La caccia

The hunt

Translation by Vanda & Carlo from N.Y. – Thank you very much

“ For necessity or passion, man has always hunted. For millennia man’s intelligence has been intimately connected to the hunt.”

(Pierre-Luis Duchartre – Founder of the Hunt Museum of Gien)

Begun as a fight for survival, the hunt has evolved starting from an original satisfaction to the ancestral predatory instincts present in man. It was a virile exercise in a psycho–physical training that would prove itself for war (as with the lion, bear, wild boar, deer, etc.) ..… enemies would also make use of every technique and strategy for defence and offence. As a privilege reserved for the powerful as a competitive form (adhering to the Ars Venandi and enacted with fair play and respect for nature) between intelligence and instinct.

Hunting was born with man, to defend, clothe, nourish, shelter and protect himself and his herd….

” Thus, for the first time, the order in which man and dog follow the prey was established: first the dog then the hunter. When dogs target a prey, the dominant psychological mechanism must be the following: the prey (a deer, bear, or wild boar) that runs from man would certainly be disposed to fight a lone dog but, in it’s anger in seeing a small and brazen adversary, forgets the other and much more dangerous pursuer.”

(K. Lorenz)

Return From Bare Hunting (Fernand Cormon 1845-1824

Hunting in Italy involved game that was either feathered, furred, harmful or edible meat (wild boar, deer etc.). Initially dog qualities were limited to scenting abilities, speed and strength - they were hunting dogs.

For centuries the “Corso” has been used as a hunting dog. It was also called “Dogo” and from a very young age it received careful training that did not require particular specialization. The Dogo was to be “multi-talented” par excellence, that is being precisely specialized for hunting. The best dog was the one most multi functional, the requirement (the selection followed this objective) with simply remarkable jaw strength, agility, skill, courage and obstinate aggression

One of the most exciting hunting activities (because it require a great deal of courage and aggressiveness) was the bear hunt: a strong and ferocious beast able to move with great agility. The Molossi were indispensable to pick up their trail, follow and “hold” the bear until the hunters arrived.

Bear Hunt

Cani Corso and Abbruzzesi Mastiffs 1700s

Majolica by Candeloro Cappelletti – Bear hunt in the Abruzzi woods

The great landowners mounted on horses, often used the Corso and greyhound (or of a cross breed of the two) for wolf hunting. In the great estates of the “Lords” of the time, it was not unusual for this frightening predator to raid the pens where farm animals were kept. Hunts were systematically organized to reduce these incursions.

Wolf Hunt Spoiled by Mastiffs - G. Decamps (1803 – 1860) Louvre Museum

The Boar Hunt

A mosaic from “Villa Romana del Casale” (3^rd Century DC) of Piazza Armerina (Sicily) presents us with striking realism the conclusion of a boar hunt. The boar, though wounded, attempts a last defensive stand, a hunter has pierced it with a lance, another lays wounded, a third shows signs of fear and another is in the act of throwing a large rock against the beast. Two dogs complete this grouping: one a slim formed (similar to a greyhound) biting the boar’s side, the other, clearly a Molossoid, confronts the bear by baring his fangs. The ears are cut, the eye vigilant, an athletic built robust and muscular, lean and sprinting – his look is very similar to the Cane Corso.

For many hunters the true and only hunt was (and it is still so) the bear hunt. Once the great lords of the time, rich landowners and professional hunters only practiced it. They would neglect all their affairs and enthusiastically hunted for days.

Fundamentally two techniques were used (still in use today) one was the “all’aspetto” which consisted of waiting for the prey to come into the open after it had rested all day, the other was the “battuta” which took place from November through January and it was lead by pack dogs which included “Blood-hound” (to pick up and follow trails), Greyhounds (for the chase) and small mixed breed with particular aggressiveness (to flush out the boar from the brush) and light Molossi. The pack had to work as a team and each dog had to know instinctively his duties, the limits of attack and defence, which would enable them to prevent mortal wounds, which the younger dogs, pushed by an unstoppable fury, were prone to receive.

The Molosso would go into action and, once the boar was flushed out from the brushwood, their task was hold the beast at bay until the hunters arrived and finished it with the rifle or by lance. The dogs assigned to this job had to be endowed with remarkable jaw strength, agility, skill, courage and aggression: the characteristic of the Cane Corso. The fight was bloody; the boar, especially if wounded and cornered, attacks with frightening fury (every year hunters loose dogs that were “opened” by the boar’s tusks). The ability of the Corso consists in quickly biting the ear or the haunch thus impeding the boar’s flight.

Using appropriate and careful training optimized the natural and instinctive potential of the Corso for this task. The adult dogs were incited against a boar while the younger dogs remained leashed and observed the attack tactics. Once the boar had been immobilized, they were released and they in turn were earnestly incited to act with speed and determination. In this manner, with the encouragement of the trainers they learned to avoid the abrupt reactions of the prey and to attack at the most favourable moment. Another very efficient exercise was to bring the older pups in a thicket and suddenly throw a stuffed boar cub that the young dogs would then find and attack venting their excitement.

The return to the wild of lost pigs and their subsequent cross breeding with boars facilitated the formation of small hybrid tribes for which the hunting techniques would be changed. These hybrids were divided into three groups according to their age: “Cinghialetto” before six months, “Porcastro” after their sixth month; as adults they were called “Maiale inselvatichito”. These cross breeds were less dangerous to hunt then the wild boar and their trail was easier to detect and follow. The hunt would be concluded quickly and insidiously, one of the dogs would corner the “Cinghialetto” or the “Porcastro” while the other would end it by taking the prey by the throat. The situation was quite different when confronting a boar who by size and strength would subject the dogs to graver risks.

Detail of a F. Halkert (1737-1807) painting about a wild boar hunting with Cane Corso and Greyhounds, organized by Ferdinando IV in the Cassano hunt estate.

(Capodimonte art Gallery)

Before the hunting it was customary to feed the Corso” with a small ration of milk mixed with either bran, oats, corn, sorghum, or barley so that the dog would have sufficient sugars in his system so that a better performance was attained; the carbohydrates provided the capability of more speed and a lesser consumption of oxygen (with parity of expended energy, the cardio-respiratory effort diminishes). Upon returning from the hunt a “pappone” was fed to the dog: a mix of meat, stale bread, blood, bones and lard to replace the energy spent. With the “Corso” hunters also liked to use crossbreeds which were of even greater efficiency. These were: the “Stravieri” (Greyhound X Corso) the “Mezzosangue” (male Corso X female Blood-hound) and the “Mezzocorso” (male “Corso” X female Mastiff Abruzzese). Cross-breeding allowed for a formidable synthesis of the quality of the “Corso” and that of other more ‘specialized’ breeds.

The “straviere” would add speed to strength. The “mezzosangue” united acute aptitudes to search for prey to tenacity. The “mezzocorso” was multy talented because it was improved by it’s ability of guarding a herd and that of protectiveness. Some times the ears of these thickly pelted, dappled black dogs , were cut while the beautiful furred and expressive tails were left untouched. Some attribute the derivation of the Mastino Abruzzese to the “mezzocorso”.

Mezzocorso “Anita and Garibaldi”

The Badger Hunt

This type of hunting (prohibited today) is of ancient origins. In Southern Italy it took place at night with in a prescribed manner and with the aid of the Corso.

The Badger is a “plantigrado” with the dimensions of a dog; it’s pelt is grey-brown and black and it is easily recognizable from the characteristic white stripe that extends from the forehead to the nose. After having lazed and slept all day, at night it searches for easy prey around the watering holes. It’s meat is appetizing, and in olden times the fat from it’s skin was melted and used in an ointment to which popular medicine attributed great efficacy in treating rheumatism. The bristle were used to decorate harnesses, saddles of beasts of burden, dog collars and hung from doorways as lucky charms. It was also believed to have powers against the evil eye, even though in truth badger’s hair acts as a deterrent against flies and mosquitoes.

Help from the Cane Corso was essential in hunting the badgers. In this task, the Corso proved to be a first rate hunter, being able to act alone and kill the badger by himself. It would silently stalk the prey and having found it, would frontally attack hitting with his wide and powerful chest making the badger tumble, then with lightening speed it would seize it in a deadly bite. This was the winning tactic to avoid the prey’s dangerous claws.

The more demanding hunters employed an effective coupling; Bloodhounds-halfbreed and Cane Corso. The Hounds was able to follow the prey through any type of terrain, from flats to mountains, from open countryside to deep woods, from swamp to under bush. These mix-breed proved to be excellent night hunters, favoured by their infallible scenting abilities, they would pick up the trail and followed their prey silently. They would suddenly and with incredible ability corner the prey without any possibility of escape. The badger, hopelessly seized, became very dangerous and offered a courageous defence using all the power of it’s legs which were armed with long solid and sharp claws. The hounds would manoeuvre around the badger with ability and mastery to keep him at bay until the Corso, arrived with the hunters, would conclude the task with his rapid technique. The hunter would have nothing else to do but gather the prey, take the meat and sell the fur for the above mentioned uses.

Because of their nightly work overseeing the crops and the harvest, the country guards were enthusiastic about hunting badgers. The long hours of night patrol gave them the opportunity of combining work and pleasure by including in their rounds from field to field, visits to the areas frequented by badgers. The companion in these solitary nights was the Cane Corso: the bodyguard, the infallible hunter and the sole listener of the guard’s soliloquy.

In the Badger hunt, the Corso with a “frumentino” pelt (a very light tawny colour) was chosen. It was fundamentally important that the colour of the dog would be distinctly different than the colour of the badger because if unfortunately the dog would fail in his final assault and only wound the prey, the hunter would have to finish it with a club (using a rifle was avoided in order not to damage the pelt). In the dark of night the distinctive colouring would avoid accidentally hitting the Corso.

Alfonso Comer with Bruno, his formidable Corso after a badger hunt

The Porcupine Hunt

In areas where Mediterranean forest and fauna survive environmental pollution, there still survives a typical fauna amongst which exists the porcupine. Sought after because of its exquisite flesh and its characteristics quills which are used in the making of jewellery and artefacts. The porcupine in Italy is found primarily along the Tirrenian cost and in the south-central regions. Up to a few years ago it was considered harmful to some agricultural cultivations and was hunted in all seasons. The real “specialists” for hunting this rodent, that in dialect is called “Spinosa”, are found in the Maremma Lazio-Toscana, in Agro Pontino and in Sicily. The laws of protection and the abandonment of farms favour the repopulation of this species and it is no longer in extinction. With a height at the withers of 20 to 25 cm. and weighting 15 to 20 Kg., the porcupine is the largest European rodent after the beaver. It is a nocturnal animal that spends his days resting in lairs of notable dimension and easy entrance dug thanks to their front claws or in natural cavities. It likes to live in tranquil solitude, beginning its activity at sunset. When threatened it knows how to defend himself by putting into effect a tactic that is both active and passive at the same time: it emits hisses and grunts, arches his back and becomes rigid, presenting the adversary with the spiky point of his quills which can reach 30 to 40 cm in length (it is a false belief that it can launch its quills as arrows). It moves through vegetation marking small trails where he leaves some quills to reveal his presence.

In Sicily - where the porcupine is found primarily along the sides of Mount Etna, on the promontory of St.Vito Lo Capo and on the woods of Sts. Peter and Great Michael - it was hunted with the aid of the “u cursicieddu” (the local denomination for the Cane Corso). The affectionate nickname should not be misleading because the dogs were 60 cm. in height at the withers and about 50 Kg. in weight, attributes that united a strong temper, exceptional strength and attack fervour made the Corso especially qualified for this kind of hunt. Their tail was cropped at the 8^th vertebra. Once the presence of the porcupine in his lair was ascertained, “u cursiceddu” was incited and urged to enter it, and to please his master the dog would do so with all his strength and devotion. The Corso would seize and hold the prey ignoring the dangerous quills, the hunter would then pull out the tail stump with the porcupine still clutched in the dog’s jaws .

The recommendation to cut the tail at the 8^th vertebra was so that the hunter would have a better grip to pull the dog out. Often because of the eagerness, pain tolerance and bite strength, the dog would suffer serious wounds to his eyes that would lead to blindness.