PREDATORS · NIGHT HUNT
Golden jackal hunting in Romania
Romania’s fastest-growing predator. Night calling from elevated stands, thermal-scope ambush at livestock corridors, and the occasional drive in the lower valleys. Quick reflexes, technical kit, repeatable sport.
- Duration2 or 3 days
- Hunters1–4
- MethodCalling · ambush
- WindowYear-round, best Nov–Feb
- HabitatFoothill + farmland edge
- DifficultyModerate
ABOUT THE HUNT
What to expect
Golden jackal (Canis aureus) is the great Eastern European range-expansion story of the last thirty years. Romania now holds one of the densest populations in Europe — recent surveys put the national estimate above 20,000 animals. Hunters from Western Europe come specifically for it because back home the species is either absent or strictly protected.
Jackals are unprotected game in Romania, hunted in damage-control zones where livestock losses are documented. The season is open all year, but the real work happens in winter: snow cover holds prints, packs move predictably between den sites and the farmsteads they raid, and the cold nights give thermal optics a clean, high-contrast picture.
The hunt is a mix of calling (electronic predator distress + jackal-pack vocalisations from high seats) and thermal-scope ambush over livestock corridors and bait stations. We work two valleys in the southern Transylvanian foothills with active jackal pressure. A typical 3-day allocation produces one to four kills depending on conditions; this is a quantity hunt for a quantity-targeted species.
Thermal / night-vision optic rules are derogation-specific — we confirm what’s allowed at your booking and supply Pulsar XQ-series rentals (€80/day) when the rules permit. Bring your own rig if you prefer.
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: .223 or .243. Jackal is one of the three species for which Romania can authorise a thermal or night-vision sight, and then only under a Ministry of Environment derogation — we confirm the derogation covering your dates before you travel. Pulsar XQ rental €80/day.
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.
Warm immobile-sitting layers, headlamp (red filter), gloves. Calls supplied; bring your own if you have favourites.
Hunters chasing volume + a European trophy that’s absent or protected back home. Quantity sport, technical kit.
Choose a package
Both packages combine night calling with thermal-scope ambush. Bring your own kit or rent ours.
2-day hunt
Calling and thermal-scope hunting
from1,040EUR
Non-hunting companion: 3 nights × 170 EUR = 510 EUR
- 2 days of hunting
- Thermal-scope ambush hunting
- 3 nights of accommodation (hotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin)
Not included
- Travel to and from Romania
- Airport transfer
- Rifle rental service
- Alcoholic drinks
- Trophy fees + preparation — per the trophy-prices table
- Thermal optic rental (€80/day, optional)
3-day hunt
The full calling cycle — best for quantity hunters
from1,420EUR
Non-hunting companion: 4 nights × 170 EUR = 680 EUR
- 3 days of hunting
- Thermal-scope ambush hunting
- 4 nights of accommodation (hotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin)
Not included
- Travel to and from Romania
- Airport transfer
- Rifle rental service
- Alcoholic drinks
- Trophy fees + preparation — per the trophy-prices table
- Thermal optic rental (€80/day, optional)
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 accommodationHotel, guesthouse, or hunting cabin — venue depends on the hunting zone.
- Full pensionThree meals a day, traditional regional cooking, non-alcoholic drinks throughout.
- Hunting permitRomanian hunting permit 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.
WHERE YOU HUNT
Where this hunt takes place
Where this package puts you in Romania, and what the country is like there.
- Transylvania
- Maramureș
- Muntenia & Oltenia
- Bucovina & Moldova
- Crișana & Banat
- Dobrogea & the Danube Delta
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 Jan – 31 Dec
1 Nov – 28 Feb
Peak trophy quality and activity inside the legal window.
- Firearms only — bows and crossbows are not lawful hunting means in Romania.
- Thermal and night-vision sights are possible for this species only under a Ministry of Environment derogation, which we confirm for your dates.
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
| Per piece | Price |
|---|---|
| Jackal — year-round | 180 € |
Penalties
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Missed shot penalty | 50 € |
| Wounded but not recovered | 250 € |
Optional services
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Temporary hunting permit | 50 € |
| Trophy preparation | 50 € |
| Full jackal pelt | 100 € |
| Thermal optic rental (per day) | 80 € |
Trophy fees, preparation, and penalties are always billed separately from the package price — no fee is ever hidden inside the package.
FROM THE JOURNAL
Read more in the Journal
Your first driven boar hunt in Europe: the etiquette, the shots and the safety rules nobody explains
Stand assignment, horn signals, which boar you may shoot and which you must not, where to aim on a running pig – the unwritten rules of a driven day.
- 19 Aug 2026
Travelling with a firearm to Romania: what changes if you come from Germany, the UK, the US or Switzerland
The European Firearms Pass, the Romanian import permit, the two-rifle limit, and the extra steps for British, American and Swiss hunters – one checklist.
- 24 Jul 2026
The Romanian hunting calendar, month by month: what is open, what is at its best, what is closed
A month-by-month guide to hunting in Romania: which species are open when, where the peak windows fall, and how to combine two hunts in one trip.
- 10 Jul 2026
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what hunters ask before booking this hunt. The full terms are on the Rules & Conditions page.
How many days does the hunt last?
How many hunters can take part?
How demanding is this hunt?
What does the package price include?
What is not included in the package price?
Which airport should I fly to?
Where will I stay?
Which rifle or shotgun should I bring?
Can I rent a gun on site?
What should I pack?
How much is the trophy fee?
Is a deposit required?
How do I book?
BOOK YOUR HUNT
Request a bookingGolden Jackal Hunting
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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