Two days after the closure of the roe deer hunt in view of the one-month break for summer loves, I get ready for a morning outing. For the first time I will be accompanied by a dear friend, also a hunter, fond of hare and wild boar. He has never practiced selection hunting and I am happy to make him live, albeit as a companion, such an experience. We arrive before dawn in the hunting area, I know the territory well because I frequent it assiduously, but because of the darkness we move with extreme caution.
We hear the barking of deer from afar, and we head almost blindly to the post. When the light of the morning twilight barely illuminates the sky, the broad stubble on the left and an uncultivated field on the right are defined in front of us. A roe deer silhouette is ruminating sitting in the stubble, but it will take a few more minutes to give birth to the strength to reveal the void in the middle of the big ears. I explain to Massimo that both adult and young males are foreseen in the slaughter plan but that, according to my personal common sense, I intend to take an M1 leaving the dominant males the possibility of covering the females for which they have fought over the weeks. previous.
When the light is bright enough to unravel the shapes in the uncultivated field, with binoculars I see a male roe deer. With a nod to Massimo I invite him to frame him and after a quick observation I conclude that it is a young male. While the lying position would have been easily assumed to shoot in the stubble, here in the field there is more or less tall grass, and I will have to shoot from the tripod. I turn with imperceptible movements in the direction of the roe deer, taking a time that to Massimo, accustomed to the jab shots of his forms of hunting, will seem eternal and unnerving. As soon as we conclude that it is the right garment, Massimo stops his ears waiting for the roar of the shot. My lingering surprises him, and he does not dare verbalize the thousand curses he has in mind while there is a roe deer standing with a lattice on him. I don't shoot until its position is perfectly postcard-perfect, having plenty of time and aiming for a clean shot that is respectful of the animal and its body. While we live suspended in these interminable seconds full of questions and answers that cannot meet, a large wild boar touches us, parading a few meters in front of us.
As a thoroughbred harbinger that he is, Massimo seethes with adrenaline and the call of the bristle makes him move. He doesn't say a word but his expression is a mixture of amazement, blame and disbelief. From his point of view, it is impossible not to be tempted by that wild boar which, thanks to our invisibility due to the silence and the favorable wind, is so close that it can be touched. I too want to explain to him that in that area I can't take wild boar, and then I had gone out for a young male of roe deer, and I was waiting for the right moment for a perfect shot. The moment has come, I throw an eye to Massimo to make sure his hands are back to protect his ears, and I send the shot right where I visualized it. The roe deer disappears in the uncultivated field, but I have no big doubts about where we will find it. While I tighten the band I am very happy, both for the success of this release and for the excellent company of Massimo.
But what makes me most satisfied is having had the opportunity to show a friend and hunter some principles dear to me about this form of hunting. Ideas that no book or course will ever be able to divulge as effectively as sharing in the woods and in the generosity of Nature.
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