Creating the shop took many years, and Yartsev, a well-known hunter and weapons expert, invested his strength and knowledge into it. Although he is originally from Russia, Viktor Yartsev moved to Kyrgyzstan in 1957 and has since become a significant figure in the fields of hunting and collecting.
Viktor was born in the Orenburg region nearly sixty years ago and began hunting in early childhood at the age of six. "We were sledding when I saw a flock of white partridges, and upon returning home, I took my father's gun. It was a single-barrel IZH-17. I remember how I crouched in the field and shot. Although the partridges flew up, one remained on the ground. That was my first hunt," he recalls.
Viktor studied at the Chon-Aryk secondary school and served in the missile forces of the Soviet Army. After graduating from the journalism faculty, he worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz SSR, but his passion for hunting always stayed with him. When asked what he considers himself more: a journalist, a weapons expert, or a hunter, he invariably chooses journalism. His articles about nature and hunting have become well-known among Kyrgyzstanis.
His passion for hunting led Yartsev to serious study and collection of hunting weapons, which ultimately resulted in the creation of his outstanding collection that could serve as the foundation for a historical museum.
“One of the most valuable exhibits is a huge duck gun of the 2nd or even 1st caliber. I heard that there was a person at Issyk-Kul with a similar gun, and after talking to him, I added it to my collection. This gun was probably brought by the first settlers from Russia, who used it for duck hunting. Up to a pound of black powder and a handful of shot were used for shooting, and special pads softened the recoil. As a result, it was sometimes possible to catch up to 20 ducks at a time,” Viktor explained.
The collection also includes an Arabic musket, while some spears and an axe are not original; they were gifted to him after filming the movie "Genghis Khan." The bow and other exhibits came from the world of cinema, and among the guns are specimens produced over a hundred years ago.
“I received a PPSh without a barrel, and the Colt was in terrible condition. I spent time restoring it, cleaning the parts from rust,” he added.
The exhibition includes hunting snares, traps, original panels, and taxidermied animals that create a unique atmosphere.
“The idea of creating a weapons collection came to me back in the 70s. While working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I witnessed piles of illegal weapons being destroyed, including historical samples. Unfortunately, this led to the loss of invaluable artifacts, as no one attempted to assess their historical value. Kyrgyzstan needed to create a weapons museum that could showcase the significance of weapons in our history,” Yartsev concluded.
Unfortunately, Viktor Petrovich Yartsev passed away at the age of 73 on January 4, 2025.
