I am less worried about the hunters round these parts (all very nice, polite and responsible when I meet them out dog walking or horse riding) than our neighbours who periodically get twatted and threaten each other with guns.
Once the weather gets better and apero season really gets going, the police being called is a regular event. Makes for good viewing through the hedge…
Nothing hypocritical about valuing your cats over humans. If I had to choose between saving my cat or saving 99% of the human race; the planet would be getting a whole lot quieter.
Really? Have you heard cats yowling at night? 
And yet another one 
Why they allow anyone anywhere near a gun to have alcohol beggars belief.
I’m simply not seeing any reports, ever, of prison sentences and massive fines on hunters and hunting parties and yet every year this happens
This is no excuse, but the guy who shot him was also young and will probably have problems for the rest of his life. Unless you are evil (or a trained soldier in a war zone) I’m not sure this is something you ever get over.
Sorry. But nor should he.
Although there are electoral difficulties I do wish France would finally take hunting and so-called “hunters” by the scruff of the neck. And insist on training, retraining, certification and regulation. Such as no alcohol anywhere near a hunt or before a hunt. A convivial celebration afterwards is fine. With very, very severe punishments even for manslaughter and lesser breaches.
I’m not talking about those tightly run groups of hunters that do a needed job in a safe way and individuals with care, safety and skill. There are just too many reports that this is not what most “hunters” here are.
My cat would agree with you.
No we don’t. Everything is well regulated. We get an email from the mairie passing on the times and dates of a battu from the president of the chasse so we are forewarned. Signs at the roadside indicating chasse en cours etc. etc.
Lucky you!
Doesn’t happen here.
Whilst not every Mairie will be sending out emails… the Prefectoral permission for a hunt should be published in advance, by the Mairie to which it refers. I have seen such publications in the public noticeboards of several Mairies, although (obviously) I can’t speak for all of France.
The Prefectoral whatzit outlines the place/area within the commune, the day(s) and time(s), and what species is the subject of control.
Across France, it is the Prefecture (not the local hunt) which decides …what species and how many can be hunted, time of year etc etc.
David Gay, what planet is your France on? 
IMO it’s all down to how strictly each ACCA adhere to the rules on signage etc. Our nearest one doesn’t put out any signs nor has anyone on the road warning drivers to slow down so we never know when they’re hunting, the only clues are the sound of gunfire or vans blocking the road, on the other hand I can drive through the next commune and there are signs everywhere.
I live in hope that the law is changed banning hunting on certain days of the week and public holidays but won’t hold my breath. Whilst I fully accept that the sheer numbers of deer and wild boar is out of control the way hunting is currently organised won’t change that in any meaningful way so accidents and deaths will just continue unabated.
You’re lucky then, we get no such information. Presumably, it is made available somewhere, but where that might actually be is a mystery (to me, at least).
There is a lot of information available, from the Prefecture, from the Mairie…
and online
What is interesting is how different the local hunts can be. Ours, as in the group that hunt in the forests around our house, are fine. We know when and where they are hunting, they put signs up, and if they see us walking the dog will tell us which path to take. Just a little bit further from the house are two other groups who are awful! Drink is taken, signs are forgotten and they career up and down in their cars making a mess of the paths. We often have to return lost hunting dogs.
So much is down to the President of each hunt group.
Any registered and licenced gun owner can hunt 7/7 during the season, they can go off on their own with a shotgun and roam the woods and fields to their hearts content which makes walking the dog from September to March (in our Dept) a complete lottery.
Interestingly round us Tim the days tend to be restricted: Wed afternoon and Sat & Sun all day (though most just do Sunday). We know what you mean about dog walking though. At weekends we don’t go near the woods on the other side of our valley - sounds like WWIII sometimes! We stick to roads where we can clearly be seen or the park in town. That said, we known that the farmers round us are perfectly entitled to shoot “nuisibles” on their land whenever it suits them.
Regulations are all very well, but we are dealing with human beings. To the other documented accounts of deaths can be added the poor sod who was driving his car on the 4 voies near Nantes, I think, only for a bullet to hit him.
I never went walking on Wednesday or Sunday.