Hi Catharine, have added my surname, sorry about that, I only found the forum recently and was keen to join in quickly.
It’s great to hear the views of people who have moved to France, as that’s the most updated and honest information available. Thanks to everyone.
Somewhat I feel more confident as many responses point to the fact that hunting in France can be ‘survived’!!!
It is true that there are less hunters in Southern Italy (not sure about the North), plus the hunting season there lasts only 3 months!!! (Though it officially starts in September, there is nothing to hunt until the migratory birds arrive sometime end of October, so really the thick of it is Nov, Dec and Jan when it ends).
In this world there comes a time when it really matters where we spend our days. The idealized view of the countryside surely needs to be balanced with more realistic approaches. I had big dreams in the past, now my dream consists of being able to have 3 or 4 pet chickens and that’s all I want.
On a global level many countries have already banned hunting for good due to decimation of wildlife.
Here are just 3 of them:
Three developing countries have recently toughened hunting regulations believing the changes will better protect vanishing species. Botswana has announced it will ban trophy hunting on public lands beginning in 2014, while Zambia has recently banned any hunting of leopards or lions, both of which are disappearing across Africa. However, the most stringent ban comes from another continent: Costa Rica—often considered one of the “greenest” countries on Earth—has recently passed a law that bans all sport hunting and trapping both inside and outside protected areas. The controversial new law is considered the toughest in the Western Hemisphere.
“The shooting of wild game purely for sport and trophies is no longer compatible with our commitment to preserve local fauna as a national treasure, which should be treated as such,” Botswana’s President, Ian Khama, said in last year’s state of the nation address.