Federcaccia Piemonte on the new regional Hunting Calendar for the 2015/2016 Hunting Season, “Tertium non datur - There is no third way”, necessary changes.
"There is no third way" ... and, we add, not even another possibility, this is the meaning of the famous Latin motto which has now entered the world cultural heritage. There is no other way ... than to put your hand to the terrible 2015/16 hunting calendar voted on April 13 by the Board of the Piedmont Region. Changes are therefore necessary to make it fair and comparable to that of any other Italian region, where periods of hunting and game bags appear a chimera for enthusiasts from Turin and Cuneo, Biella, Vercelli, Asti and Novara, Ossola or Alessandria, all penalized only for exercising their passion on the slopes of Monviso or Rocciamelone, on the Unesco world heritage hills, on the banks of the Po, Tanaro and Dora Riparia or along the Cavour Canal.
There is no other way, and no other possibility than to begin to really understand what hunting is, avoiding dangerous confusions: hunting is not ... controlling wild boars and roe deer, because that is quite another thing, which can be exercised by them. subjects, but with different purposes, specific operating methods. Believing, as our administrators do, that the hunter's role is exhausted in paying the regional tax, the ATC or CA admission fee, and a thousand other costs and assorted taxes, and then shooting some animal released ready hunting means having understood very little of the value of a well-managed hunting activity, of the history, culture and traditions of our people; Nor can the hunter be expected to be at the service of the agricultural world, already reimbursed for damage caused by wildlife with the money of the hunters, and tolerated only if it is useful for their needs.
And to say that there is no shortage of examples, as gentlemen can easily consult colleagues from beyond the Alps, and also from many other European nations, where hunting is accepted with a good degree, but also encouraged because it is considered an important resource, a low-priced tool for integrate and strengthen agricultural activities, or those of environmental management and restoration. There are no alternative ways, because this time we ask the councilor and council to take a serious, motivated position, scientifically supported by irrefutable data, and not only by… political needs; this time we pretend to have all the tools we are entitled to, from that law that is still missing to the wildlife plan, which is essential in order to guarantee the full sustainability of hunting. We are no longer told that the ptarmigan must be closed because ... this is required by the "marked environmental sensitivity" of the majority; instead we tell ourselves that we do it because… wild at risk!
Modern hunting in Italy has never involved the extinction of animal species and it would not happen this time either, especially knowing that the "typical alpine fauna" is surveyed with strict scientific protocols, and hunted only with calibrated and prudent sampling plans, so much so that the consistency within parks and protected areas appears to be equal to that of the venable territory. Do not tell us that the wild boar must be killed by selection as early as April, when the hunter is then prevented from reaching the hunting place by using roads that were previously accessible; do not say this if at the same time the opening of hunting in September is denied, thus cutting the hunting season by one or two weeks, and precisely in the period of greatest impact of wild boars on crops, when teams with dogs make remarkable game bags; do not do it, because it means completely ignoring the matter that instead one would pretend to regulate by law.
There is no other way ... because the calendar must be modified, returning to us that of the past season, the result, yes, of a mature and concerted action that had seen the Region prepare the instrument only after consultations with the Hunting Associations; there is no other way because the agricultural world needs hunting activities to exist, compatible and respectful of the environment, fields and crops; there is no other way because even environmentalism, certainly the healthy and moderate one and not that other fanatic and full of prejudice, needs a hunting activity to develop in the area; there is no other way ... because those who hunt respect!
But "tertium non datur" could also mean that a third opportunity will not be granted, and that after the limping debut, the disastrous calendar, there is more than enough for the hunting world to pose the problem of respect and consideration to politics. that 27.000 hunters, all without shadows that obscure criminal certificates or criminal records, know they deserve.
Last but not least, last and not least: but then… does the second way exist? Which? Yes, a second way exists, and Federcaccia Piemonte has clearly identified it, ready to undertake it if reasonableness and common sense do not breach the offices of Corso Stati Uniti 21, and the Piedmontese hunters have nothing else to do. For now let's not think about it, but it is there!
(May 11, 2015)
Hunting Federation