In the 30-s Mikhail Kalashnikov’s family was dispossessed and deported to the village of Nizhnyaya Mokhovaya in the Tomsk region. Hunting was one of the main occupations of the local population here, so the future designer took a liking to it, too. Later, after moving to Izhevsk, Mikhail Kalashnikov did not give up his hobby and frequently went to hunt an elk and hare.
The killing of animals did not give him pleasure, walking on foot in the forest made him much happier. Nevertheless, the well-known designer had a hunting license and at least once a year went to hunt an elk, more frequently to hunt a hare, waterfowl. He preferred to prepare the meat himself, jerked and smoke-dried the elk flesh. But most of all he was fond of rich and thick meat broth.
Once, back in 1980, Evgeny Klimchenko, a Deputy of the USSR Supreme Soviet of the 8th convocation, invited Kalashnikov to his native city Minsk and organized elk hunting for him in the Belovezha Forest (Pushcha). All took up their respective positions in the forest and all of a sudden an elk cow came out to face Mikhail Timofeyevich. The designer raised his rifle, but unexpectedly stopped since he saw an elk calf next to his mother. Being afraid that some of the hunters would shoot he pointed the gun upwards and pushed the trigger. The animals disappeared in the forest, but Evgeny Klimchenko ran up to Mikhail Kalashnikov and extended two hands. He said that all participants of the hunt were watching him excitedly guessing whether Kalashnikov would shoot the elk cow with a calf and were happy that it never happened.
Mikhail Kalashnikov created his first hunting carbine of the Saiga series in 1974. It was a personal order from the General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev who adored hunting. Also, a similar request was submitted to the head of state by the party leader of Kazakhstan Dinmukhamed Kunaev who said that in his region there was an urgent need for mass culling of the saiga antelope which trampled down the wheat fields. Therefore, Brezhnev’s interests coincided with the state need. The gun was modified all the time, its latest versions were based on the AK-74.
Kalashnikov personally repeated a number of times that the essence of hunting is not to kill a defenceless animal, but to enjoy the beauty of nature, its grandeur and abundance. But not all are ready just to go to the forest, without a purpose and business. That is what hunting is meant for.
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov loved fishing as much as hunting. His dacha (country cottage) was located on the bank of a pond and he frequently went fishing with his grandson.
The killing of animals did not give him pleasure, walking on foot in the forest made him much happier. Nevertheless, the well-known designer had a hunting license and at least once a year went to hunt an elk, more frequently to hunt a hare, waterfowl. He preferred to prepare the meat himself, jerked and smoke-dried the elk flesh. But most of all he was fond of rich and thick meat broth.
Once, back in 1980, Evgeny Klimchenko, a Deputy of the USSR Supreme Soviet of the 8th convocation, invited Kalashnikov to his native city Minsk and organized elk hunting for him in the Belovezha Forest (Pushcha). All took up their respective positions in the forest and all of a sudden an elk cow came out to face Mikhail Timofeyevich. The designer raised his rifle, but unexpectedly stopped since he saw an elk calf next to his mother. Being afraid that some of the hunters would shoot he pointed the gun upwards and pushed the trigger. The animals disappeared in the forest, but Evgeny Klimchenko ran up to Mikhail Kalashnikov and extended two hands. He said that all participants of the hunt were watching him excitedly guessing whether Kalashnikov would shoot the elk cow with a calf and were happy that it never happened.
Mikhail Kalashnikov created his first hunting carbine of the Saiga series in 1974. It was a personal order from the General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev who adored hunting. Also, a similar request was submitted to the head of state by the party leader of Kazakhstan Dinmukhamed Kunaev who said that in his region there was an urgent need for mass culling of the saiga antelope which trampled down the wheat fields. Therefore, Brezhnev’s interests coincided with the state need. The gun was modified all the time, its latest versions were based on the AK-74.
Kalashnikov personally repeated a number of times that the essence of hunting is not to kill a defenceless animal, but to enjoy the beauty of nature, its grandeur and abundance. But not all are ready just to go to the forest, without a purpose and business. That is what hunting is meant for.
Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov loved fishing as much as hunting. His dacha (country cottage) was located on the bank of a pond and he frequently went fishing with his grandson.
