Interview with Mr. Shigeo Tanaka, secretary general of the Osaka Prefectural Hunting Association, which has been in business for over 60 years

Established in 1959, the Osaka Prefectural Hunting Association has a history of over 60 years. As a hunting club, it is one of the few public interest incorporated associations certified by the Cabinet Office. This time, we interviewed Mr. Shigeo Tanaka, the secretary general, about the process of becoming a public interest incorporated association and the daily activities.

The impetus for this was the work to prevent bird strikes at Itami Airport.

ーーHow did you go about becoming a public interest incorporated association authorized by the Cabinet Office?

Mr. Tanaka: The government announced that it would like to start a new public interest corporation from 2013 (the new public interest corporation system was implemented in 2008), and during the five-year transition period, not only the hunting club but also various organizations I struggled to get public interest recognition. The Osaka Prefectural Hunting Association also wanted to aim for the public interest, so I applied, and in 2013, I received authorization from Osaka Prefecture.

A few years after Kansai International Airport was privatized, I was asked, ``If you become a public interest incorporated association, would you be willing to help prevent bird strikes? I was asked.

Kansai International Airport and Itami Airport have been merged, so it was decided that Itami Airport would also be operated, but since the land straddles Osaka and Hyogo, half of the procedures had to be completed in Hyogo. You have to apply every year, and in Osaka it's public interest, but in Hyogo it doesn't matter, so the application method is different. So I applied to take the public interest of the whole country, and in 2014, I got approval from the Cabinet Office. I don't know about other regions, but I think there aren't many Cabinet Office certifications.

Hunting in the future is a "trap". Making more than Osaka Hunting Academy

Mr. Tanaka: In 2016, I started a school called "Osaka Hunting Academy", but I had to get approval from the Cabinet Office to receive membership fees. Various applications and permits were required. Approval cannot be obtained unless the content of the application is solid. That's how I managed the school, but five years later, even if I tried to recruit people, I couldn't get enough people.

I stopped doing it for a while, but I'm starting to see hope again, so I'm planning to start again this year. Let's make something more than Osaka Hunting Academy. I don't think it will be possible to spend 50,000 yen like last time, so we will implement it under the name of "Osaka Prefectural Hunting Association Hunter Training Project" for 20,000 to 30,000 yen.

From now on, it's a "trap". Until now, I have focused on teaching guns, but there are few people who want it, so I will mainly focus on "how to teach traps." Until now, I had a sense that "things like traps should not be hunted", but I have to change it to "hunting from now on is a trap". People like us, who have been shooting guns, can't easily change their minds. Even so, we have to change that old feeling according to the situation and the world.

The other day, I received an offer from a company that makes traps in Hyogo Prefecture saying, "If you teach trap hunting at school, I'd like to cooperate." We also have to seek out places that will cooperate with us.

This is the first time that one of the 14 officers has a trap hunting license. It's unusual for an officer to not have a gun license, but I'm preparing to teach mainly traps for the first time. The teachers are not only experienced people like us, but also people with titles such as employees of the Forestry Agency, Osaka Prefectural Government, and Osaka Prefectural Police. From now on, I would like to add a professional trader to make a more intensive training plan.

The project I mentioned earlier is scheduled to be held six times on weekdays from October 2022 to March 2023 with about 50 people. In addition, on October 18th at the Takatsuki International Shooting Range, we are planning to hold a class to teach in the classroom as a "Trap Hunting Technique Seminar" and a seminar to learn practical skills in a wide area such as a shooting range. is. For example, if it is a tying trap, how do you make it, and how do you use what you made? You have to teach it with practical skills.

ーーWas the age group of the participants so far higher?

Mr. Tanaka: Hunting licenses can be obtained from the age of 20, so we were looking for a wide range of applicants, from people in their 20s to 70s, but the actual applicants were in their 40s to 50s or older. I don't think I was in my 20's.

We recruited both men and women, and the average number of women out of 50 was 3-4. Over the past five years, I have practiced dismantling, but none of the females said, "I feel bad." It was a woman who said, "I will do it." I was impressed. She's good at peeling boar skins, and fast.

It's unfair to leave it alone just because the damage is small. Cooperate with 1 or 2 damages

ーーYou mentioned dismantling, but are you also focusing on using wild game meat?

Mr. Tanaka: That's right. Don't do wasteful things like grabbing and throwing away. Eat everything you can.

ーーAre there more gibier meat processing facilities in Osaka?

Mr. Tanaka: The number of facilities recognized by public health centers is zero. There was also a plan to build such a facility in cooperation with Osaka Prefecture and each municipality. I tried to do it in Kashiwara City with the governor, but the citizens opposed it and gave up. I tried to do it in Nose, but in the end the locals opposed it.

But I never know. It's a facility where animals that have been captured by hunting are taken and processed, but inevitably some of you have the feeling that it's a slaughterhouse. That's why there are no facilities in Osaka that have been approved by the public health center. You can give and receive at your own risk, but you can't buy or sell, and you can't connect with vendors.

ーーIt is said that nationwide distribution of gibier meat is an issue, but is there a high hurdle at the starting line, such as the understanding of local residents?

Mr. Tanaka: Residents of areas with a lot of wildlife damage will accept it. Damage in Osaka was about one-tenth of that in Wakayama and Nara. It's an area that is thankful for less damage. Since the damage is small, the recognition is thin and everyone opposes it. Even if it is put on the agenda of the prefectural assembly, the budget cannot be secured. Of course it's because the damage is so small.

There may be only one or two incidents in total, but there are people who are being harmed, so we can't just ignore them. It's unfair to do it because there's a lot of it, or leave it alone because it's a little. we do at least Even if the damage is one-tenth that of other areas, they are listening and cooperating.

ーーWhat kind of animals are most likely to be damaged in Osaka?

Mr. Tanaka: There are many deer in northern areas such as Nose and Toyono. There are wild boars in the south, but they are few in number. About 80% of deer are female, so many babies are born. They don't give birth to twins or triplets, but only one at a time, but since there are many females, unlike other animals, they multiply tremendously.

ーーDo you mainly hunt with guns if you have to reduce the population due to damage?

Mr. Tanaka: That's right. Until now, guns have been the main focus, but there are many traps in the north. One pattern is to stop a deer in a trap with a gun. Some people are doing it with electricity because the number of people who hunt guns is decreasing.

--It's frustrating that it's difficult to move forward even if there are issues such as a lack of successors.

Mr. Tanaka: Although the number of victims varies from region to region, we will continue to do what we should do. I don't think it's necessary to set up schools just because the damage is less than in other areas. I want to spread various things from Osaka. We have also cooperated with teacher education in other prefectures such as Nara and Wakayama. However, the reality is that it is not very widespread.

Editor's Note

This time, we were able to hear various stories such as the history of the Osaka Hunting Association becoming a public interest incorporated association and the launch of a hunting school. The story of the launch of a school that mainly teaches trap hunting was particularly interesting. .

At Inohoi, we are always looking for people who can interview us about the introduction of the hunting club and the efforts to deal with wildlife damage. If you are interested, please contact us using this form!