The Department of Rural Development and Fisheries Policies of the Abruzzo regional council has decided to extend the harvesting of woodcock (scolopax rusticola) from 11 to 20 January 2016. The communication was made public yesterday to the provincial administrations of Pescara, Chieti, L'Aquila and Teramo. The decision was made after carefully examining the technical reports produced by the Abruzzo Hunting Territorial Areas and taking a cue from what has been established in Annex B of the hunting calendar 2015-2016 (the one that speaks of woodcock hunting).
The nine-day extension will be allowed for no more than two items per day and only in three territorial areas, as well as on terms of reciprocity. The territorial areas are Pescara, Barisciano and the Chietino-Lancianese. The extension, on the other hand, will not be possible in the other territorial hunting areas due to a lack of the conditions that have been established by the Regional Council Resolution 953 of 16 December 2013 ("approval of the operational protocol for the organization of censuses of woodcock populations ").
In particular, the minimum percentage of surface to be subjected to census has not been reached, given that at least 100 hectares must be extended. However, it is worth remembering which are the main provisions that the Region has made for the hunting of woodcock. This hunting activity can only be conducted with dogs belonging to the hunting and pointing breeds. Follow dogs, on the other hand, cannot be used. The pick-up starts at 7 am until January 15th and at 6:50 am from 16th to 20 pm, while the end is at 16:15 pm and 16:45 pm.
La hunting it can be suspended if the regional meteorological service reports the forecast of temperatures below zero degrees for more than six hours, during the day (sunrise-sunset) and for three consecutive days. The suspension is communicated through a specific chain and in no more than 24 hours. February 20, 2016 is the last day available to hunters who have killed woodcocks to deliver the right wing of the specimens taken from the Territorial Hunting Area in which they are resident or admitted, an operation to be carried out together with the return of the card. of abatement.
Finally, the monitoring of the areas is done by expert hunters who have followed a suitable training activity according to the technical directives of theISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), according to the procedures set out in the operational protocol for monitoring populations of woodcocks.