I live in the taiga zone in Yakutia, which is famous for its cold winters. The taiga is home to large and strong animals that can withstand the harsh climate. Reindeer live only in the northern taiga and tundra. He has to beware of wolves that hunt in packs. Before the hunt, wolves call each other with loud barks. They follow their leader in a chain, following the footsteps of the one in front. Fox tracks are similar to wolf tracks, but much smaller. She hunts alone. During the day it rests in a hole. The bear has the largest footprint among animals in the taiga. He spends most of the winter in a den. In the spring he wakes up thin and hungry. In the Yakut taiga there are also many small animals that can be hunted by inquisitive hunters. Their numbers depend on many natural factors: climate change, food sufficiency, etc. There are also predators among them. This is sable and weasel. Apart from the tail, the weasel's body is no longer than a human palm. This flexible animal can crawl anywhere, even into a mouse hole. In summer, weasels have brownish-red fur, and in winter it is completely white. Sable has the most valuable fur. He is a very agile animal and can jump from branch to branch just as well as a squirrel. The squirrel and hare are harmless herbivorous animals. It’s interesting that squirrels’ teeth are constantly worn down and grow back. And the hare leaves her newborn cubs and feeds strangers who come across her way, and her children are fed by other bunnies. The muskrat appeared in Yakutia only in the 50s of the 20th century. It was brought from America, and it took root well in the new conditions, even the fur became better in the cold. They winter in earthen “houses” with whole families in the shallow waters of lakes. Hunters catch 5-10 muskrats from one “house”. The best gift for hunters from the master spirit of the Yakut taiga Baai Bayanay is an elk. There are two subspecies of moose living on the territory of Yakutia: East Siberian or Yakut and Kolyma. The Kolyma differs from the Yakut in its much larger body and horns, darker and more uniform color. I live in central Yakutia, where the Yakut subspecies of moose lives. Although it is smaller than the Kolyma one, it is still considered a large animal in our forests. Body length ranges from 256cm to 278cm, height at withers – from 189cm to 202cm, and live weight – from 385kg to 440kg. According to G.G. Boeskorov (1999), the average span of the horns of Yakut moose is 103 cm, maximum 129 cm and have 8-9 branches.

An ardent hunter among animals is the first assistant and friend of all hunters - the dog. In Yakutia, mainly East Siberian, West Siberian and Yakut hunting breeds of huskies are bred for hunting. Yakut huskies have much better “clothing” (fur cover), which is explained by the harsh climatic conditions.

Animal tracks are the imprints they leave on wet ground or snow. If animals often go to a feeding place or to a watering hole in the same way, they make an animal trail.

In our village, almost all men hunt ducks in spring and autumn. But only a few people hunt large animals. I met with professional hunter Vladimir Vladimirovich Isakov. He is the leader of the Bayanai club at school. Vladimir Vladimirovich told a lot of interesting things about animals and the peculiarities of hunting them. Here are his sketches of animal tracks.

Yakuts are the descendants of ancient cattle breeders, hunters, and fishermen. We have not at all moved away from our original forms of life; the same blood flows in us. Many peoples have long moved away from this type of occupation - they found themselves in different conditions. When a boy is born in a family, one people will say: a warrior is born, another - a navigator is born, a third - a farmer is born. And among the Yakuts, they still congratulate on the birth of a hunter, a breadwinner. Because he is, flesh and blood, the keeper of his native nature, the bearer of the culture and way of life of the Sakha people. And I, as a representative of the Sakha people and a successor of the line of hunters, tried to explore the hunting secrets most accessible to my age. Having written this work I came to the following conclusions:

• In autumn, at the edge of the forest there are many animal tracks, especially many tracks of dogs and mice.
• The paw and hoof prints of animals living far from populated areas are varied. The most interesting was the muskrat's footprint, because its hard and long tail leaves a thin wavy line between the prints of the left and right paws, which look like beautiful fan-shaped leaves.
• The biggest was the bear's footprint. And from the ungulates there are traces of elk.
• Our hypothesis was basically confirmed: near our village you can only find mice, hares, squirrels, and muskrats on the lake. And large animals live far from populated areas.
• Only to attentive, inquisitive eyes will nature reveal its secrets, and only to those who remain faithful to the pure origins will love for their native land smile with hunting success.

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