A inusual report about a hunt done with parents and friends in the northern Sardegna island (Italy).
Usually the island is famous as the place of summer holidays, specially the Smeralda Coast with lot famous people, blu water and beautiful beaches. My wife have a house there and in the last years I discovered that is a place with lot of game: wild boars, partridges, pigeons etc. The wild boar in Sardegna is not only a really wild animal, but also a very interesting subspecies (Sus scrofa meridionalis), smaller of the eurpean wild boar (max 50kg) living only in this island and in the northern Corsica island, not again recognized from the SCI. This summer I found a very nice place for hunt and I booked a couples of days of wild boar hunt for early December.
The outfitter is mr. Gianfranco Serra of the http://www.mutodigallura.com/ an agriturismo with a very nice hunting area of over 500 hectares on top of the mountains ( 600 m slm).
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wildboar/cinghpanorama3.jpg


The hunt is done in battue following the classical sistem: lot of dogs, lot of hunters around the hunting area. The hunting terrain is very difficult, thick bush, rocks, We were a group of 11 hunters, but we had the help of about 15 local hunters more, with an incredible variety of dogs. The gun for all was the shotgun 12 gauge ( unlawful using any rifles) with brenneke or gualandi bullets. The animals are very wild not like in the fenced preserves and are very difficult to kill, but in two days we got seven pigs with a couple of nice males.

see some pictures:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wildboar/cingmiorid2.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wildboar/cingmiorid3.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wildboar/cinglor1.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wild.../cinghpanormama2.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wild.../cinghiopanorama.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/marionobili/wildboar/cinghmiorid.jpg

That does look like tough country to get pigs in.

The similarities between that area and the vegetation in some of the areas we hunt in California is amazing.

Good show.

Kyler

Yet another boar hunting destination for me.
Thanks for the information.

Neat place, Was stationed @ La Madalena in 1989 to 1991 and managed to get an invite to go wild boar hunting on Sadenia one time with some of the local people. Didn't get to carry a shotgun on the hunt, but it was pretty cool to be part of that experience from the predawn bonfire and then into the hills after the pigs. My sponsor was the only one who spoke any passable English and had a couple of dogs and I was with him thru the thick stuff with the other dog handlers trying to roust out the pigs. Don't remember the size of the hunting party other than large (maybe 15-20 guys). During the after lunch drive with teh dogs one pig was spotted and the shooting began, after the first barrage all the yelling started about who let the pig get away ( i think, didn't understand all the Italian, lol). Dogs tracked the wounded porker down and the group then procedded to one of the hunters homes for the butchering and dividing of the meat, they even gave me a chunk of it to take home. Tasted pretty good as I reacll. After the pig hunting my sponsor took me to some orchards and we did some bird hunting but didn;t ahve much luck there and nom, I don't recall what type of birds we were after. After that it was drive back to Palau and take the ferry ( man was that ever wild in those days) back to La Mad and the end of my one time Italian wild hog hunt. Was glad I had the chance to tag along.
Willi

" Tasted pretty good" I remember having some cinghiale prosciutto, it was a lot more than 'pretty good ' !!!

is an interesting place for combine an holiday and an hunt ( the hunting season there begin July first). So is perfect for go there with the wife and childrens. Maybe some days on the sea and few days on the hunting area. The accomodation in the Muto di gallura is very good and the food is great.