Hunting in Bulgaria

Hunting and angling are passions for life. There are nearly 140 000 registered hunters in Bulgaria and a further 3 000 foreign nationals visit the country each year.

Vivid and picturesque nature, unique hunting bases and the potential for big game trophies are the major advantages of hunting in Bulgaria. In fact, 12 of all 22 red deer trophies evaluated at over 250CIC credits, including the world record, evaluated at 273,60 CIC credits, came from Bulgaria.

However, despite the connoisseur knowing that Bulgaria is unrivalled both in regard to the quality of trophies and the standard of hunting organisation, improved game characteristics and more foreign hunters are the main priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the National Forestry Board.

According to Mr. Dessislav Delev, a participant in the fourth National Expo on hunting and angling, Bulgaria offers excellent accommodation for the lovers of hunting tourism. “Interest in Bulgaria as a destination for hunting tourism has been growing, of late. We used to hold the leadership as destination for hunting red deer and boars. In the years of transition the sector sunk into a state of crisis, but in recent years we have been witnessing a revival of past traditions in the field. The world record in red deer hunting was set last year in Bulgaria. Fortunately, decision-making in Bulgaria is a priority of the state. Bulgaria abounds in fantastic locations for hunting tourism, and we should capitalize on this heritage.” Most of the foreign hunters in Bulgaria come from Germany, France, Austria, Belgium and Spain.

More than 16,000 red deer, 4,300 fallow deer, 71,500 roe deer, 45,000 wild boars, 2,200 mouflons, 1,800 wild goats, 2,700 capercaillies, 830 bears, 115,800 pheasants, 313,000 partridges and 36,000 rock partridges exist throughout Bulgaria. In order to preserve the genetic diversity of red deer, wild goat, capercaillie and pheasant, thirty-seven Game Breeding Stations have been established in the hunting grounds aimed at sustainable development of their populations, conservation, enhancement of species diversity, game reproduction and resettlement.

The excellent trophy characteristics of the big game, particularly the populations of red deer and wild boar as well as the good stocks for fallow deer and mouflon, turn Bulgaria into a desired hunting destination. Foreign hunters usually go back home with capital trophies. Despite its relatively small area, the country has given 4 world records for red deer trophies, including the current record evaluated to 273.60 points. In addition, Bulgaria holds world records for trophies of wild boar - 158.20 points and for wildcat – 82.99 points. The second largest mouflon trophy - 222.45 points has been also obtained in Bulgaria.