Nagaland has a way of gripping your senses long before you realise it. This has been the most exciting trip for me since my excursions to Cherrapunji. Nagaland stands apart for its wild beauty and colourful tribal culture. The smell of wood smoke, the dense green walls of forest, the distant echo of a hunter’s whistle — everything pulls you into a world where time has its own rhythm. My recent expedition with the hunters of Tizit Village was one such journey — wild and unforgettable.

The Village that Breathes Tradition

All I wanted was a hunting expedition, and I was able to convince my host’s husband to organise a trip where we would shoot with single-bore guns and hunt pigeons, hens, ferrets, and ducks. The deal was simple — I would pay for the twenty cartridges and bullets that we used.

I was asked to be up by 4:00 a.m. by my Naga hunters, and we would take two cars deep into the hunting forests of Tizit. So I was up early, eager and excited to get into the forest — the best time to shoot is early morning.

Tizit is not a place you stumble upon by accident. It is deep, earthy, and unapologetically raw. Palm-thatch huts rise from the forest floor, surrounded by bamboo fences and shadowed by towering trees. As soon as I arrived, the hunters gave me a nod of acceptance — a small gesture, but one that meant I was welcome in their world.

Into the Wild with Naga Hunters

We drove in two separate cars to the village of Tizit. Along the way, more hunters joined us; by the time we reached, there were almost nine of us together, plus a couple of men following on motorbikes. These guys were pros. They would disappear into the forest looking for birds and then shoot casually.

Naga Warriors

After a few shots, one of the hunters hit a fowl, and they all ran inside the forest to retrieve the bird. One hunter lifted it up like a trophy — the damn thing was still alive. This was truly wild country for me.

The best part was watching the orange sunrise — the brave Nagas brandishing their guns as a sign of victory. It was eye-catching and exhilarating. The morning mountain air felt fresh, and I marvelled at the hunting skills of these Naga warriors. They were quick on their feet and incredibly agile.

One of them showed me how to shoot and asked me to lean against a bamboo tree so that my hands wouldn’t shake while I aimed. They taught me subtle skills — how to load and reload a single-barrel shotgun, how to put bullets into a telescopic rifle, how to move the scope, and how to position the gun on my shoulder.

I really enjoyed shooting a jackfruit with a shotgun. I even got a clean shot at an empty bottle of McDowell’s rum — I put a hole right through it.

The Nagas had everything: long twelve-inch knives to cut the fowl they had just shot, shotguns, telescopic rifles, rum, and plenty of stories. We drove further into the forest until we finally arrived at a hunter’s hut. This was where we would continue shooting and where the hunters could cook, eat, and enjoy rum and beer.