Dog Handler

LEIF FREDRIKSSON

Experienced in close
wild boar encounters!

Respected dog handler and expert on searching for wounded game

Leif Fredriksson is an experienced dog handler, who often goes on driven hunts with his dogs and frequently participates in searches for wounded game both nighttime and daytime.
These situations often involve difficult and fast shooting at close distances, sometimes at aggressive wounded wild boar. It can be dense terrain and very stressful situations.
At the same time, you need to consider safety and be able to take an accurate shot with the dogs very close by. 

Leif grew up on a farm and has now become one of Sweden’s most respected experts on wild boar hunting and searching for wounded game. On the farm where he grew up, he came in contact with hunting early on.

His first hunting memories are from when he was about 7-8 years old and went on a shotgun hunt for roe deer. He saw wild boar for the first time in the beginning of the 80ies. Since then he has become one of the major profiles in Sweden when it comes to wild boar hunting. He has shot over 1000 wild boar and is an Aimpoint ambassador since many years. 

Running wild boar seen through a red dot sight

The hunting dog a hunter's best friend

Leif enjoys wild boar hunting with dogs and the encounters that occur between the dog and the wild boar. The dogs mean a lot to him. They become your best friend out in the woods. It is a teamwork between you and your dog, and you have a very special communication between you. 

When you take your shot you really want to be in control of where the dogs are and make sure that there is no risk that they are hit. With a red dot sight, you can keep both eyes open and have total situational awareness. This is a huge difference compared to a magnifying riflescope. You can be focused on the target and at the same time have control of the surroundings.  
 

The red dot sight is perfect for Leif

Aimpoint® Micro H-2

When it comes to red dot sights Aimpoint Micro H-2 suits Leif perfectly. It is ideal for wild boar hunting, hunting for wounded animals and fast shooting in general.
The sight comes with different MOA sizes; 2, 4 and 6 MOA. MOA stands for minute of angle, a unit that refers to the size of the dot and how much it covers at a certain distance.

When using the Aimpoint Micro H-2, 6 MOA Leif experiences several advantages with the larger dot. He finds it ideal for fast shooting since it makes it easy to focus on the game and instantly find the red dot. When searching for wounded game during the night the large red dot becomes a great advantage.

Leif also has an Aimpoint Micro H-2, 2 MOA from the limited edition orange cerakote series.

Read more about different MOA sizes here >>
Read about Aimpoint Micro H-2 here >> 

Dog handler Leif Fredriksson with his hunting dog and best friend

Hunting wild boars with Leif Dog handlers on a driven hunt in Sörmland, Sweden

This morning Leif woke up at his place outside Katrineholm in the south of Sweden. He had a quick cup of coffee, loaded the dogs in his car and drove off to Tidö Castle to meet up with the rest of the hunters.

The gathering this morning is the small hunting cottage just beside the castle. A total of six hunters together with four dogs talked about the upcoming day in the woods, planning the beats in front of the fireplace waiting for the sun to rise.

The plan for the day is that Leif and the professional hunter of the estate, Robert Jidesjö, will release one dog each in every beat and four hunters will be positioned at strategic spots around the hunting grounds.

The focus will be mainly on one-year old wild boars and big keilers, also fellow deer and roe deer is allowed to shoot at.

The estate is located by Mälaren, a big Swedish lake, because of this there is a lot of reed along the waterline where the wild boar normally like to stay during the days.
It’s time to release the dogs!

The hunters are positioned at their stands and everyone is ready for action. Leif unleashes his 5-year-old east Siberian Laika Chili and he takes off in high speed straight against the wind. The weather conditions are great for this type of hunting with a little bit of wind, just enough to hear the dogs barking and chasing the boar.

The dog has been away for a few minutes looking for tracks to follow, Leif is standing around quietly listening and enjoying the warming sun. Then suddenly the beautiful sound of the dog barking reaches his ear and the adrenaline starts pumping. He estimates that the distance to the dog is around 200 meters and he slowly starts to approach the situation.

When he reaches the area where he hears the dog, he tries to see what the dog is barking at.
The woods are too thick to see through, but he decides to slowly get in closer to see if he somehow can identify what the dog is after.

Apparently, the wind direction must have changed for a second because suddenly the boar takes off in high speed heading south against the reed by the lake.

Chili chases the boar just a few meters behind, full speed. The chase continues for about 300 meters before it stops again.

Leif reaches out to Robert over the hunting radio to give him the latest information and update him about where he will move on. After a few minutes the two dog handlers can see on their GPSes that Roberts dog is heading the same way as Leif’s to join the hunt. Leif and Robert discuss who should go into the situation. It’s too dangerous to have both of them in the dense terrain, Leif is the one that will do it since it was his dog that primarily found the boar. The first meters are an easy walk just crossing an open field, but the last move is through thick reed where he will have a hard time to move quietly and at the same time hear what the dogs are up to. 

His heartrate is intense, and the adrenaline is pumping when suddenly…….