Bulgaria is a compact country with serious mountain hunting, where forested ridgelines and steep, rocky basins keep the hunt physical and the stalking close. The Balkan Mountains, called Stara Planina, run west to east across the heart of the country, while the southwest rises into higher, alpine terrain in the Rila and Pirin ranges and the deep, wooded folds of the Rhodopes.

That mix of hardwood timber, conifer slopes, openings, and broken rock holds a strong trophy list. Red stag is the headline draw, with wild boar close behind, including areas known for exceptional boar trophies.  Roe deer and fallow deer add classic European antler hunting across farm and forest edges.  For mountain hunters, mouflon and Balkan chamois bring steep climbs, long glassing, and careful footwork in rugged country.  Predator options, where available, can include wolf and golden jackal as hard-earned add-ons.

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Bulgaria has a way of surprising you. It sits at a true crossroads, Thracian ground first, then Roman, Byzantine, and the medieval Bulgarian empires, all stacked into a country you can cover in a week or two without living in the truck.  If you want a quick sense of that depth, the UNESCO list alone is a solid starting point: the Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, the Rila Monastery, and the old stone-and-sea lanes of Nessebar.

Plovdiv is another easy add-on, one of Europe’s oldest cities and still very much alive, with a Roman theatre that looks like it belongs on a movie set, not in the middle of a modern town.  And if you like medieval fortresses, Veliko Tarnovo delivers, with Tsarevets perched above the Yantra River and the feel of an old capital that once mattered a great deal.

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