Hunted, turned and hunted in single form
Federcaccia Lazio announces the signing of new regulations for wild boar hunting , following active and direct discussions with hunters in the sector. The regulations, the result of a thorough listening to the needs expressed by the local community and hunters, represent a significant step forward in regional hunting management and aim to combine effectiveness, sustainability, and compliance with health and environmental regulations. Federcaccia's position is to promote the three main traditional forms of wild boar hunting—drive, driven, and single-game hunting—along with selective and containment hunting. Drive is one of the most traditional and widespread forms, practiced by organized teams on assigned territories. It involves the coordinated use of hound dogs and numerous hunters, with the aim of driving wild boars toward the hunting posts. This method ensures high numbers and is essential in areas with high wildlife density.
Medium density areas
The girata, also practiced by teams in assigned territories, is a more streamlined form of hunting than the poached one: it uses a smaller number of hunting posts and hides, allowing for faster action and less impact on the landscape. It is particularly effective in medium-density areas. Single hunting, on the other hand, is reserved for the so-called "white zones," i.e., those not assigned to teams. It is practiced by a maximum of three hunters, sometimes with the aid of dogs not specifically selected for wild boar hunting. While less impactful, it is less effective in terms of population control. Federcaccia Lazio emphasizes that traditional hunting methods, although less selective, represent the most effective method for containing wild boar populations, as also required by health regulations for the prevention of African swine fever and as requested by the agricultural sector to limit damage to crops.
The expected results
For this reason, Federcaccia believes it is necessary to expand more effective hunting methods, even within protected areas, where selective hunting alone fails to produce the desired results. The alternative use of traps can create ecological imbalances: capturing and subsequently releasing animals into unfamiliar territories risks compromising the social and behavioral balance of wild populations. From this perspective, it is crucial to consider selective hunting not as a competitive alternative to traditional hunting, but rather as a complementary and supportive tool. The culling plans drawn up for individual territories must remain the primary point of reference; only if the objectives are not achieved should selective intervention complete the containment effort. Inevitably, selective hunting is the tool best suited to addressing damage to cash crops in the short term, and to this end, it will be important to develop an organizational management system that can respond to requests for intervention almost immediately.
Managing excess staff
To be more effective in managing overpopulation, Federcaccia Lazio proposes extending the hunting season for hunting teams to February, with selection taking place the following month. This measure would ensure greater effectiveness during periods of peak wild boar activity, with positive impacts on swine fever containment and agricultural damage reduction. Federcaccia Lazio is fully aware of the serious challenges facing the agricultural sector due to excessive wild fauna pressure. Damage to crops, the disruption of environmental balances, and road accidents related to the uncontrolled presence of ungulates require immediate and concrete action. To this end, last June Federcaccia Lazio successfully finalized an important agreement with the Municipality of Fiumicino for the management of the Roman Coast Park area, in collaboration with local farmers and thanks to a formal agreement with Coldiretti. An area now on the verge of collapse in terms of sustainability, where wildlife damage had reached emergency proportions, with serious repercussions on public safety and traffic.
Sustainable solutions
To address the situation, Federcaccia has deployed its qualified and specialized resources, once again demonstrating its credibility and expertise. Another ongoing collaboration concerns the Lago di Vico Regional Nature Reserve, an area of great natural and economic value (chestnut and hazelnut groves), where wild boar capture cages have proven inadequate for a sustainable resolution to the problem. Here too, Federcaccia Lazio has taken action to provide more effective and sustainable solutions, in compliance with local regulations and needs. At the same time, the association is planning new training courses for hunters, essential for competently and responsibly addressing the current challenges of wildlife and land management. Training, active participation, and dialogue with institutions remain the cornerstones on which Federcaccia intends to build the future of hunting and environmental management. Federcaccia Lazio will continue to identify the best solutions and the most effective timeframes for addressing the problems arising from excessive wild fauna. To look to the future with clarity and perspective, it is essential to solve today's problems with courage, competence, and vision (Federcaccia Lazio – Regional President Aldo Pompetti).
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