We enter the heart of the hunting season, which in the province of Siena it concerns about 7 thousand hunters. The wild boar hunting in groups in the white areas, from November XNUMXst it will be possible to do it everywhere. But actually with the new laws in place the activity in the territory never stops. "Since February - explains Sergio Fratelli, provincial president of Libera Caccia - selection hunting is allowed, that carried out by individual hunters who can position themselves in places assigned to them". It can be hunted three days a week: Saturday, Sunday and one day between Wednesday and Thursday.
Tuesdays and Fridays are days of hunting silence. The hunting days must be communicated to theAtc of reference. From November XNUMXst, however, the zones will be assigned to hunters and teams. When it comes to hunting, our thoughts now go above all to wild boars. This happens for various reasons, mainly because these animals have experienced a great proliferation in recent years. They are a problem and a damage for farmers, as they damage crops (for the breeders the main problem is represented by foxes and wolves), and often also for motorists and motorcyclists.
Over time, the number of road accidents caused by the presence of wild boars and ungulates crossing the roadways has multiplied. After the lockdown period of spring 2020, the situation emerged clearly with the naked eye to many citizens, with these animals that have often arrived in places overlooking the houses and the centers of various cities and towns. Fratelli affirms: “The decision of the Tuscany Region to this effect on selection hunting was very courageous. There are many wild boars, even if the situation changes from area to area. In the Crete there are a little less, many more are present in Valdorcia and also in Chianti where there are wooded areas which are perfect habitats for these animals. For the rest, the density of roe deer is fairly controlled, even if it is increasing sharply.
Deer and fallow deer are under control and isolated in some areas of the province, I am thinking of the Montagnola and the area between Montalcino and the Amiata. The biggest problem is small game, which is disappearing ”. The provincial president of Libera Caccia dwells on this question for a long time. From his words emerges a faunal reality, and at the same time hunting, which in a few years has greatly changed: "We cannot be happy with what has happened to the small game, such as pheasants and hares - he claims. - Once this was the flagship of our territory, which in this regard represented national excellence. Today, however, the pheasant is almost disappeared. There are various reasons and explanations.
In my opinion, the management of the ATC was not optimal, non-indigenous garments were placed in the territory. Then we have to consider the change of crops and the current intensive farming, which have not favored these animals and have instead facilitated wild boars and foxes. And obviously the increased presence of harmful animals did not help the small game ”. All this, says Fratelli, has changed the fauna of the Sienese area. “And in fact now we are only talking about wild boar hunting - declares -. I respect nature and from an ethical point of view I say that hunting wild boar 365 days a year leads to something very different than what we knew. In my opinion, shooting a belt in the summer is not hunting ”.
For this world, there is also a problem of generational change. "Young people are getting less and less close to our reality - declares Fratelli, - therefore the average age of those who are part of the sector inevitably grows. I hope for a better management by the Atc, we want the territory to be luxuriant. It is true that boar damage is too high, but resources should also be allocated to small game. There are too many abandoned fields, the pheasant now does not even know where to go to defend itself from foxes. We are not experiencing a good period as far as hunting is concerned "(Corriere di Siena).