 rub. 20 kopecks. foxes — 6−8 rubles and more expensive. With a happy hunt, the tradesman earned one and a half rubles a day.

Of the birds, they hunted waterfowl and hog: ducks, geese, sandpipers, grouse, grouse, partridges, etc. They hunted from the approach with a dog, killing birds with shotgun pellets. Sometimes they hunted scarecrows. In some areas, ducks were caught with nets on flights.

Hunting in the North in the 1920s.

The expansion of the USSR’s foreign trade led to an increase in demand for Siberian fur, a traditional Russian export commodity. The activity of hunters in the North was determined by the decree of the Council of People’s Commissars "On Hunting" (July 1920), which provided for measures for the protection, restoration and use of hunting resources. The fishermen were obliged to join the unions of hunters. Upon joining the union, the hunter was given a membership card, giving the right to own firearms and hunt. The tradesman received a certificate for the fulfillment of the state fur tax. In January 1922 there were 121 hunters in the Tobolsk branch of the Hunting Union alone. In February 1922, the Surgut and Berezovsky hunter unions were established. By April 1925, there were 654 trappers, 416 amateur hunters and 1977 people combining hunting with other activities in the Tobolsk North. Most of the furs were mined in the Obdorsky district. In 1926−1927, hunters in the North harvested furs worth 293,800 rubles.