Dormice hunt
Andrej also invited me this year to rejoin him and his friends at dormouse hunt in the forests around Postojna, where his family owns a beautiful hut. Of course, I agreed, because last year it was a great gathering, despite the fact that we didn’t catch any dormice. Dormouse hunt is catching dormice in a trap where the bait is usually an apple or acorn soaked in cinnamon brandy and cloves. The dormouse was once a source of meat, fat, and fur for kuchma (this is worn by Santa Claus). Today, the main purpose is primarily socializing and preserving customs. Hunting is allowed every year from 1.10. forward. The animal looks like a mixture between a squirrel and a mouse.
Friday was busy and on Saturday Gregor took me from Maribor to Ravbarkomanda just before 5 pm. There Martin picks me up at the gas station and we drove to the hut. The party is slowly gathering at the location. Tine and a couple of other heroes arrived as early as Friday and caught 12 dormice the day before. Each brought some drinks and food for themselves. And a little reserve on aside. Of course, it all piled up for more than we needed for the 24 hours we spent in the woods. I contributed € 15 for food. For starters, there was tripe. The traps were already set up in the trees and every 2 hours someone went for a walk to check if anything had been caught. It was time for the beans. There are 6 traps or “boxes”, four ordinaries, and one double.
When Christian arrived, the barbecue gained on importance. Homemade “potatoes” and plenty of meat delicacies. In the meantime, we toast, mostly with beer. Shots are on the menu occasionally. I went on one of the rounds and all the boxes were empty. Our routine looked something like this, a couple of pieces of meat, a beer, a walk, it rained in between. And then we repeated everything. Otherwise, it was fun, a typical male evening in the woods. I got tired early because I only slept four hours the night before. It’s hotter in the hut every time I wake up and end up sleeping only in a T-shirt. In fact, Andrej put too many logs on fire because he was afraid we would get cold.
We woke up quite early the next tomorrow, between eight and nine. After inspecting the boxes, the final count was 19 dormice and the 20th was released because it survived the spring in the trap. Half the company headed home. We slowly tidy up the place and throw a couple of things on the grill again. The stock would last for another day. Since I have a bus at half-past three, we stayed at the hut, where the sun, rain and wind alternate. Finally, we head to the valley, Andrej’s father took the dormice to prepare them. I arrive at the station where I found out the bus will be at 4 p.m. There I get a couple of cigarettes from the waiter/owner because he ran out of them to sell. I have to pay € 1 for the toilet, so I prefer to order one short and a beer to keep the toilet free. I board Nomago bus to Ljubljana (6 €). The bus moved through the bends to Logatec and we were already in Ljubljana in an hour. Another taxi to home (6 €) and it’s time for a shower and rest.
