Snipe hunting is one of those passions that do not fade, which require a cool head, a steady pulse and an excellent pointing dog.
There are hunting techniques that fascinate for some time and then set, they are forgotten, archived. This is certainly not the case with the snipe, whose hunting stimulated our grandparents, our great-grandparents, and will probably stimulate our children and grandchildren.
It is certainly his sagacity, and his intelligence to make him a five-star migratory bird. To get an idea of how much he is loved and sought after, just take a look at the numerous names that have been given to him; scientifically it is capella gallinago, but at the popular level it is also called winged lightning, king of the water mead, tenant of the paddy field, hunter's school, knight's plate.
The local names of this bird tell us not only that it is fast, but that it loves to live near the rice fields, that its meat is very tender and that hunting it is an excellent school for any young person who wants to approach the art of hunting.
When a hunter is called to describe the snipe he does it with admiration: on the other hand he is an excellent migrator, he camouflages himself with simplicity, he is an excellent runner, swimmer and when he flies he does so with elegance and against the wind, but also he is shy, diffident. and in some cases scary.
Its fame is also due to the fact that it is found practically everywhere in the world, with the exception of Oceania, where it seems it has never laid its paws.
Italy also has its fair share of snipe which rarely nest on the territory. In truth, to see groups of snipe we will have to wait until August, when their migration brings them to the peninsula. The behavior of the bird at this point is predictable: snipes feed at night, and prefer to live in flat areas, preferably humid. They love rice fields, ponds and of course marshy areas. It is in these places that with a certain simplicity the snipe can get insects and worms, but also crustaceans and invertebrates that it manages to capture thanks to the sharp and long beak that nature has provided it with.
Not infrequently it lives near or even in the place of pasture and moves only when the climate changes drastically and the ground freezes. Those who hunt him in Italy know his habits well and know that to have any chance against the snipe he must be accompanied by a good pointing dog: it is no coincidence that even today the roaming snipe hunt is considered one of the most refined. and difficult.
The dog's task is to find the snipe, but never let them fly before they are within range, while the hunter must move cautiously, in silence, with a steady wrist and aim for five stars.
In the case of snipe hunting, long waits are not recommended: you must shoot immediately, because after a few zig zags the snipe moves away, after having emitted the classic kiss.
Not infrequently confused by the layman with the croccolone, but also with the whisk, to hunt the snipe it is good to have not only a good pointing dog, but also a semiautomatic equipped with medium choke and fast cartridges , with 34 grams of lead 8.