It was mainly Sunday where we used to live. You’d get the occasional solo hunter plus dog(s) midweek but the big meets were Sunday. We’d always avoid the area where they were hunting when walking our dogs. Tbf, the hunters did put signs out but you’d know anyway from the combo of noise and activity.
I think I was more fearful for our dogs than ourselves having heard stories of hunt dogs setting on their more domesticated brethren. I can feel so sorry for hunt dogs, penned up for large parts of the year and only allowed out on certain Sunday’s. No wonder they go a bit loco when they get to have a run.
My neighbour, just across the lane, used to be a chasseur and kept a number of hounds in a pen at the top of his garden. Some years ago one of them managed to climb to freedom, but desperate as he must have been for friendly human contact he came straight to Fran with his tail going 20 to the dozen. She slipped a lead on him and walked him back home but later the same day he did it again but this time he came straight to our gate to sit down and wait for his surrogate Mum.
I always felt sorry for them cooped up like that and sometimes heard their wailing.
Our elderly neighbour warned against mushrooming on a Sunday.
“You might get accidentally shot by the hunters”
"Don’t worry " I replied “I shall hunt for mushrooms with a boombox on my shoulder playing loud music”
“that’s no good” she said, “then you will get shot on purpose”
Interesting, the other year we saw a lot of them waiting to ambush animals. Unfortunately 3 deer ran in their direction and suddenly it sounded like the gunfight at the ok corral. They hit nothing which shows just how incompetent they are.
I’m reminded of the Clint Eastwood character in the film ‘Unforgiven’ (a great film btw) He, unsurprisingly a gun slinger, remarked how poor a shot people tended to be in gun fights.
Not aiming at all and being several whiskies into a drinking session never helped.
The sights on revolvers of the period weren’t up to modern day standards, but they were good enough for a man-size target in the same room if folks used them.
The rules are that hunting dogs should be under the control of the hunter, …but dogs that are baying on a scent rarely heed recall instructions and case law has decided that this is an understandable situation, which is tolerated. Basically, you can ask a hunter to recall their dog, but if the dog refuses and isn’t attacking humans, your property or your animals in a manner that threatens their life, you can’t dispatch it or injure it yourself, ie. no killing or injuring unless in absolute fear of one’s life or that of one’s animals .
1. Le statut juridique du chien de chasse sur votre terrain
Le passage des chiens courants : L’article R.428-1 du Code de l’environnement précise que le simple passage de chiens de chasse sur votre propriété n’est pas considéré comme une infraction (chasse sur le terrain d’autrui) s’ils sont à la suite d’un gibier déjà levé sur le territoire où le chasseur a le droit de chasser. Le propriétaire du chien doit toutefois tout faire pour l’en empêcher ou le rappeler. [1]
La notion de divagation : Un chien de chasse n’est pas considéré comme en état de divagation s’il est en action de chasse, sous le contrôle et à la portée de voix de son maître. [1]
2. L’exception absolue : La légitime défense
Le seul cas où la force (proportionnée) peut être admise est la légitime défense, c’est-à-dire si le chien présente un danger immédiat, grave et direct pour votre propre sécurité, celle de vos proches ou de vos propres animaux domestiques (par exemple, s’il attaque votre chien ou vos poules). Même dans ce cas, l’action doit être strictement proportionnée à la menace pour écarter le danger.
Basically, one has to suck it up.
Things you can do:
put up signs around the property, eg. Propriété Privée - Chasse Interdite (red circle ones in white writing): this puts the hunters on notice and they can’t then say they didn’t know, and if caught flagrante delicto, can be reported as a wilful act of negligence, or worse, if the hunter enters with a weapon (various categories of offenses possible, depending on actual circumstances).
Only if you live in certain departments like Charente for example.
Other departments fall under the Loi Verdeille where your land, if under 20 hectares, is automatically classed as hunting territory and hunts can run riot on it to their hearts’ content even if it’s littered with ‘Chasse Interdit’ signs!
You can apply to opt out by completing a form and sending it to the president of the local ACCA, but you can only do that every 5 years when that ACCA’s permit is due for renewal.
If your land isn’t covered by an ACCA, then people can’t hunt on it without your permission as landowner, Article L. 422-1 du Code de l’environnement. The answer I gave previously was necessarily incomplete, because it depends very much where in France your land is situated, what kind of land it is, and whether or not it is covered by an ACCA. We are fortunate enough to live where there is no ACCA, just a private hunting club, and local farmers, most of whom are also hunters. When we bought the wood, the neighbouring farmers were offered first dibs by the SAFER, and nobody wanted it (at the asking price), so our offer was the only one on the table (paltry though it was). I suspect that previously, hunters just traipsed across the land in question because no one was around to tell them to eff off (in the politest of French), so it took them a few actual encounters with the new land owner, a couple of emails to the hunt federation president and gendarmerie, for them to realize that I wasn’t going to take it laying down (or any other way for that matter). We did consider declaring that land a bird refuge as we have a number of different birds of prey that either nest, hunt or roost there, but were wary of the impact it might have on our own activities on the land.
Unfortunately my department (87) is covered by ACCA and it took me 15 years and 2 failed attempts to wrench my land from its clutches. The 2 failed attempts were down to the maire’s secretary giving me the wrong advice and it was only through ASPAS that I finally succeeded.
But it’s still a battle with the hunters every winter, especially with the guy responsible for the dogs who I believe destroys all the signs I put up declaring the land a wildlife refuge through ASPAS. Unfortunately I don’t have any proof so can’t take action against him and decent cameras with a long/wide range are well out of my price range.
Have you enquired with LPO as to the restrictions if you were to turn your land into a bird refuge?
ASPAS don’t really have any major restrictions and are OK with me tidying the area given the risk of wildfires.
I know unbelievable isn’t it. As well as maximum compensation for the victim or victim’s family, the only possible reaction should be to stop them completely from ever having a weapon again because they are either too stupid or too reckless ever to be entrusted with one. And banging them up. Or making them pick oakum. But no
I favour corporal punishment in addition. In this case a bare bum caning with the public told time place and date so they can all witness. About 60 lashes should do it.
I am horrified by any death/injury inflicted.. and know that there are strict Chasse Rules in place which should protect if followed correctly.
Thus I am awaiting the outcome of the enquiry re the death in Cevennes.
Meanwhile, I’d like to bring to the fore the following statistics for deaths/injuries on our roads for September 2026. No guns involved.. but vehicles and various means of transports (some almost considered as playthings..)
Rules are clear but are often disregarded by drivers.
