Duck and snipe hunting in Lomellina: Giovanni talks about his hut and his love for hunting in stalking.
Perhaps not everyone knows it, but Lomellina is a beautiful area of the Po Valley that occupies the south-western Lombard side whose limits are well defined by the Sesia to the west and the Po to the south, by Ticino to the east and the Novara hills to the north.
The area, very famous for the cultivation of rice, is well frequented by hunters who have usually grown up and live in the surrounding area to be discovered. This is also my case: I was born in Vigevano and from what I remember I love the outdoors and hunting.
Of course, things have changed a bit in recent decades, between restrictions, regulations, and the ethics of forgotten hunting, but there are still many real and passionate hunters.
Today I want to tell you about stalking hunting, one of my favorites because it allows you to admire the habitat of the ducks and waders present in the area: rice fields well separated by canals, rivers and woods are just some of the wonders that mother nature has decided to give to Lomellina.
The hunters of the area know that the most important thing when you choose to live the poop in stalking is precisely the construction of the shed, whose location must necessarily be strategic: for example, I managed to grab one in the heart of a rice field.
Not far away there is a small artificial lake, with a rounded shape on the edges of which the ears of rice are always left high: it is this delicacy that attracts ducks, which invites them to rest, shelter and graze.
On the sides of the post instead flow a canal and a river, a feature not to be underestimated since these are two lines that lead directly to a small nearby oasis, particularly frequented by ducks and more. All made of wood, the shed is comfortable and, compared to others, also large, equipped with a comfortable mobile roof that protects me and my friends in case of rain.
Over time I have composed an ideal game consisting of two live calls and about 25 molds of mallards, wigeons and teals. Even the positioning of the molds is an art and everyone must find their own alchemy, what matters is that a clearly fake scene is not created: the wild animal is more intelligent than what is commonly led to believe.
Dawn is the highlight of the day for a Lomellina hunter: normally they are the live calls that inform us of the arrival of the birds that whiz by as fast as lightning shooting the adrenaline of the hunter to the stars.
There is very little to say at this point: it all lies in the skill of the hunter and his ability to keep a cool head. The mornings spent in the shed in Lomellina, whether they are lucky or empty, always have the same effect: they relax me and allow me to spend hours of carefree with friends, away from the problems and the daily grind.