Selection hunting: Selection hunting in Tuscany, from data collection to the figure of the selecontroller are some of the salient aspects of this particular hunting method, which aims to preserve the balance of the ecosystem.
At the end of the hunting season, preparations are underway for the selection hunt. By “selection hunt” we mean a type of hunt based on compliance with a pre-established slaughter plan, divided by age and sex, and drawn up on the basis of censuses and estimates according to a scientific criterion. For the selection hunt, a series of scientific procedures and studies are activated which have the task of “photographing” the demographic trend of the ungulates.
The purpose of this hunting method is the preservation of the density and the predetermined structure in a wild population, through the withdrawal that only and exclusively affects the annual increase, the "income", without affecting the development potential, the "capital" , dividing the abatements into the different sex and age classes. Through selection hunting, the fertility rate of females and the chances of survival of the puppies are able to increase and the population produces many more individuals.
The selection hunt is exercised by the selecontroller, that is a hunter expert in the collection of the ungulate appointed after the participation and passing the course to become selecontroller. The latter sees a management district assigned by the ATC (Territorial hunting areas; there are 19 throughout Tuscany), which organizes the collection on the basis of the censuses on the ungulate population that begin in April. The selecontroller, after having read the demographic analyzes of the ATC, has the task of making a choice of the garment to be killed.
The periods of selection hunting go from 1st August to 15th March of the following year, even if normally in the period in which the other forms of hunting are practiced the selection is stopped. Basically, the hunt is done from August 1st to the third Sunday of September and from February 1st to March 15th. From the third Sunday of September to January 31, however, hunting for other wild species is open; only some provinces allow selection in this period, but only in some districts and for some species (eg fallow deer or cervo) and for specific sex or age classes.
In the Tuscany region, selection hunting has a very important value, since the ungulate population in recent years has been causing damage and problems of various kinds to agriculture. Particularly, the roe deer has shown an excellent ability to adapt in Tuscany (especially in Val di Chiana and Val d'Orcia) and the phenomenon of anthropization of the territory seems to have encouraged, rather than negatively influencing it, the increase in the number of specimens. It has been shown that ungulates tend to feed on grape stalks from vineyard lands, causing extensive damage to wine production. The Tuscany Region proved to be virtuous in selection hunting, having prepared a serious five-year Agricultural Forestry Regional Plan, with which it was possible to monitor the density of the ungulate population in the area and the consequent sampling.
The Tuscan environmental associations have shown themselves to be sensitive to the problem of increasing wildlife, avoiding appeals to the TAR that would have slowed down the controlled collection. Furthermore, the precious collaboration with the Coldiretti of Tuscany has further facilitated the collection of data on the damage to agriculture caused by ungulates.
Looking at the official data, it has been confirmed that the number of ungulates present in the region is constantly growing. The increase in the populations of deer and roe deer is constant over time, while the trend of the estimated stocks relative to the other species appears more discontinuous. In 2010, official estimates counted 153.134 roe deer, 8.841 fallow deer, 3.621 deer and 2.562 mouflon. The number of culls carried out overall in Tuscany is constantly increasing with regard to roe deer, fallow deer and red deer, while the culls of mouflon and wild boar are more discontinuous over time. Specifically, in 2010, 22.106 roe deer, 2.055 fallow deer, 584 deer, 236 mouflons and 67.014 were killed boars.
In general, the provinces with the highest number of wild boar and roe deer killed are Siena, Grosseto and Arezzo, followed by Florence and Pisa. The most numerous fallow deer culls are found in the provinces of Florence, Siena and Arezzo. Among the provinces where the deer is present, Arezzo is the one that counts the greatest number of slaughtering, followed by Pistoia and Prato. The culls of mouflon are more sporadic, but concentrated above all in the Province of Livorno.
In this context and on the basis of these official data, the figure of the selecontroller comes into play, which has the task of killing the wild in "excess". The selecontroller in the Tuscany Region enjoys a certain autonomy since the latter can autonomously choose the item to be killed, using rifled guns such as rifles, with precision optics mounted for shots even at 200 meters away. The choice of ammunition, rifle brand and aiming optics is at the discretion of the selecontroller, in full compliance with the relevant restrictions. Some provinces of the region also contemplate the use of the bow for controlled killing, but this hunting mode is quite difficult, since the selecontroller should be very close to the wild (about 210 meters for an effective shot). with the risk of nullifying the withdrawal.
The aid of dogs is not contemplated to find the wild, but their use takes place only when the wild has been wounded not fatally and for which it is necessary to find the traces and its scent. In this case, the selecontroller must communicate to its manager the need to use canine units to search for the injured game.
The techniques used in selection hunting are in the aspect on the roof terrace, the latter most practiced, and in the search. Once the head to be killed has been chosen on the basis of a careful visual observation of the animal, based on the body structure, of the horn stage for the male specimens, of the sex and other morphological characteristics recognizable thanks to the studies undertaken during the course to become selecontroller, can ... go the shot. A band is then applied to the felled head with which the specimen is registered.
Ultimately, the selection hunt in Tuscany is giving excellent results, thanks to the efficient collection of data on the population of wild animals, the damage to agriculture and the number of specimens to be killed.
The results could be even better than the current ones, if all activities related to selection hunting are further increased and financed, even if in Tuscany it can be said to be already well advanced.
Special thanks go to Dr. Leonardo Bertocci of the Tuscan Arci Hunting, for providing the official data on selection hunting in his region.