ANY ONE WHO READS this column regularly will know that I’ve written recently about both French and German gundogs. On the same theme, this is a piece about Italian gundogs, but it wasn’t one I was planning to write. However, a friend with a passion for all things Italian — from formaggi to Ferrari and ciabatta to chianti — challenged me to write it. Intriguingly, though he shoots with a Beretta and drives an Alfa Romeo, he works a pair of black labradors, having never quite taken the plunge to get an Italian gundog.
My hesitancy in writing this piece is because, unlike France and Germany, I’ve never been shooting in Italy, though I have been lucky enough to have travelled widely in the country from top — Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps — to toe (Sicily). I have a good idea of the terrain that the native Italian gundogs have to work in, while I’m also well aware that game is generally scarce, the two main factors that have shaped and moulded Italy’s shooting dogs.
Hound-like
During my last Italian trip, to Sicily, I tried to see rock partridges, a cousin of our familiar redlegs. I failed, but perhaps I might have succeeded if I’d had a spinone or bracco working for me. Of all the gundogs, none is more hound-like in appearance than the bracco Italiano. While the historians may differ on the breed’s ancestry, most agree that the bracco is one of the oldest breeds in Europe, with bloodlines that go back to the Renaissance (15th and 16th centuries).
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 24, 2021-Ausgabe von Shooting Times & Country.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside