Hunting is an act of love towards nature and not a way to relieve tension. The hunter who respects himself will respect other hunters in return, as well as people who work in or enjoy nature in whatever way they choose.
Το κυνήγι διεξάγεται με νόμους και διατάγματα που έχει θεσπίσει η πολιτεία. Υπάρχουν όμως και κάποιοι κανόνες που σχετίζονται με το σεβασμό μεταξύ ανθρώπων, αλλά και την αθλητική δεοντολογία από την οποία οφείλει να διακατέχεται ο κυνηγός. Ορισμένοι από τους κανόνες αυτούς που δεν συμπεριλαμβάνονται στη νομοθεσία μαςHunting is carried out according to laws and bills established by the state. However, there are some rules relating to respect between people and sporting etiquette which the hunter would do well to comply with.
Some of the rules which are not covered by legislation are shown below and are known as “the unwritten law of the hunter”.
- Nature belongs to everybody and is not our own personal property.
- People are guests in nature and should behave in an appropriate manner.
- Do not damage trees, wells, pathways, plants etc. without reason.
- Do not light fires since they might spread in the open countryside.
- Do not hunt on farm land where damage might be done.
- Do not approach sheep or goats, especially when accompanied by hunting dogs.
- Never fire a gun near pets or people working or spending time in the countryside.
- Never shoot at animal habitats since they might be scared by the shooting or the shells falling on their nests.
- Never shoot at signs or any surface even if they are useless.
- Never pick produce from farmland unless it is offered to us.
- Do not shoot wildlife which has been designated “prohibited” for any reason. It is demeaning for a hunter to plead “a mistake” regarding game identification.
- Always have your hunting and gun license with you and show them to government officials or hunting associations when asked to do so.
- Never hesitate to report illegal game hunting.
- Always cooperate willingly with game keepers and provide any information you can.
- Never shoot at game which might fall in an inaccessible area.
- Never shoot stationary game. Sitting birds, grazing animals or animals drinking water are defenseless and it would not be hunting but would constitute murder.
- Never hunt when weather conditions deprive game of the chance to defend themselves. On the contrary, animals need help to overcome this difficulty.
- Always strive to find wounded or dead game, exhausting every possibility of locating them.
- Never confuse quantity with quality in game. The good hunter is not defined by the number of game harvested, but is the one who gives game a chance to defend themselves.
- Game is not a commodity or a profession. Those selling game should always be condemned.
- Never try to keep wounded game alive.
- Never abuse dead game. On the contrary, preserve it in the best possible condition.
- Never allow children and dogs to play with dead game. Behave with respect towards dead animals, as befits a worthy opponent.
- Specialize in the type of hunting you like best and try to improve yourself continuously as a specialist of that particular species.
- Always eat the game you have shot. It is shameful for a hunter to kill an animal if he does not want to taste the meat.
- Never shoot from a distance beyond the range of your gun.
- Game belongs to the first person to harvest it.
- Wounded game belongs to the first person to wound it.
- If you kill wounded game, you should hand it over to the person who wounded it.
- Tracked game are always at the disposal of the dog’s owner.
- Never shoot at wild boar, hare, partridge, woodcock or quail “disturbed” by someone else’s dogs.
- Hunting ground belongs to the person who demarcates it first.
- A trap or hunting ground for hare or wild boar belongs to those who were there first and others do not have the right to interfere.
- You are not allowed to intrude on areas “reserved” by groups of hare or wild boar hunters if you are hunting birds. Our presence, dogs and shooting will spoil the hunting experience for everybody.
- Never approach a hunter who is hunting with hunting dogs.
- If you find ourselves in an ambush set by another hunter, empty your gun as a gesture of respect.
- Do not leave litter - plastic, shells, bottles etc and do not leave any evidence of modern consumerism in your wake.
- Picking up “stray” hunting dogs amounts to stealing. If you spot a hunting dog, notify the police immediately and report it to the hunting association of the area where it was found.
- Always respect elderly hunters and give them priority as regards position and game.
- Politeness and acquiescence should be your guiding principles because they define civilized man – the hunter.