That reminded me to take a look on the net, and end of Feb is the ‘finish’ date here
Does that include Sanglier?
Another good check as didn’t realise there could be slightly different dates for the various victims
Anyway, end of Feb remains - below is the extract from the source:
#### When does the wild boar hunting season end?
In most departments concerned by the presence of this animal, wild boar hunting ends at the end of February. For the 2021-2022 season, the closing date is February 28, 2022 . An exception remains in the Alsatian departments (Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin) and Moselle: the hunting season, open from April 15, ends on February 1 of the following year (i.e. February 1 , 2022 for the previous period). In Moselle, the hunting season now covers almost the whole year, almost without interruption.
Some areas can also ask for an extension if there are too many boar or deer. Luckily our hunters are a bit hunted out this year as they had very big quotas, so I think they are happy to stop!
We usually find the numbers out drop off significantly after Christmas. They get bored (or something). They’ve worn their new gear, tried out their new gun and the new dog and the wife is moaning that they are never around.
The occasional shot in the thick fog can be a bit disconcerting.
Unfortunately our valley is something of a magnet for guys from the local town and I have been known to be anything but subtle when they let their dogs stray onto what is clearly our lawn and not a field, which means there can then be confrontations with our dogs. I gave a couple of guys an earful a couple of years ago and told them that our neighbours who hunt respect our boundaries. I did wonder afterwards whether I’d been wise losing my temper with two men with loaded guns! They have not been back.
I live in a very small commune in the Gironde. The president of the chasse always advises Madame le Maire when a battu is planned , the date and the hours. Everything is identified by temporary signs as you go along the roads. Attention Chasse. My regret is that because of Covid we haven’t had a repas de chasse for two years. Peronally I’d rather have my fellow villagers with their high vis vests and rifles than those prats in pink coats on their horses. unfortunately because of hygiene regulations and cold chain requirements it isn’t possible to make an economic proposition of hunting sangliers, a major pest, so if you want to eat boar you take your chances on eating Australian scrub pigs or tame porkers from New Zealand
Our chasse “lieutenants” are working with a “wolf team” from the pyrenees and are allowed scaring shots to try and deter/move on our wolf problem. They’re not allowed to actually shoot them though.
Do you not have the guys just out for a Sunday with their mates and their dogs and their guns David? If so, you are lucky. An occasional organised batu is a very different thing to men in white vans arriving every Sunday from 8am onwards and most Wednesday afternoons and just shooting at everything that moves. We put up with it for the fact that our valley for the rest of the time is wonderful. And we are the incomers, so wouldn’t dream of complaining - except directly to any hunter who I think is too close to my dogs.
Same where we live Sue. To be fair, last autumn, when they ran their dogs across the back of our property, we went out making a huge racket to chase off the dogs, and then when I spotted one of the hunters standing at the very corner of the field next to our woodshed, rifle in hand, less than 20m from the house, I had a polite, if rather tense word, and asked him to recall the dog that was still wandering around. After muttering something about it not being his dog, he did actually make an attempt to recall the dog.
Since that event, we’ve not seen them again this year. We have now bought the small wood through which they were running their dogs, and which adjoins our existing property, and it turns out that they weren’t actually authorised by the previous owner to do any hunting in the wood, so we shall see what happens next year… Additionally, the local hunt association were pre-notified of the sale and could have chosen to buy the land in preference to us, but they declined, so I can only assume that they were either too skinflint or not interested enough for it to be worth their while. I’ve ordered some warning notices about the land being “Propriété Privée - Chasse Interdite”, and intend to nail them to some suitable trees in unavoidably visible places - we’ll see how many potshots get levelled at them.
In a previous run-in with a pair of local hunters using their dogs for “pistage” through our garden, I received a torrent of abuse, and subsequently contacted the president of the local federation to make a formal complaint, so perhaps they know enough of me now to know that I’ll not let things lie. I certainly expect that they know my car registration number, but things have remained polite ever since. Fortunately, other than bluster, there have been no incidences such as the ones reported in this thread from the 34, where presumably, people are quicker to ire, being meridional and all that, but I am acutely aware that things could potentially go south quite rapidly if they were to be provoked.
If anyone has worries re hunting… they can speak with someone at their Mairie and/or the local Chasse.
Each area of France has a lieutenant de louveterie (equivalent of a chasse-policeman) and he is also contactable. The Mairie should have the details.
For any serious situation, contact the gendarmes without delay, would be my advice.
A joint committee of the Senate is specifically looking into safety issues surrounding La Chasse. This was prompted by a petition that reached 120,000 signatures, triggering formal Senate consideration of the issue. Some of you may recall the incident that prompted the petition, the accidental killing of a 25 year old British citizen, Morgan Keane, who was chopping wood outside his house in the Lot, when he was mistaken for a sanglier by a chassueur.
The bipartisan Senate joint committee appears to be consulting very widely and appropriately with relevant affected stakeholders, judging by the cast list of attendees published on the Senate site. It is assumed they will defer any recommendations until after the various elections this spring and summer.
For us, never been serious. Usually just local guys having a half day out. Easier to deal with there and then. I never want to be seen as “The English who don’t like the hunt”. That just escalates it. And in fact I prefer what happens here to the “unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible”.
Here in Correze the sanglier is until the end of March. All other hunting is February 28th. Who will know what they are shooting at in the woods in march?
Was nobody taken to court for Morgan Keane found guilty of manslaughter, and imprisoned?
Serious stuff does happen, to all nationalities and hunting can be dangerous.
From time to time I’ve read or heard, about something unacceptable happening followed swiftly by “… but no-one said/did anything” .
Some time ago I discussed this with a friend who happens to be a Lieutenant de Louveterie.
He tells me that folk really do need to speakup/report bad/dangerous behaviour.
Depending on the severity of the situation…to the Maire, to the head of the Chasse concerned, to the local Lieutenant and (he did say) “call the gendarmes, if someone is waving a gun around you/at you…”
Subsequently, the “guilty party” can be approached/talked-with gently to obtain a good outcome for all concerned… or dealt with firmly if they still do not behave.
The fact that you’ve dealt with “whatever” there and then… is fair enough. Anything more serious should be dealt with as my friend advised…
He was charged with involuntary homicide, and is not allowed to have a gun again or be a member of a hunt. But I don’t know what the result of the charge was.
Thanks both.
I loved it when the President of the hunt said how sad it was for the hunt. How of course they did not want to hunt again as usual when the season opened again in September, but only succumbed and began again for the greater good of French agriculture.
I doubt if anyone here will know, but is the person with a gun accused of manslaughter, actually locked up in prison awaiting the hearing of the case in 2022? Why do I think not?
Thanks Stella.
Well at least out of crime, délit and contravention, it’s not being treated as a contravention.
I was shocked to read about the lady shot by a hunter in her own garden in a recent year, and the neon-clad cyclist in the Jura last year also shot on the road on his bike.
One of my cats has the exact ginger and white colouring of a fox cub. His sister has the colouring of an upside down badger. I worry when they are out and about between meals (or out having other meals …which makes me a bit of a hypocrite to support cats and not so much, human hunters).