Arci Caccia: Piedmont, in the management of hunting activities in the regional territory, "intellectual honesty and credibility".
I would like to publicly thank the president, who is also the representative of farmers, NOT hunter, of ATC CN1, the members of the steering committee of this institute, obviously including our friend and cardholder Sandro Marengo who is a member of it, who deliberated, on the evening of the 11 cm, allowing the hunting of migratory game, on that territory, for three days at the hunter's choice.
Heartfelt thanks, I express them right now to all those ATCs and CAs of Cuneo and all of Piedmont, who will orient themselves in the same way, because they will have shown attention and respect for the figure of the hunter, already harassed and opposed in every way by a multitude of subjects for mostly instrumental reasons, and even more than the few romantic "ghost chasers", that is the migratory hunters. It was all too easy to foresee problems concerning the application of the article, reported below, of the Piedmontese hunting calendar 2014/2015, as we had immediately expressed in writing, a friend of ANLC and the writer, to the competent offices of the Region.
“C) the collection of migratory species is allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, in every ATC and CA. The Management Committees may establish, without prejudice to the overall limit referred to in point 3.1., The days allocated to the collection or allow the free choice of the hunter;
D) in the privately managed hunting area, hunting is allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. "
The ten-year experience acquired in the field of hunting management of the areas in which I live, has in fact too often highlighted that the discretion left to the ATC-CA in regulating the "hunting life" of hunters, has only led, over the years, to odious disparities of treatment among hunters without, at the same time, determining any positive results in wildlife / environmental management. Point out, then, the incongruity that in "free" territory it is possible to intervene by the ATC-CA with further limitations on the already, originally, short hunting times, while in the one used for "private hunting" that faculty does not exist, it turned out to be all too simple, even embarrassing, or at least the way I am, so it was.
Wondering who wanted and supported the article in question as it is, can be vague, almost a mystery, also because last season, in Piedmont, it was possible to hunt migrants three days of your choice, and this had not led to any critical issues. . On the other hand, knowing who later “made it their own”, that article, or not, is apparently clearer. There are, in fact, various discussions on social networks that outline the various points of view, with all the nuances of the case. However, it is well understood that many hunters, from EVERY hunting association, no longer passively accept the assumption "either eat this soup, or jump the window" but feed on the network, and not only there, animated discussions, questions, more or less criticisms constructive, in the face of what appear to be simply fears, mistrust which, also in my opinion, are anachronistic and unjustified.
"Smoky" fears and mistrust that in Piedmont and probably even more in the province of Cuneo, it is an enormous effort to relegate definitively to oblivion. Everything has radically changed over time. The rules, the crops, the wild, the hunters, the latter getting older and less, but some beliefs do not, do not change, unchanged and, it seems, unchangeable. It would seem that, for some, even at a political / institutional level and also among those who occupy important positions in hunting associations, the real problems are not, for example, the ultra-empty coffers of certain territorial institutions for wildlife / environmental management, with the consequent request for access quotas to the same limit or even greater than what the regulations provide, and subsequently used almost exclusively to keep the bureaucratic apparatus alive and not invested in wildlife / environmental management. Or the lack of transparency in the management of parts of various bodies, which, always and only for example, do not even make their financial statements public. Sometimes directed with a personalistic attitude and understood as an exercise of power and not of service, an attitude that even and incredibly results in imposing or denying hunters what the law guarantees them!
Just as it would not seem to be identified, among the real problems, to consider some wild species of hunting interest that can be exterminated as the worst pests, the same species that, having passed the Italian borders, are instead appreciated as important resources and treated accordingly. Here in the Cuneo area, on the contrary, hunted, I beg your pardon, contained, now those yes, or at least the wild boar, 365 days a year, everywhere, therefore even in territories where hunting is prohibited, even at night, by hunters. and / or "public" personnel enabled for the purpose, all certainly and obviously in compliance with the regulations in force but which, in the terms in which it has developed and in which it is currently expressed, some food for thought should be expressed, at least among hunters and who represents them and I'm not here to list the reasons because it would seem to offend the intelligence of most.
It would seem that addressing and solving the problems mentioned above does not fall within the priorities of some hunters and, I repeat, what is most disconcerting, not even in most of the political / institutional representation that has competence in the matter and even of some hunters / managers / hunting managers. . Instead, that Piedmontese migratoryists can benefit from a logical, even obvious choice given the type of wild animals they prefer to hunt, which today may be present on the territory and tomorrow not (for this reason I previously referred to "ghosts") it seems instead a problem of real depth! And these anxieties materialize despite the fact that the Piedmontese hunting calendar has been and still is among the most restrictive in Italy and perhaps in Europe! To motivate unmotivated fears, respect for Italian and European standards is also invoked. But what would they be or would ever be broken?
