digiscoping - The long during and, above all, before purchasing, selective withdrawal. Of course: this optical instrument does not replace the rifle but proves to be fundamental when / if aimed at the management and activity of selecontrollers. We can illustrate this concept through two significant examples, on the "field". Roe deer in late winter. In the first months of the year, roe deer like to group in small "colonies", generally compact and uniform. In the open meadows, clear of snow, the first new grass is born. Animals cannot resist this call. For the selecontrollers, this is a very important period of the year: the imperative is to better define the composition of the colony and the recognition of age and sex classes. Perhaps even more so than during subsequent censuses.
The "problem", however, is that it is very, very difficult to approach these compact groups. Without breaking them. In addition, the recognition of age and sex classes is not always easy, from a distance: the adult leaders have sketched the first velvet; some may still be "bald"; for females it is based on the false tail and on the height at the withers to distinguish the "thin" ones from the adults. These and other elements are recognizable only with a more documented observation. Documentation, in short, is the imperative before sampling and selection hunting. All this is indispensable for a correct withdrawal by the selecontrollers.
We document - in photos and videos - the situation, using a lungo Swarovski Optik ATX95 30-70x. Nin the first photo the compact group: to take these shots, we keep a "safe" distance: in our case 560mt. Roe deer remain well grouped; we can, first of all, count them: 12 subjects in total. But not only: among these we can distinguish - live and, even better, in a photo / video file - 2 adult males; 3 young boys; 3 adult females and 4 “thin” females !. Having acquired this first remote approach (where the human eye and even binoculars do not offer these details), we can deepen two possibilities: "isolate" some particular subject with greater magnification of the long (see photo), or look for a further approach not caring about the risk of breaking up the group. Every selecontroller knows how useful and fundamental this information is. Censuses, management and correct withdrawals included. All also contained in the memory of the smartphone and / or digital camera. Not to mention the pleasure of seeing, reviewing, zooming in, evaluating even at home, on the PC.
The age of the chamois. The fundamental principle of selection hunting for ungulates concerns the recognition of age and sex classes. In life, of course. Fortunately, you no longer shoot at the first game that comes within range, but at an “assigned” item, distinguished by a specific age / sex class. For wild animals with permanent horns (not antlers) - chamois, ibex, mouflons - sex and age are "read" above all (but not only) on the horns and growth rings. The most experienced mountain hunters respect, indeed respected, this task through the lenses of good binoculars. Today, however, why not entrust - better, much better - this task to Digiscoping? The horns of the chamois, also framed at useful distances for shooting, are a real open book: in the photographic file, enlarged and without worrying about quality, the growth rings can be counted perfectly. For now, the jaw is not needed. We document this concept (see photo) using a smartphone paired with the ATX85,25-60x. First a total with 25x, then at 50x and further crop in postproduction. In front of us, about 300 meters away, a beautiful chamois immersed in the snow. At first, only the horns are seen sprouting; then, slowly, the muzzle and part of the neck. This is enough to estimate first of all the sex (hook and section of the horns) and then, the age. We are thus faced with a handsome 6-year-old adult male: for those who have this type of chamois assigned, there are no problems: the sample will still be correct!
Of hunting examples like these we could cite many others. It goes without saying, therefore, that the binoculars and the long are fundamental in the activity of selecontrollers. Considering that today we do not shoot the first game within range of the rifle, the recognition and evaluation of the head - while alive - represent a practice (mandatory in some countries) absolutely necessary to perform correct sampling. But that's not all: take some photos and / or make short films in digiscoping of our favorite subjects is extremely useful for management. Not only in the censuses (which exploit the possibility of communicating live absolutely documented data), but also in the daily and constant monitoring of the environmental situation within which we carry out our control and selection hunting activities.