The pointer is considered to be the best breed for hunting quail. We will describe the wild, the pointer and its training in all aspects, without neglecting a topic. Knowing the habits of the wild, the dog breed chosen to hunt and the methods of its training, are essential for a successful hunt.
The common quail, whose scientific name is Coturnix coturnix, is a bird of the Phasianidae family. The common quail is brown in color with yellow-rust transversal and longitudinal streaks on the upper parts, it is darker on the head and on the back and has a brown-rust throat, a yellow-rust goiter, a yellowish-white center of the abdomen. and the sides of the chest and belly are rusty-red with pale yellow longitudinal stripes.
A brown-yellow-light line runs from the upper jaw above the eye, on the neck and around the throat, the primary remiges have on the brown-black background some transverse yellow-rust spots, which together create bands, and the coxswain yellow-rust they have white stems and black ribbon-shaped spots. In the female specimens all the colors are more faded and indistinct; they too have reddish-brown eyes, a gray-horned bill and a reddish or pale yellow foot. The dimensions are between eighteen centimeters of the overall length and thirty of the wingspan, while the single wings measure ten centimeters and the tail just four. On the European continent, quail is present everywhere, except in the northernmost regions; it is also common in Central Asia. Both from Europe and Asia it migrates every year towards the south, passing all of northern Africa up to the Equator and the Cape of Good Hope, as well as towards all the southern territories of the Asian continent. Quail migrations occur every year, but they differ considerably from those of other birds. If some are already found in Egypt at the end of August, a greater number arrives in September, and in this same month, frequently, hatching females or newborn chicks are still encountered in central Europe. The main migration sees its peak in September, to last for the whole of October and in some cases even in November. Before the journey the quails do not gather in large flocks, but each one does it: flocks are formed only for the actual crossing. Hunters can encounter in quails, for which a few hours are enough to fill the game boxes. Quail's favorite areas in the summer season are fertile and grain-rich plains, while high and mountainous regions, swamps and marshy places are cautiously avoided. Immediately after returning they stop in the wheat and rye fields.
Treating the biological aspect, the quail walks quickly and wriggling, but with inelegant attitudes because it withdraws its head, lets its tail hang down, constantly niches its head and rarely assumes a noble demeanor; its flight is rapid, interrupted and never too prolonged or high, apart from the one it relies on during migrations; his senses, especially sight and hearing, are well developed, while his intelligence is very poor. She is always shy and restless, and absolutely incapable of any sociability. As for the reproduction, it is observed that only the need unites the quails: the male chases and fights with blind fury the male specimens, and even mistreats the female, despite his passion is at the highest degree. The female shows herself to be a loving mother and also welcomes the little orphans of their parents, even if they abandon her as soon as they no longer need her. The female never builds the nest before the beginning of summer: she practices a light excavation in the wheat fields or in the meadows, covers it with some fragments of dry plants and lays eight to fourteen eggs, stained dark or brown. -black on light brownish background. The incubation is between eighteen and twenty days, and, after the birth of the babies, the mother leads them with care in search of food and lovingly watches them. The young quail develop very rapidly, to the point that in the second week they are already able to flutter and abandon their mother without regret; they reach full development in the fifth or sixth and are able to undertake the autumn journey. The main nourishment consists of seeds of various kinds, leaves and buds, but above all in every species of insects; to facilitate digestion, the bird swallows small pebbles, and the few drops of dew it can collect on the leaves are enough to quench its thirst. The dog breed par excellence, destined for quail hunting, is the English pointer. The origins of the English pointer are very uncertain. Some believe that the breed derives from the "Bracco Italiano", while according to others from the "Bracco di Burgos" or the "Portuguese Bracco". However, it is admissible that the Pointer came from France and then arrived in England, where its careful selection began. The only certain fact is that it was crossed with the "Foxhound". Its name "Pointer" means "pointer". It is one of the most famous and most popular dogs in the world. For a certain period, the Pointer succeeded in almost completely replacing the “Italian Bracco” and the “Italian Spinone” in Italy, which have only recently been able to be re-evaluated. It is a medium-sized dog whose trunk fits into the square. It shows maximum power combined with maximum ease of movement. One of the typical characteristics of this breed is the typical head with converging craniofacial axes. Very affectionate, very phlegmatic and statuesque during his stop. It is a very robust dog that does not pose particular problems. He is impetuous in hunting, he is calm in the family, but extremely energetic at work. Being very fast, it always hunts at a gallop. Its firm is statuary and unmistakable.
