Knap now runs Global Expeditions/Almonte Travel (613-256-4057; cnonorth@istar.ca) and is booking 20-25 hunting clients a year, all in Europe. "I'm contractually prohibited from booking any hunts in North America," Knap told us recently, "And Canada North is doing that job very well. But I've hunted extensively in Europe, I was born in the Czech Republic, speak several of the languages, so I started what you could describe as a boutique' operation offering roe, red, fallow and sika deer, chamois, wild boar and bird hunting. The Czech Republic has many of my offerings, but I also book hunts in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Belarus and Russia, as the client wishes.
"I've personally hunted all the areas I now book. And most of the operators I work with are not full-time outfitters, but rather lodging properties or landowners who have access to quality local hunting opportunities that hunters from North America might otherwise not have access to. "Most of these opportunities are exceptional for older hunters, especially those traveling with a non-hunting companion. We offer a certain level of comfort and personal attention that appeals to those clients." Knap also told us that he personally accompanies some of his clients, especially on group bird shoots.
We asked Knap if he had ever run into any of the scam hunts that drew so much attention in central and eastern Europe recently, and he told us, bluntly, that he'd never seen anything like that. "It helps that I've personally hunted all the operations I book and know all the people involved, but, frankly, I think most hunters would have to not be paying attention to get caught in scams like that."
Finally, we asked Knap if he intended to expand his offering........(continued)
