Hunting and fishing
Cost of Living
by Alexander Kondorsky
>From the day-to-day grind to a night on the town,
Alexander Kondorsky keeps you in the know about how
much bang you can expect for your buck in the Russian
capital.
Alexander Kondorsky 4 Oct 2002
Hunting and fishing have always been two of the most popular hobbies in Russia. Cheaper than, say, golf, downhill skiing and other elite sports, hunting and fishing are affordable for the lower-middle-class.
In some regions of Russia, particularly Siberia and the Far East, these activities are less hobbies then primary occupations.
While big hunts have always been a prerogative of tsars, high nobility and, later, Communist Party leaders, it was also rather easy for an ordinary citizen to get permission to buy a shotgun or smoothbore hunting gun. This simply required membership in one of the hunting societies, and a police registration. In the Soviet era, a modest hunting gun cost 40 rubles or 27 percent of the average monthly wage – affordable to all. Getting a license wasn't a big problem.
In addition to the luxurious lodges, built and serviced for the pleasure of the country's elite and located in various beautiful and game-abundant places in Russia, there were enough modest hunting and fishing cottages for ordinary people to pursue this hobby at affordable prices.
The present situation is different from that of the Soviet era; luxurious cottages have shifted into the hands of new Russians, tycoons and magnates, and the choice of hunting and fishing equipment has become much wider. In all honesty, nowadays anyone with money can buy the very best rifle or spinning rod, and a pass to the most luxurious hunting or fishing resort.
Hunting and fishing with modest equipment and at modest places remains affordable for the majority of the population. For the average monthly wage of $147, it is possible to buy a shotgun ($30), a supply of cartridges ($10), a hunting suit ($30), and a pass to a hunting tour for a weekend ($60); the remaining $17 covers the expense of food and drink. For those who prefer fishing, expenses are even lower since fishing with standard rods is permitted without a license in Russia.
There is no lack of hunting and fishing opportunities in Russia in general, and in Moscow in particular. Those who are lazy or short of free time don't need to go far, as there are plenty of forests, rivers, lakes and water reservoirs in Moscow Oblast. There is, of course, the Moscow River, which is sufficiently clean 20 km north of Moscow. Further away you'll find Senezh lake, Dolgoye lake, and Mozhaisk water reservoir, among others. All of these are located within 100 km of the Kremlin and offer excellent fishing opportunities. Those in the know say pike weighing up to 10 kilograms are found in some of these places.
Ice fishing deserves special mention. The sport is enormously popular, especially given that in Moscow the ice-fishing season generally lasts about 4 months – from December until March. Ice fishing competitions are held every year at numerous locations throughout the country, and draw huge crowds of participants and onlookers. Needless to say, ice fishing goes hand-in-hand with another popular national sport – drinking vodka.
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