Also hunters look to the future and they think they are changing in order not to see their passion dissolved in criticism and prejudice. This is what emerged from the national congress that took place in Chianciano and from which a 'autocriticism on the behavior of shotguns. "If we continue on this path, hunting has a very dark future - says the president of theArci Caccia Forlì, Luciano Bartolini - Our project after the congress, shared by over 220 participants from all over Italy, aims to give a future to this our passion, which I would not call hunting. Unfortunately, over the years we have created a dark image, people see the last act, the shot, the killing of the animal, without knowing what is upstream. Even because the animal is not always killed.
We are not the ones who shoot left and right at everything we see. We want to make it clear to those who think so that we are not these people. We care about the environment, we live it, we are aware that if we don't bring it back to what it was, our passion ends. We are not the ones who miss the game. The way of working the fields has also led to the limitation of the territory for game. We as Arci Caccia will fight to recreate this environment. Through habitat improvement, the cleaning of the paths, of the streets, with voluntary operations. We are always there ». Arci Caccia wants to participate in the change, therefore, discussing, giving ideas and comparing itself with other forces, such as the agricultural world, Legambiente, for sustainable hunting because "now perhaps we have exaggerated - says Bartolini, who has been at the helm of Arci for two years. hunting Forlì, with about 130 members -: when you have gone to a territory to hunt why rage, go back there again? ».
Hunters who therefore also admit mistakes. "The problem of hunting - reiterates the president of Forlì - is the selfishness that has been created within us, even with the advent of animals such as ungulates, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer. The wild boar for traditional hunters is the plague because it is an animal that has no competitors, now you find it at the gates of Forlì. Everyone now wants to shoot the boar and those who practice the small sedentary hunt find themselves in the midst of these hunts. Wild boar hunting has somewhat distorted our tradition. Our hunt is to experience nature, to go out with your dog. We need to get the hunters back on track for the future. Anyone who only wants to be a game bag is not a hunter. The hunter must respect the environment and the auxiliary ». In the meantime, for the abolition of hunting there is a “referendum committee yes we abolish hunting” which it wants to collect 500 thousand signatures to ask to ban the hunting activity.
«At the congress there was no mention of it - Bartolini replies - also because not even all environmental associations are close to this referendum. Let's try to imagine two years without going hunting: what happens? At an economic level, not just weapons, decoys, molds, clothing, how much would you lose? In our opinion, stopping the hunt makes no sense ». Among the criticisms that are made to hunters also that of shoot too close to houses. «I live in the Romiti. We made a control plan for the pigeons of 3 interventions, we killed the pigeons in the square that are in poor sanitary conditions, such as turtledoves.
There was the provincial police, we were coordinated by them. The activity starts at 7. But people don't want to hear, they say the shooting is at 5. We are a 150 meters from the houses, we try not to shoot towards the houses. Obviously then there is the poacher hunter who shoots if he sees a pheasant ten meters from home. This is the figure that we are not interested in. If you talk to people, you tell them, problems can be solved "(Courier Romagna).