PREDATORS · STALKING
European badger
A patient hunt — sit at an active sett through the last hour of light, watch the woodland edge come alive, take him when he clears the bramble. Same Transylvanian forests as the wild boar programme, run from the same lodges.
- Duration2 or 3 days
- Hunters1 or 2
- MethodSett-watch · calling
- WindowAug–Nov · hibernates Dec–Mar
- HabitatOak-beech forest
- DifficultyIntermediate
ABOUT THE HUNT
What to expect
European badger (Meles meles) is a stable, lightly-pressured game species across the Romanian Carpathians. Mature boars weigh 10–14 kg and carry a distinctive silver-and-black coat — the skull is the CIC-scored trophy element, the pelt is the keepsake.
The hunt works in a single quiet rhythm. We scout active setts during the day — fresh dung pits, polished entrance tracks, claw marks on the bedding-log — and put you on the most active one an hour before sunset. You sit in an elevated hide or ground blind downwind of the main entrance and wait. The boar emerges in the last twenty minutes of legal shooting light; you take it when it clears the sett mound and stands broadside in the open. Romanian law allows thermal and night-vision sights only for wild boar, jackal and fox, and only under a Ministry of Environment derogation — they are not permitted on badger. The hunt is worked in legal shooting light; an illuminated reticle is what earns its keep in the last minutes.
Season: August through November. Badgers hibernate underground from December through March, so the hunt runs through the autumn feed-up — emergence times are earliest and animals are heaviest before winter.
The hunt pairs naturally with our wild boar driven hunts (same lodge, same forest) and with roe deer stalks — three species, three different rhythms, one trip.
Good to know
Oradea, Cluj, or Timișoara — whichever is closest to your hunting zone. Airport transfer arranged on request (not included in the package).
Hotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin — depending on your hunting zone.
Common Romanian choices: .243, .25-06, 6.5 Creedmoor. Last 20 min of light — illuminated reticle helps. Thermal and night-vision sights are not permitted on badger.
Rifles, shotguns, and ammunition can be rented on site — bring a valid hunting permit from your home country and we'll sort the rest at booking.
Quiet outer layer, midge net (summer evenings), and a rifle you can shoot confidently in failing light.
Patient hunters who appreciate a single quiet evening sit — pairs perfectly with boar mornings or roe deer dawn stalks.
Choose a package
Both packages include scouting time during the day plus dusk sits at one or two pre-selected setts. Add a wild boar drive or a roe deer stalk to fill the morning if you want a mixed-bag trip.
2-day stalk
Two dusk sits · one boar target
from1,040EUR
- 2 evenings of guided sett-watching
- 3 nights of accommodation (hotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin)
- Day-time scouting + sett selection
Not included
- Travel to and from Romania
- Airport transfer
- Rifle rental service
- Alcoholic drinks
- Trophy fee + preparation — per the trophy-prices table
3-day stalk
Three dusk sits · two boar targets · pair with boar or roe
from1,420EUR
- 3 evenings of guided sett-watching
- 4 nights of accommodation (hotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin)
- Day-time scouting + sett selection
Not included
- Travel to and from Romania
- Airport transfer
- Rifle rental service
- Alcoholic drinks
- Trophy fees + preparation — per the trophy-prices table
WHAT EVERY PACKAGE COVERS
Included services
The same ten services are part of every hunting package on our calendar — paperwork, hospitality, and on-the-ground organisation handled end-to-end.
- Lodge accommodation3★ hunting lodge, manor, or village pension — venue depends on the hunt.
- Full pensionThree meals a day, traditional regional cooking, non-alcoholic drinks throughout.
- Hunting authorisationRomanian hunting authorisation filed on your behalf before arrival.
- Temporary firearm permitTemporary import + hunting-firearm permit for the duration of your stay.
- Official hunting invitationIssued by us; the document your home authority needs to clear travel.
- Border-crossing assistanceEntry and exit, from rifle paperwork to customs questions.
- Hunting organisation on the groundBeat selection, hide setup, drives, scouting — handled by our team daily.
- Dedicated translatorEnglish, German, or French speaker present at every briefing and drive.
- Specialised technical staffForester, professional guide, beater team where the hunt format calls for one.
- Internal transport on the hunting ground4×4 / minibus inside the hunting area; transfers between lodge and beats.
Not included: travel to and from Romania (airport pickup can be arranged at cost), ammunition, trophy fees and trophy preparation per the published trophy-prices table, optional firearm / optic rentals, and alcoholic drinks beyond the welcome dinner.
HUNTING SEASONS
When the season opens
Both the gov-regulated opening window and the prime sub-window when this hunt produces the best trophies and the densest action.
1 Aug – 30 Nov
1 Sept – 15 Nov
Peak trophy quality and activity inside the legal window.
- Firearms only — crossbows, bows, traps and snares are not lawful hunting means in Romania.
- Thermal and night-vision sights are not permitted for this species.
Reference dates only. The Romanian Ministry of Environment's annual hunting order is authoritative; quotas for derogation species (bear, wolf, lynx) shift independently. We confirm the operative rules at booking.
TROPHY PRICING
Trophy prices
The trophy is never included in the package — every trophy fee, preparation charge, and penalty is billed from the table below. The package above covers the hunt, lodge, meals, permit, transport, and translator only.
Trophy prices
| Trophy (C.I.C. points) | Price | Over base |
|---|---|---|
| < 21.50 | 180 € | — |
| 21.50 – 22.99 | 240 € | — |
| 23.00 + | 320 € | +15 € / C.I.C. point |
Penalties
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Missed shot penalty | 50 € |
| Wounded but not recovered | 180 € |
Optional services
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Temporary hunting permit | 50 € |
| Trophy preparation | 50 € |
| Full badger pelt | 80 € |
Trophy fees, preparation, and penalties are always billed separately from the package price — no trophy is ever bundled into a hunt.
BOOK YOUR HUNT
Request a bookingBadger Stalk
Tell us which offering you want, your dates, and how many of you. We will reply with a full package quote as soon as possible.
STAY IN THE PROGRAMME
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