Hunting Trips: Hunting for rock partridges in the land of Alexander the Great, in the company of a five-star tour operator and his own English sect: the adventure of 4 Roman friends.
I had Macedonia in my head for years, more or less since I first read about Alexander III in school books, so to speak the great Alexander the Great. That rich land intrigued me right away, on the other hand how can I not wish to visit the home of those who in 12 years conquered the whole Persian Empire, Asia Minor and Egypt? The final blow to my curiosity was given by the film, released a few years ago in the cinema and all centered on the figure of Alexander the Conqueror who must have been able to do it even with hunting.
I heard 3 friends who are passionate about hunting like me and we started looking for the best hunting tour operator for 4 kids looking for adventure. Okkappa it seemed to us immediately an excellent solution, either for the costs, or above all for the assistance and courtesy offered. During the preparations for the journey that I anticipate fabulous, we certainly did not hope to conquer, like Alexander, all of Macedonia, but we were aiming at at least some beautiful rock partridge which is told, Macedonia abounds.
Of course I couldn't move without my dream English setter, Murdok: he is still young, but this experience I am sure has done him much more than good. My partner gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago, a gift on request, let's face it, but really well done. It was love at first sight and his ability to firm, instinctive, immediately surprised me. Without Murdok many of my hunting days would have been a real disaster: I owe him a lot of laughs. I believe that all Setters do it a bit, but as he stings his prey, I have never seen others do it: he identifies it and indicates its position by pointing it directly with the muzzle and assuming an unmistakable posture; it almost seems like he's ready to sit down, but he's not. It is silent on the field and on the partridge and the pheasant is truly infallible: I discovered with great joy that it is also on the rock partridge.
I decided to train him without ever forcing him: he never felt hunting as an obligation, and for that reason his instincts came out naturally and very early. During the training phase, a special feeling was created between us: observe my visual and auditory cues and respect them to the letter. He doesn't let me go for a moment, not even in the open countryside: I always know that he sees me more or less far away! And I also know that he has a great need for the affection and gratifications that I try to give him every day: the trip to Macedonia was a reward for him too. But let's go back to our journey.
Hunting Trips: Macedonia is a completely different thing when compared to Rome, my hometown, of Marco, Luigi and Zaccaria.
It is a real paradise for lovers of hunting with pointing dog, and it seems that time has stopped about 40 years ago. We had the opportunity, just as our tour operator Okkappa had mentioned to us, to live the experience of lost in time and authentic hunting days. During our stay we did not dedicate ourselves exclusively to the rock partridge but also to the wild partridge, with its authentic and sudden fluttering that literally made Murdok mad with happiness.
There the hunt is managed as it should: the guide who never abandoned us explained that every year the number of partridges and rock partridges are surveyed to create an effective culling plan. All this is essential for the maintenance of the species and to prevent the wild from devastating the crops that abound in the hilly areas.
Both, rock partridge and partridge, are shrewd animals and hunting them is a real thrill. At the first meeting they literally caught us off guard: and who imagined so much life? Then we slowly got the eye and things definitely changed. Luckily we have chosen Okkappa as a tour operator: on the spot he bought the hunting quotas and his organization is really reliable; to put it in a word we lived a hunting trip of great quality and certainly fun.
When booking we chose the end of October, as far as the rock partridge hunting is possible from 11 October until 10 December. The trip was 3 days of fabulous hunting and we had the right to hunt 10 rock partridges per person. The accommodation was also not bad: a nice hotel complete with full board. Our tour operetor has thought of everything else: hunting license, transfer to the hunting areas, and guide with guide were not our problem; during our 3 days of hunting we only had to think about having fun.
The hunting grounds were always very similar: tobacco fields, small plots of land near vegetable gardens, potato fields or vineyards. What really surprised us is that the guides knew very well where the brigades were: they took us without fail. It seems that the abundance of these wild in the area is dictated by the fact that they are not exactly the object of hunting by the inhabitants of the area. It must also be said that reaching the hunting places did not cause me any effort: the slope is not unbearable and on the other hand we are hunters, a minimum of training is needed!
Personally I have chosen to rent a gun on site: transporting it always causes me great stress; I chose a smooth-bore shotgun with no more than two rounds. The side-by-side and the over-and-under are an excellent solution. What matters is that the weapon is powerful: the rock partridges certainly don't come looking for you. I recommend a 12 gauge, excellent solution for power and handling and cartridges with 34 g of lead # 6 for the first barrel and for the second 36 g with # 5.
Having said that good fun: the four of us already plan to return to Macedonia this fall!