Well there is the CPNT political party, so I would say a resounding “yes” to there being at least some form of organised lobbying. Like any lobbyist, they’re all pushing an agenda of some kind. In rural areas, the hunting clubs are often populated with members who are also local farmers, so indirectly, they have another way of having their voice heard as well. Vociferous, yes, powerful, probably not as much as they once were, but we currently have a President that more, rather than less, supports hunting (having been spotted at Chambord partaking of a wee shooting session, I believe) and having lowered gun license fees for hunting as a gesture towards the hunting lobby. Of course, Presidents come and go, as does the support the hunting lobby gets from any government of the day.
My local hunt seems to be a mix of social gathering, land management & food procurement. I do not hunt nor would I want to but I am a meat eater. At least the animals killed do get eaten & the hunt is not an excuse for wholesale slaughter of the local wildlife.
I do attend the end of season luncheons that the local club host. They tend to feature the results of the club’s efforts.
One year the success rate of the club was very low & as the date of the luncheon drew close they had nothing to offer as the main course. Just as panic was beginning to set in the president got a call from the local Gendarmerie. There had been a road accident nearby overnight & a deer had been hit by a van & had been killed & knowing the situation they offered the poor deer.
The deer was duly served at the luncheon - the first & probably the last time I have eaten roadkill.
One of the hunt members who is also one of my customers did manage to shoot something the following year. Unfortunately it was his Land Rover Discovery which was not wearing a yellow vest although I suspect it had more to do with “apres chasse” activity!
I did fix it & on top of the bill I also had some pate, a sanglier joint & 2 litres of home-made Pineau.
A law unto themselves ? Not generally. I’m not a huge fan of the hunt personally, and am always on my guard when they are crashing through the undergrowth near our property. We are surrounded by fields on three sides and a wood on the other, all of it hunt territory, and as a result, we have had hunting dogs come through the garden every year since we’ve lived here. Fortunately, we don’t have a cat or other small domestic animal to worry about. It is also a bit of a pain to not be able to go out for a walk in the fields/woods nearby during hunt season which lasts 6 months, as the hunts are inevitably held at the weekends (and is allowed on Thursdays too, for some reason) in our area. Despite the hunt zone being policed by its members, it is perfectly possible to end up in the midst of a hunt, and potentially, within the crossfires, as yearly hunt injury statistics are all too wont to relate. Having said that, they are not all raving gun-toting terminators, at least in my experience, certainly not those who have grown up in the countryside and use guns as a means of pest control. In my experience, the worst are the weekend shooters from the towns, who come out and are inclined to take a pot at anything that moves in the bushes, just to get a bag ! I have unfortunately experienced such behaviour first hand, when living in the Beaujolais region.
I suspect if you think the countryside has a “dark side” you’ll struggle to fit in. As Vero said there is a link between food - land and the people that’s been lost in the UK. They don’t wear red and chase foxes for pleasure - they may “enjoy” the act of hunting but it generally ends up on a plate or its about pest reduction - a fox may get shot but it doesn’t get chased by a bunch of toffs and dog for several hours beforehand.
Not every French person agrees with hunting - but its more a we don’t hunt - we ask them not to use our land - not an active confrontation.
Nobody’s telling anybody to use immigrant. I was merely pointing out that I prefer not to be called an expat as I have no intention of returning to the UK. It is no longer my “pat” so I can’t be “ex”ed from it! 
We are largely vegan/vegetarian with occasional fish - buying local goods that are not highly processed and wrapped in plastic trumps other things. In years gone by this was a nightmare; restaurants and cafés were largely off limits. But on our last few trips to Paris (and even Lyon the meat-eating capital) have been a joy as huge choice now.
But moving to a small rural meaty hamlet was a potential challenge. People generally seemed to think we are a bit odd, and used to try to give us chicken, snails and frogs legs as these aren’t meat. However, our hamlet has a Christmas tradition of one household doing an auberge espagnol open house, with everyone bringing a plate to share. It was our turn this time and we were hugely touched that not a single person brought anything with meat in it! So 12 years on everyone now just teases us about not eating meat, which is fine, but accepts it easily.
If you approach a different culture with an open mind and an acceptance that you won’t change it, then you’ll be fine.
And therein lies the basic truth of life
As someone who took part in shoots every week in the UK I have no problem whatsoever with hunting provided it is carried out in a safe way not only for the participants but also for everyone else, my biggest gripes about the hunts that I’ve witnessed here are the poor organisation which has to several incidents which can only be described as downright dangerous and the overriding sense that La Chasse rule the countryside and that during the season everyone not participating should simply stay at home on hunt days. I have witnessed hunting dogs causing road accidents, had shot rain down on our roof and a few months ago was shot at whilst walking on a public road. These incidents involved hunts in different communes so I can only assume this happens everywhere.
I fully accept that there is a major problem with deer and boar here but there needs to be a concerted and organised cull of both rather than simply increase the hunting season which is what has been proposed.
Shooting and hunting is much different in the UK and I don’t think you can make a sensible comparison to hunting here, you certainly wouldn’t be able to stand by the roadside holding a shotgun or rifle in the UK and the owner of any dog that strays ‘off piste’ will be told never to bring it again.
Just a brief reply…as the dinner is on the go…
You’ve obviously experienced awful things with chasse in your area. However, as you know…
France is a big country… and what you have experienced does not happen everywhere… and is certainly not the norm. who did you contact about the incidents??? and what was the response???
The last incident prompted me to go to the Mairie but I was told there was nothing they could do other than speak to the president of the hunt. It is like the ‘wild west’ here at times but things will never change so the choices are put up with it or move.
Remind me - where are you?
So we can avoid it during hunt season ? 
Pity you did not speak with the local Hunt Head Man… and I have already posted elsewhere the link to the Hunt Police…
if things are not reported to the “police” and/or the Gendarmes … nothing will change…
Seriously… I know, personally, of folk who have been dealt with most severely… quite rightly so.
Our local environmental police are very responsive. They have been hugely helpful in our frog wars, as we are trying to conserve the protected frogs that breed on our land. So I second contacting them if need be.
It’s a very fair observation, and others (IIRC) have made it before. I dislike the term expat because of its colonial connotations, having lived and worked in Africa many years ago. It had a deservedly ugly (racist) significance for the host (indigenous) population.
Personally, I think ‘expat’ has attracted the same disfavour amongst most SF correspondents since Brexit. For obvious reasons those are in the side of immigrant assimilation into French society and culture, and discussion of contingent issues often resurfaces under one interesting heading or another. La chasse is one recurring point of minor tension. Generally speaking resolution is around the old adage “When in Rome…” 
Rather than ‘rewriting history’ James and Cat have wisely taken the view IMO that, when the matter comes up, the anomaly will be discussed again by way of explanation. And left open… 
Alcohol is also almost always involved in excessive speed. Yes, I mean any kind: beer, wine, or spirits.
Anne I would disagree with that, I think there is plenty of excess speed of sober people, however I would agree that drunk people who have crashed were driving at a speed in excess of their lowered ability to drive.
Alcohol and accidents maybe Alcohol and speeding no
The person you need to contact if you have any complaints about local hunting is called the Lieutenant de louveterie. There can be up to a dozen of these officials in each department and each is responsible for a particular area. They usually take their unpaid job very seriously.
I know some personally and can confirm how seriously they take their role.
I’ve given the link more than once… as this subject crops up again and again…