Well, referring to the Italian regions and above all to the European states such as Spain, France, Croatia, Romania and Greece, which are geographically located more or less at our longitude, where the quail hunt begins at the end of September as it happens. in Piedmont? That is, basically when this wild migrant is almost no longer present on our territory. Where does the thrush and cesene sampling end in the first ten days of January? In fact, preventing the hunt for the latter that often arrive in our region after that date, also given the climatic changes of recent years.
Where does the woodcock hunt stop with the pointing dog on December 31st? And where is there a game bag limit, for this species, of two animals per day for an annual total of ten? Where does the wood pigeon open in October? It can even be hunted all year round in some northern European states as it is considered harmful. How and how much are anatidae hunted in Italy and Europe compared to how and how much are they hunted in Piedmont? More generally, in which European state are there days of hunting silence? Where do you hunt certain “feathered” game, not only the typical alpine but also gray partridge and red partridge, after preliminary censuses on the consistency of the same? Where is there a limitation on the collection of the hare species of five animals per season? Where is there a card where you can record hunting days and slaughtered animals? Where is there so much territory in which hunting is prohibited for various and more or less just and useful reasons, as in Piedmont and Italy? In which State of the PLANET exist in relation to a "hobby" activity (just to convey the idea and in quotation marks because I know that hunting is much more and much more complex than a simple hobby) many public bodies and even private individuals in charge of monitoring who practices it?
Where, in Europe and also in most of Italy, five hundred euros or more are paid as happens in Piedmont, including national and regional taxes, insurance and access fees to a single ATC (to access more than one figure rises considerably) to be able to hunt, for a very short time, very limited game bags, weather, health and work commitments permitting, perhaps only migratory game? Given the above, we should still demonstrate what to whom, from our "world" or strangers to it, in relation to our prudence, our attention, our awareness ?!
A few months ago, however, a novelty has emerged that involves US and, at least in my opinion, also extremely positive if we activate US all together, especially US from the "bottom", so that it truly becomes one. In fact, a new course has begun in various regions and also in Piedmont, also formalized in different ways but having as common denominator the expression as unified as possible of the thought and action of hunting associations. My hope is that it will lead first of all to a real, concrete collective awareness of what ABSOLUTELY is no longer postponable. We know very well what are the real problems that affect our sector and they must be faced immediately with competence and attention by the heads of hunting associations, without waiting for “others” to do so as, unfortunately, sometimes happens.
Certainly the problems are not related to where, how, what and how much is hunted in Piedmont or Italy! State law and regional regulations on the subject already provide more than sufficient and extremely prudent indications and obligations in this regard. Moreover, it is certified by authoritative national and transnational scientific studies, that only and only the conservation and restoration of habitats have a positive value on the various wild species, even if not huntable or of no hunting interest and on the reconquest, where it has failed, of that biodiversity that is so much talked about today. If unfortunately most of the leaders of hunting associations intended to change everything in order not to change anything, remaining anchored to antiquated and sterile logic, to be proposed even to the political / institutional components, often already inattentive to "us" when not really hostile "Regardless", they would have taken a dead end, which will be followed by inevitable consequences whose outcome, at the moment, I believe is not entirely predictable.
Today, our sector must absolutely transform itself into a large environmental association (the animal rights and anti-hunts are already well present, powerful and influential and their work has little or nothing to do with environmental protection) conveying, not exclusively but above all, towards the improvement of habitats the enormous, marvelous resources of volunteering, of passion, of skills, of generosity that still characterize us. This by renewing and / or activating a wildlife / environmental management of which ATCs and CAs MUST PRIORITLY take charge as wildlife / environmental management bodies operating on the territory or, if they have proved or still are, exceeded and / or not at all. height of their precious task, other suitable, efficient and effective institutes, which will have to be thought out and built, however, as soon as possible!
I reread what I wrote and it seems to me at the same time verbose and paradoxically not very exhaustive, but suddenly three words come to me that I believe can best summarize the core of the question, certainly and even not only that inherent in the management of hunting activities but of human work in general and are: "INTELLECTUAL HONESTY" and "CREDIBILITY". I am firmly convinced that if we succeed, certainly in the first place myself, as soon as possible to make our own, I will not say in full but at least as much as possible, the aforementioned terms, we will know and will still be able to operate positively for the good of many and many.
Thanks and good luck to all hunters!
Ezio Cardinal
pres. prov. Arcicaccia - Cuneo
(June 17, 2014)