Italy
Outfitters we deal with in Italy:
In Italy the hunting (la caccia) season extends from September until February for most animals and until March for migratory birds although there are two days per week specified as non-hunting days, a regulation which is strictly policed. For the 2011/12 season, Tuesday and Friday have been specifically set aside as non-hunting days.
Game is public property and you can hunt in most places provided you’re at least 100m (328ft) from a house and don’t damage crops and the Italian passion for hunting has previously caused concern regarding it’s lack of regulation.
There are an estimated 800,000 regular hunters, mainly in Tuscany and Sardinia, most use shotguns, and popular prey includes wild boar, rabbit, hare and many species of bird, including songbirds, many of which are protected in other countries. Mouflon Sheep are also available in several private estates and their close proximity to this species home territory, Corsica, although these elusive creatures still offer an incredible stalking challenge for the sporting hunter.
Hunting in Italy is conducted in Groups and alone with High Seats being used to good effect in areas where the game is dense. Those do tend to be private estates though because otherwise there simply would not be enough game for visiting hunters to stalk. Most estates will have decent Fallow and Wild Boars although the physical size of the pigs tends to be smaller than it’s northern European cousins.
If you take part in hunting, you must ensure that you’re aware of the regulations governing which species can be shot. Enthusiasm for hunting has resulted in many animals becoming rare, endangered or extinct, and new laws have been introduced to provide greater protection for many birds and animals.
For further information about hunting in Italy, contact the Federazione Italiana della Caccia (www.fidc.it ).