Hunting

The Mongolians have always been considered excellent hunters. Antelopes, deer, elks, wild boars and other animals were hunted for meat, while steppe foxes (corsac), wolves, tarbagan-marmots were hunted for their fur. Predators were hunted with battues, birds – with merlins and falcons. Ordinary nomads mostly hunted ducks, geese and other birds as well as tarbagans and badgers. In taiga the Mongolians hunted roe-deer, bears and wild boars. There was a strict ban on hunting female and young animals. For Mongolians hunting was not only a subsidiary occupation. For warriors it also served as a training means, and for nobility – as a favored entertainment. In Genghis Khan’s milieu it was referred to as “a man’s utmost joy and pleasure”.

The Mongols hunted tarbagans in steppe.  Mongolia. D. Ivanov. 2006		Wild swans in steppe. Mongolia. The Mongols. Ivanov D.		The lether boots with folded nose-pieces have been the Mongols' all-time favorites. Mongolia. The Mongols. Ivanov D., 2006.
In Central Mongolia one can see almost Siberina taiga. Mongolia. The Mongols. Ivanov D., 2006.