Thanks to its great adaptability and the most varied ecological conditions, in recent years, the wild boar, in Italy as well as abroad, has considerably expanded its range. Considering the high fertility, the great mobility, the gregarious behavior and the interest in cereal crops, the boar represents a high impact species.
Starting from these premises, it is clear that careful management of the species is necessary which includes a numerical control that points to the minimum socially acceptable level, also providing for the awareness of the agricultural world which should still consider the wild boar as a fixed element of the agro-ecosystems.
If the management of the species is particularly problematic in the territory in general, the management difficulties are amplified in the context of protected areas and parks.
In protected areas, where large populations of wild boars are concentrated, the control should be carried out above all during the hunting activity that takes place outside their borders, in order to create an active disturbing action in all those portions of the territory. which act as a shelter during hunting and as a reservoir for irradiation to the outside once the hunting season is over.
La form of hunting certainly more practiced and known is the classic hunted with followed dogs. As part of the control, we have different forms of withdrawal: the appearance, the capture, the search and the turn.
All control techniques have specific characteristics but have in common prerogatives such as the possibility of selection, the attempt to minimize the psychophysical stress of the animal to be killed as well as the disturbance to other species and finally the absolute respect of the safety conditions for the operators involved and for possible visitors to the protected area.
Let us dwell on the turn. The latter is a killing technique that is still not very widespread in Italy, even if the experiences of recent years have shown its usefulness in various areas of the center-north. This form of sampling has very specific behavioral rules but there are some variables related to the different territories in which it is implemented, to the type of dog that is used as well as to the different rules that govern it in the different corners of our country.
The turn includes a limited number of posts and a limiere dog handler, a dog specialized in single work and capable of following very cold tracks. As a limiere it is possible to use dogs belonging to different breeds; the fundamental thing is that the dog is not only endowed with excellent natural qualities, but that it is extremely well trained and connected to the handler. In order to ensure the technical correctness and safety of the operations, the dogs with the function of limiere must be qualified for specific work tests by an ENCI judge.
The endorsement consists of four different phases: the tracing, the arrangement of the posts, the scouting and the killing. The tracing is carried out with the dog in the long run along the entire perimeter of a boar entry area. If the dog reports a recent entry of animals into the remittance area, the handler arranges the stalls at the exits of the busiest trotters, trying to place them at a certain distance from the edge of the wood. Once the stalls have been placed, the third and fourth phase of the turn begins: the handler enters the forest with the dog in the long run, or, if the environment does not allow it, as happens in very dense woods, melting the dog on the track of the animals. The use of a single dog that does not force the animals excessively means that the wild boars generally show up at the post office at a pace or at a small trot, also allowing the selection of the animal to be killed, if required by the regulation.
Wild boar shot - The ideal territory for this harvesting technique is that characterized by the alternation of woods and clearings.
Dense and extensive spots are hardly suited to the work of a single dog; furthermore, the detachment areas are essential to carry out careful tracing and to place the few available posts. The use of a single auxiliary perfectly trained to follow only the wild boar without being distracted by the smelling presence of other ungulates, makes the turn particularly suitable for the containment of wild boars in parks, Restocking and Capture Areas (ZRC), and in all those areas where the least disturbance to the rest of the fauna present is desirable. Among the most used breeds we remember the German dachshund, Dachsbracke, the Jagd Terrier and Slovensky kopov.
Nowadays, in specific contexts, the turn can be considered a valid option for the control of the wild boar species.
The only form of sporting and selective hunting is that practiced with "catch dogs", such as Molosser dogs such as Cane Corso, Argentine Dogo, American Bull Dog Pittbull, German and Spanish Great Dane, Cimarron, Boxer and many other breeds and crosses. greyhounds that stop the animal, allowing the catch dogs to grab. When the hunter arrives, he can decide whether to sacrifice the animal with a knife or pike, or free it, after disinfecting the wounds to the ears and muzzle. These wounds are generally superficial and in places of low sensitivity, where the leather is thicker. Normally pregnant females are released, after having sprayed them with a disinfectant and healing spray.This is the most natural and sporty form of hunting, being the one traditionally practiced before the advent of firearms. It is the type of hunting and predation carried out naturally by the wolf, which is clearly the ancestor of the hunting dog. But in Italy it is forbidden out of obvious ignorance, it seems ... Good luck from Matogrosso and Uruguay.