The morphological description of this breed is as follows: the trunk is in the square. The head has converging craniofacial axes, while the length of the skull is the same as that of the muzzle. The latter is square, with a raised nose and a very marked stop. The teeth are complete and correct, with scissor bite. The neck is elegant, arched, lean, long and light. The ears are hanging, fluffy, thin, almost triangular in shape and flat. The very expressive eyes are large and round, of a dark ocher color. The limbs are well developed and muscular, perfectly upright. The skin is well adherent to the body in all its parts and has a short, smooth, fine and shiny hair. Hunting is a dog with a sense of smell superior to all praise, especially if you consider the speed with which the dog does its job, that is a fast gallop with a long and inexhaustible stride. The pointer has an energetic, greedy and impetuous search, but controllable by the hunter who will rarely find himself out of range. The pointer is not considered a suitable dog for hunters who desire tranquility and tourist gait, as we are talking about a tireless athlete for sport hunting. This breed has not been selected for recovery and carry-over, but today it is able to perform it with excellence even with wild furred and always with soft teeth. Its specialties are partridges and even more woodcock and snipe. Very precocious in learning, it has a remarkable resistance and ability to face practically any climate: obviously the cold being a dog of English origin, but above all the most torrid heat. The land favored by the pointer are the clear and open ones, which are more suited to its gait, but at the same time guarantees an excellent yield even in the woods, in the forts and in the swamp. The training of the pointer can start from the first months of life. In the first two months the dog sees every action as a game, so every command is motivated by a reward. It is necessary to make him learn who is in charge and to impose rules on him that he will have to follow in any circumstance. For this it is useful to teach the dog the commands sit and down. The seated command is not essential, but it is also good to teach this to our auxiliary. It is very simple to practice sitting. You have to hold the dog by the leash only the first few times and push lightly on the back shouting in a stern tone "SITTING!" several times, until the dog assumes the desired position. After a couple of lessons you can move away to see if the dog maintains this position. The ground command is considered the most important and most useful command especially on the hunting field. It is possible to start the ground from the sitting position by pushing lightly on the dog's back shouting “GROUND!”. Also in this case it is necessary to hold the dog by the leash for the first few times and push it directly onto the back so that it assumes the "ground position" and shout the command "GROUND!". Also in this case the prize is very welcome.
The search for it is an action which, like retrieving and stopping it, is instinctive in the dog. You can begin this training by throwing the same bundle used for retrieval in the grass, to encourage the dog to use the sense of smell. The bundle must necessarily contain bird feathers, to accustom the dog to the smell of the wild. The first few times you have to encourage the dog with the voice command "SEARCH!" or "GO!", giving it a few gentle nudges. Once he has found the bundle he will bring it back to you with a simple carryover. Regarding the stop, some experts believe that you should not teach the dog, as every hunting dog has the stop in their blood. However, it is useful to wake up the dog's instincts and this "input" is given in two phases. The first occurs when the dog is 3-4 months old. A piece of torn and frayed fabric is tied to a long enough thread, trying to attract the puppy's attention, placing the rag on the ground and keeping it with the thread. At the slightest movement of the rag, the dog will pounce on it, preventing it from being able to catch it: as soon as the dog approaches, it is necessary to throw the rag upwards, keeping it in any case with a thread, simulating flight. The second phase, after the first, can begin. They buy some quail or some breeding partridge. You take the dog to the countryside or to a fairly large plot of land and scatter the quail in the grass without being seen by the dog. From this moment you can send the dog in search. For some time it will continue to throw itself at the quail, but then you will see the dog aiming at the quail. At this point the training can be considered concluded. We remind you that a lot of patience and tranquility of mind are needed throughout the training, by the owner of the dog. Maintaining a resolute but calm attitude will give excellent results and will not make the dog nervous, which despite having instinct will have to be guided in every phase of training. Having described the wild, the pointer and its training, we cannot fail to conclude this article without having briefly narrated a quail hunt with this dog, the video of which is available on youtube. We chose a joke made in Altavilla, in the province of Palermo, in a mountainous area covered by scrub. Once the pointer is released, the latter goes in search of the wild to make it fly. From here we witness the elegance in the bearing of this breed, which seems to carry out its task with dedication and wisdom. The dog trots zigzagging, but at a certain point it stops and assumes its typical position when it sees and "hears" the game. As soon as the latter takes off, the shot goes off. Jack! As with any article, we take care to always give as much correct information as possible, in order to give the reader the opportunity to understand the subject matter.