Hunting Calls: When they are in activity, hunters sometimes resort to some stratagems that attract the prey in the chosen place for killing. These tricks, in the hunting jargon, are called "lures" or "attractants", but can they be used?
These are accessories used for both bird and ungulate hunting. On the front of the hunting calls, however, there is a long-standing controversy, but also a lot of confusion, because some "attracting" methods are strictly prohibited by the National Hunting Law. In the meantime, before going into the contents of the Law, it is useful to know that hunting calls and lures can be divided into live, sonorous and inert calls.
The former are composed of live birds; the second, by devices that imitate the song of birds or of the ungulate and its young; the last, from inert substances that attract the prey on a visual or olfactory level.
Il there is an absolute ban on hunting calls for mechanical, electromagnetic and electronic sound ones. Article 21, letter "r", of Law 157/1992 on Hunting, in fact, reads verbatim: "It is forbidden for anyone to use blinded or mutilated live birds or those tied by the wings and mechanical acoustic calls for recall purposes. , electromagnetic or electromechanical, with or without sound amplification. "
La The law also provides for the application of administrative and criminal sanctions for those who violate this prohibition. Despite the article of the law, however, there are many who, entering the hunting world for the first time, are unable to understand which are the calls that can be used for hunting and which are not, also because there is no prohibition on the market. sale of mechanical and electronic sound signals. The latter, in fact, are regularly produced and marketed by companies, realizing, in fact, the usual Italian paradox, that is the prohibition of use, but not of sale.
But what is the point of buying electronic and technologically advanced hunting decoys without having the possibility to use them?
The paradox is soon revealed: mechanical, electronic and electromagnetic sounds can only be used for hobby and in birdwatching, that is, in the hobby activity of bird observation. In hunting, in order to respect the law, we often resort to sound warnings. On the market there are whistles that emanate the grunt of the wild boar or the roar of the deer. Other attractants for ungulates present on the market, odorous sprays that attract the game to be caught.
Another product used and permitted for hunting ungulates is vegetable tar. It is a tar obtained exclusively from vegetable substances and therefore absolutely non-toxic and non-polluting.
The tar is spread by hunters on the trunks found in the places where the animals usually go or feed. Wild boar tar is sold in 5 liter plastic cans or 500 ml bottles with diffuser. The cost of this attractant is very low and is between 19 euros for 5-liter bins and very few euros for 500 ml bottles.
On the front of the references, however, there are legislative doubts regarding the letter "u" of art. 21 of the aforementioned Hunting Law, which states that it is forbidden “to use broken ammunition in hunting ungulates; use poisoned baits or morsels, mistletoe or other sticky substances, traps, nets, traps, laces, bows or similar devices; make use of owls; use firearms equipped with silencers or set with a snap caused by the prey; make use of crossbows ". The possibility of using other types of bait or lures must therefore be verified in one's own Region or Province of residence, the only entities that are entitled to issue rules and exceptions to national or general legislation.
To hunt birds, on the other hand, live calls can be used, to be selected only from seven bird species permitted by law, namely lark, cesena, redwing, song thrush, blackbird, lapwing and wood pigeon.
These birds must be marked with an irremovable ring affixed in the capture facilities of the province or issued by the Italian Ornicoltori Federation (FOI). Birds, as the law says, must not be subjected to mutilation or other violence, under penalty of very severe penalties. With this prohibition, the law harshly punishes a terrible and cruel action that some poachers have practiced in live birds: making them blind to make them sing non-stop. The sounds of more than a hundred different species of birds can, however, be heard through bird sounds, i.e. electronic sound devices to be used only in observation activities for hobby and non-hunting purposes.
These devices are truly state-of-the-art and can work with remote control and bluetooth to replicate birdsong even in cell phone ringtones. Some bird sounds require the insertion of a card or a microchip containing the different songs of the birds. Of course, the review of these electronic devices ends here, because it is not relevant for hunting purposes. The latter, in fact, can only be practiced with references and lures expressly permitted by law.
What kind of mechanism are you referring to for a “mechanical” sound recall? From what source of energy can a mechanical system be animated?