Hunting Dogs - Hounds in comparison: Among the most exciting hunting expeditions certainly stands out the wild boar one. Full of emotions and twists, this hunting action overwhelms and thrills more than any other because it gives life to the clash between two real forces of nature: the follow dog and the wild boar.
The first, very skilled in finding the prey among the shady clearings of the woods, the second, strong, tenacious and able to keep up with the pursuit of dogs. The dog breeds most used in wild boar hunting are strictly Italian, i.e. Italian hound and Maremma hound, which have always been in the top ten of follow-up dogs trained to hunt large ungulates. The Italian hound includes several breeds: short-haired, fawn or black and with strong hair, always fawn or black and tan. A very lively dog with a good character, the Italian hound, especially with short hair, is often used to identify wild boars, also thanks to its ability to chase game at a gallop and without disdaining precise and regular movements such as trot and gait. , necessary in the phase of finding the prey.
Il Italian hound he is a tireless hunting companion and able to chase a wild boar from dawn to dusk. Due to its marked independence, it requires adequate training from the first months of life. The Maremma hound, which contends with the Italian one for the primacy of wild boar hunts. This hound, obviously of Tuscan origins, is not very aesthetically beautiful, but it is an excellent follow-up dog, very good in identifying the tracks of the wild boar during the search and very skilled in launching itself in pursuit to bring the prey on the trajectory of the hunter. .
The hunting results of follow-up dogs for wild boar can all be very excellent, as long as you use well-trained dogs from the first three months of life. Without training, even the best dog breeds would be useless for hunting. The training of dogs followed by wild boar provides the ability of the animal to understand commands such as "call", "on the ground" and "behind"; immediate return after the serve; the overcoming of the post office and the choice of the most suitable leash by the owner. The call serves to bring the dog back to the owner's feet; the command "on the ground" blocks the action of the dog at any time, causing it to crouch on the ground with the muzzle in the direction traveled; with the command "go", the dog resumes the action by moving in the direction indicated by the hunter, while the command "behind" leads the dog to follow his master's heels. The animal must also be accustomed to tracking down and chasing prey.
The training of dogs followed by wild boar provides for the use of fences with boars inside that the hounds will learn to chase gradually. Hunting dogs also need to get used to shooting. Puppies are generally terrified of the noise produced by firearms. To make them insensitive to the use of bullets, one can initially use blank pistols, to be fired at a certain distance and then, gradually, closer and closer, until the dog no longer feels any fear or terror at the act of shooting. shot. Follow dogs should also be trained to moult, or to hunt in groups with other dogs. To avoid incompatibility problems, it is best to start training using specimens of the same breed. Once the hunting "training" period has passed, the following dogs will be ready to find the traces left by the wild boar.
This wild pig, in fact, does not go unnoticed. With its big snout, very evident even in small breeds, it digs on the soil of the woods to feed on tubers, rhizomes and roots. The marks left by the wild boar are also very evident on the cultivated fields, where the King of the wood causes incalculable damage, since it also feeds on wheat, corn and barley. After all, tracking dogs do not have big problems “sniffing” the tracks of the pig and identifying it. Once the pig is found, it will be necessary to aim to hit it with the right weapons and ammunition.
In wild boar hunting, 12-gauge shotguns and semi-automatic rifles are used. Although the 12-gauge shotgun represents a classic of wild boar hunting, modern rifles are very well suited to this type of hunting, due to their lightness, very similar to a 12-gauge, and to a range and accuracy that now exceed by far those of the rifles of the past.
The rifle models recommended for wild boar hunting are: Benelli Argo, Browning Long Track or Short Track and SLB 2000 light by Heckler & Koch. Rifles require lighter ammunition than smooth-bore rifles. Although wild boar is better killed by larger bullets, hunters prefer the rifled barrel, which with its lightness suggests the idea of being able to reach the prey better and more easily. Too light ammunition, however, risks not hitting the vital points of the boar, which is why it is necessary to use ammunition with a caliber suitable for the tonnage of the main inhabitant of the woods. The ideal ammunition for semi-automatic rifles are "controlled expansion", apparently small bullets, weighing about 32 grams, which are able to achieve the same performance as large ones, i.e. the possibility of firing even from a hundred meters away and with a shot pattern of sixty millimeters. These new generation ammunition seem to have no flaws, apart from the cost, a little more expensive than average.
In the choice of weapons and ammunition for wild boar hunting, it will therefore be necessary to evaluate those that are safest and most suited to one's ability and spending possibilities.