Giulia Taboga: “my passion for wild boar hunting”

My passion for wild boar hunting has always been with me… a hunting activity capable of bringing forth unique emotions.

Regarding wild boar hunting, I remember the bell of my little terrier Ugo that all of a sudden stopped jingling. For a few seconds, time seemed to stop, the start of a frantic bark let me understand that the animal was there, in the bramble, a few meters from me… And finally, the moment that I had been waiting for a long time. My heart started racing in my chest, I could feel electricity on my skin, in the wait of the moment when we’d find ourselves face to face. Where would it come out? Would there only be one? Would I be lucky enough to see it?

Wild boar hunting is among my preferred hunting practices, because it pulls you into a vortex of sensations that later transform into precious memories. It’s always thrilling to slide silently into the forest, hunting the wild board, with the union and complicity of the group growing with each beat and the possibility of creating new friendships with hunting companions.

There are different techniques for hunting wild boar, but the most widespread method is the hunting trip, known commonly in Italy as braccata or cacciarella. Types of wild boar hunting are not the same in every Italian region.

IN MY LAND, FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA, WE HAVE A TECHNIQUE THAT CAN’T BE DEFINED AS NEITHER GIRATA NOR BRACCATA. THE GIRATA, DIFFERENT FROM THE BRACCATA, OR HUNTING WITH A PACK OF DOGS, IS TYPICALLY CARRIED OUT WITH A SMALL SQUAD OF HUNTERS ON LIMITED TERRITORIES.

In Friuli, a group is generally formed by five to twenty hunters and two dog handlers. The team leader, who has the job of coordinating the group and maintaining the optimal atmosphere so that the hunting day concludes in the best way and in total safety, goes to mark the fresh tracks before the morning meeting; the strategic positioning of the comrades, who are assigned places, is done based on these tracks. And the hunt begins!

One of the fundamental rules of this widespread hunting practice is absolute silence, unless in urgent situations. These moments in the thick of the forest with my shotgun, when I hear only the rustle of dogs in the vegetation, are part of what I love about this hunt. I feel suspended, with the expectation that grows and emotion that increases as each minute passes, because I know that the meeting with the wild animal is ever closer and will come all of a sudden.

MY ROLE IN THE GROUP IS DOG HANDLER, WHICH ALLOWS ME TO COMBINE MY PASSION FOR THE HUNT WITH ANOTHER GREAT PASSION OF MINE, THAT FOR OUR HUNTING DOGS.

Among the major stimuli that a day of boar hunting can offer me is the possibility to actively follow the work of the dogs. Seeing them work with tenacity and enthusiasm and supporting them step after step is an aspect of this hunt that I really could never give up.

The breed that I have usually used for their hunting technique is the Deutscher Jagdterrier. Unlike most hounds, it’s a dog that works very closely with its owner and doesn’t go on too long in the hunt.

I started training my first terrier Ugo just before the last exam for my hunting license. I took him to an enclosed 3-hectare forest when he was only six months old, putting him on the trail of two small boars. This way I directed him towards this type of hunt in a natural way and without danger.

With great surprise, already at his first official hunting outing, he gifted me great satisfaction! What could be more fulfilling than being rewarded after so much hard work and dedication? Sensations that I relive today with Zoe, my trusty English Setter.

I started my hunting activity with the wild boar hunt. From my first hunts, the need to team up with other hunters won me over. Having the opportunity to be part of a group of people so united, that moved like a single body, comrades and helpers together… communicating even with a simple glance!

The hunt is also this: friendship, respect, understanding, sharing.

Giulia Taboga

Among the semiautomatic shotguns dedicated to boar hunting, discover all of the technical characteristics of the Affinity Slug, the Franchi smooth-bore shotgun specific for hunting this passionate game. Thanks to the TSA recoil pad that allows for noticeable recoil reduction and to the marked handling for which it is characterized, it’s an excellent ally of those that love the hand-to-hand challenge with the king of the bush.

The performances of the Franchi slug shotgun are the result of the developmental platform, Franchi XS, which, analyzing the hunting habits of more than a thousand hunters, comes back with the perfect rifle for wild boar hunting.

And if you love hunting wild boar with rifles, discover the Franchi bolt action Horizon family in all of its variations: