Selective hunting means patience, dedication, and hunting ethics…
Hunting is passion in its purest form. Finding yourself outdoors with your beloved bolt action rifle, with the sound of the forest in the background, searching for the next adventure that, as we know, is waiting right behind the corner. The hunter, the real one, is hungry for the hunting experience that quickly becomes memories to collect and talk about with friends, maybe in front of a fire with a nice glass of wine.
However, there’s a very particular type of hunt, in which the hunter transforms a bit into a scientist and, following analytical criteria, makes a weighted choice of picking the game to be hunted.
We’re talking about selective hunting, a very important hunt, efficient for selective managing ungulate game, in which instinct plays a secondary role.
There are two types of selective hunting, both using a manual loading rifle: the stalking, as it is called in Scotland, and hunting from hide.
The stalking is not a widespread technique, but it’s quite captivating. Carried out individually along pre-established routes, it requires a stealthy stride… and a lot of nerve!
The hunter slips into the forest at dusk, aware of the smallest sound, tackles the routes that they pinpointed ahead of time, always staying downwind to not alarm the nearby wild animals that are intent on eating.
A challenge for strong hearts… that requires experience and a lot of self-control, especially the hunt for wild boar in the forest.
In this type of hunt, the choice of a light and manageable bolt action rifle is fundamental. The development platform Evolved Ergonom-X, through the study of hunting tables of more than a thousand hunters, maintains the carabine as one of the perfect forms. The Horizon bolt action is, in fact, a light carabine, weighting less than 3 kg, ideal for long walks and for moving in thick vegetation, even in case of optics of certain weight.
It’s equipped with an extremely ergonomic gun carriage and exclusive knurling, All round Interlacement, that guarantees a fast and instinctive shouldering. The butt presents four areas of contact with the hunter’s body and allows for them to shoulder the bolt action in the five main shooting positions with an optimal grip.
The gun carriage already has shaping on stock and forend for the mouths for the swivel, which are supplied, and for the mounting of bipods. In fact, if in the forest it’s better to not use a fixed stand for the bolt action rifle when you shoot from the edge of the fields and meadows, the bipod ends up truly indispensable for precision shooting.
The length of the LOP is customizable in three different measurements to satisfy every hunter.
In the hunt, attention to detail is crucial, among which is the choice of clothing. When even the smallest noise can make the difference, the fabric used must be absolutely silent. Just as important is the bolt action hunting carabine that adheres perfectly to clothing. Thanks to TSA Recoil Pad, the Horizon bolt action rifle doesn’t get caught on fabric and allows for natural movement.
Hunting from hide is the second type of selective hunting. After an attentive evaluation of the territory’s characteristics, you pick out a position on the ground or an elevated position, like in an hunting blind, usually near crossing points for hoofed game.
It’s an individualistic and profoundly intimate hunt. The stakeouts can last hours and hours, and every time a wild animal appears on the horizon, your heart leaps and your skin is filled with pure electricity.
Hunting ethics are a fundamental element of hunting from hide. The selective hunter never allows himself to take a sloppy shot. Simple injury is not considered. For this reason, reliability and precision are essential characteristics for choosing a bold action carabine for selective hunting.
The Horizon’s barrel is chrome molybdenum steel, made with cold hammering. The result is a floating barrel that maintains maximum precision shot after shot. Every Franchi bolt action is delivered with a certificate of precision of 1 M.O.A. for every three shots fired.
The Relia trigger is light and sensible, easily calibrated by acting on the regulation screw, and is between 0.8 and 1.9 kg.
In addition, the three lug bolt allows an opening of 60° and access to the action for a quick reset through a lightened conical handle, without touching the optics even in the presence of very large tubes.
Selective hunting of ungulates has important advantages for faunal and environmental balance. It’s a complex hunt that requires an analytic spirit, patience, and self-control. But after all of the data is collecting on the habits of game, the observation of the wind, and the obsessive attention to detail, all that remains is you, your bolt action and the wild animal that you have within range.
What remains of that moment, which carries days and days of study and work, is the emotion and the gratitude towards a wild animal that by then you have come to know and that has repaid your great passion for this hunt.
Discover other configurations of Horizon and the various models:
