“Being hunters does not only mean killing, but educating oneself, trying to understand more and more and respect nature with all its good and not good creatures.
The beauty and pure integrity that the mountain offered in those days has unfortunately disappeared, marred by the many roads and increasingly powerful off-road vehicles arriving from all over, thus ruining the last remaining beauties of nature. "
The rock partridges of Mount Marsicano
Starting from Sora, a town in the Frosinone area, after having traveled all the way up to Forca d'Acero, passed the pass, the first and second refuge and the wooded part, you go down a road full of hairpin bends, but flowing down to the road marsicana where there is the junction for Opi, Pescasseroli, Camosciara and Villetta Barrea. All Abruzzo villages.
During this journey you can admire the superb and majestic Mount Marsicano, one of the highest mountains in Abruzzo, without detracting from Mount Greco and Mount Mattone.
One day, with a very dear friend of mine, I decided to make a climb also to look for our beloved rock partridges. Along the road itself we determined the route to take.
We showed up very early down in Opi and took the path that allowed us to reach our destination. It was late at night when we started climbing up the slope.
We walked for a couple of hours at a good pace, just like real mountaineers, without speaking and without any complaints. It was October, it wasn't hot, so we walked quickly. Suddenly the first peak appeared to us still very far away.
We decided to stop for a first stop and dedicate ourselves to listening to the call of the rock partridges and assessing the situation.
At the right time of the call, which normally happens just before dawn, we heard not a harmonious call, but a single song with a threatening and overbearing tone and lasted for a long time, just to demonstrate the absolute domination of the area.
My friend, more experienced than me, immediately realized that it was a "bachelor" a male rock partridge remained "bachelor" and to take revenge for his loneliness did not allow the new pairs of rock partridges to remain in that habitat.
For those who do not know, the rock partridges do not set their home in any area of the high mountains, but in places with certain requirements: sheltered from the wind, green plains for pasture, rocky hiding places ...
After a brief consultation with my friend we decided to flush him out. It was very important to us so that next year we would find new broods of rock partridges.
It was day by now and resuming our climb was not an easy thing, also because the path became more and more tiring. In the steepest and most dangerous points my dog, very strong, helped me by pulling like a small mule.
Finally arrived where the search could begin, we stopped to observe the area. I left my friend, more tired than me, guarding a great gully saying "If he escapes us he will certainly pass through here!"
Finally I released the dog and we began the search.
I crossed small uncomfortable paths that intersected each other between large rocky spikes and frightening overhangs. My footsteps among the rocks made a rumble. There was not even the slightest noise, a dead silence, and as I watched all this I realized that I had lost sight of the dog that was looking for among the rocky ledges.
I tried to call him back with a thin ultrasonic whistle, but to no avail.
Suddenly I heard a powerful whirring and saw the rock partridge that was already gaining the gully and as fast as a missile managed to escape us.
My friend, albeit from a distance, checked the route taken and without losing courage we promised ourselves to return.
By now we knew everything about the "bachelor" and catching him shouldn't have been impossible.
This hope gave us the strength and the courage to propose to face again the four hours of heavy walking to climb up there.
"Superb Mount Marsicano, this is the great passion that invades rock partridge hunters, get to know you and aim for the highest peaks."
Behind the great mountain we found a large "cart track" made up of many small pebbles and sliding with large steps between them allowed us to go down to the valley in just one hour and have fun as if we were skiing.
After eight days we returned to the appointment with a plan studied in detail.
We left with ease, we did not have to wait for the recall time.
Once on the spot my friend stood guard over the gully and I freed the dog that was already quivering having recognized the area.
After a long search, the "bachelor" left from a large rock scared by the dog. I had just seen him come down to enter the gully when I shot him in the air leaving behind a cloud of fluttering feathers.
My friend who was located further down saw everything and shouted "Bravo! .... Now I'll take care of the recovery.!"
The rock partridge had ended up at the bottom of the gully and finding it was not easy because mother nature has thought of everything to protect her creatures.
The rock partridges in fact wear beautiful blue-colored feathers in order to blend perfectly with the color of the mountain rock and have red beak and legs with streaks. A wonderful game. To find them again, I fixed the point of fall and put my hat on the ground in view and began to turn and turn until I found it.
Every time I took one in my hand I felt a different sensation and after having admired it and, having recomposed its slightly worn feathers, I would put it back in my backpack and leave for a new search.
Therefore, the overbearing "scapolone" was found, as big as a domestic cockerel, with spurs on the legs that indicated an age of at least three years, satisfied to have realized our project we set off towards the "cart track" from which we went down to the valley also having fun.
During the year we made many plans after this event. So at the opening of the rock partridge hunt, which as always fell on the second Sunday of October, my friend and I showed up on time for the appointment with our hearts full of good hopes to enjoy the fruits of our labors of the past year.
We listened to the call of the rock partridges. Day broke and no call had reached our ears. The disappointment was great. Without words my friend wanted to go back down immediately, but I, insisting, convinced him to resume the climb and get to the top to better control the situation. However, the enthusiasm had died down.
To cheer us up a little, we sat on a beautiful peak exposed to the sun as it was cool and ate a good breakfast.
We then decided to split up keeping in mind the point from where to take the casareccia for the return. My friend started to the right and I to the left.
We kept an eye on each other, my dog listlessly searched among some rocky spikes and small rocks that emerged from a small green plateau.
Suddenly I felt something, the dog remained firmly true so much so that it lay on the ground so as not to disturb the game. I also stood still to enjoy the show. After some time in front of the dog flew a rock partridge with a silent and particular fly, with all the ruffled feathers flying in a zigzag way as if it wanted to attract my attention. It stopped about twenty meters away. The dog did not move. He did not even feel the flight of the rock partridge. I was so surprised and hadn't even thought about the rifle. I quickly realized that there must be a litter of rock partridges nearby.
Gently I approached the dog and immediately hooked it to the leash, just to be safe. Immediately after doing this between the dog and my feet the small rock partridges the size of a quail blended all together making a great noise. They walked towards their mother and settled on the ground.
The mother rock partridge did not hesitate to show off offering herself as an easy prey in order to save her young.
Surely the snowfalls, the cold and the spring storms had ruined the first brood and this, albeit late, was the second.
I've never been an avid shooter and I've always been proud of that.
I motioned to my friend, who was very far from me, to come down and immediately decided not to say anything for the moment, as his very young and agitated dog would surely do damage.
When I reached my XNUMX I told him everything and he immediately got irritated. " I could at least show them to my dog ... then yours is very good and would have taken them all! "
It would have been a real shame and I was more and more happy with the choice made.
“We will return in December when they have grown up. At the first frightened snowfalls they go down to the valley, but then they get used to the snow and live with it very well. They take refuge under the large rocks where the snow does not fall and feed on small stones, which serve to strengthen the bones, snails and small herbs. "
In December we returned to Opi and with great luck we found a woodcock pass that caught our attention. Less tiring and more profitable hunting is that of the "Queen of the woods!"
I wrote this story in such a hurry as if I feared I won't have time to write it. So many memories came to my mind and I wanted to write them all.It was a great pleasure for me: I relived it with almost the same enthusiasm as in previous years. It is always very nice and pleasant to retrace days spent in youth. They find some strength and courage that help them to live the third age more serenely.
story of AP