France hunting 2025/2026

Very cool @Mehos. I subscribed and look forward to more.

been lucky enough to be getting all the vids for some years via Whats Up.
Methos, u must really share some of the old stuff here, keep a thread open year to year, especially how they work the carcass with panga's - machetes, that was amazing.

Here is the video from Saturday. I already posted it on the WhatsApp group but in case someone missed it.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers

Love these videos. Thanks for keeping us in the loop. The terrain reminds me a little of Silvermine in the Cape Peninsula near Noordhoek. Shooting those pigs on the move at those distances would require a lot of practise on my part. How much if at all do you have to lead at that distance?

Hi OafPatroll

I don't lead per se - I aim at where I want to shoot and just follow the boar, while pulling the trigger. The most important thing is following the line - like shotgun shooting - if you can establish the line and follow it it is easier - so if you aim for the head but the boar runs a bit faster you shoot it in the neck or behind the shoulder. I actually though I hit the boar in the head when I shot it because that is where I aimed.

Cheers

Thanks, I figured there was an element shotgun style shooting to what you are doing there. I'm a keen wingshooter and a lot more comfortable behind a 12g than a scoped rifle. Would love to try this style of shooting out someday and see if any of my shotgun skills, such as they are, translate.

We hunted again on Saturday. Almost the same spot where I shot my first triple last year. We can in fact see spot from there.

I had some luck this time as well. Twice actually.

I had to cut out and blur some of the footage otherwise Youtube will get their knickers in a knot.

Here is the link.

Please let me know what you think and like and subscribe and comment if you want to.

Cheers

Got this one on Saturday

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all.

Cheers

Methos, what is the situation with wildlife in France? I mean, are there barely enougn / more than enough/ too many boars?

I think you once said that it is the only species being hunted?

Got this one on Saturday

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to you all.

Cheers

Thanks Methos, same to you and yours and thanks again for keeping us in the loop of hunting in your part of the world. On a different note, re your question on Gunsite regarding the markings on the Belgian shotgun, my shotgun guru mate reckons that the info you AI'd up was good to go.

Methos, what is the situation with wildlife in France? I mean, are there barely enougn / more than enough/ too many boars?

I think you once said that it is the only species being hunted?

Hi there Dominie

Let me start with addressing the last question first. In my hunting club's hunting area - around 4000 hectares we only have boar to hunt. Fallow deer like to live in more forested areas, our hunting area burned down in 1982. So there is a lot less forest and more plants like rosemary etc.

So in our area we only have boar to hunt as big game - there are also pheasant and partridge to hunt. No rabbits - they got and illness a few years ago and most of them died out - there are two rivers/canals between the areas that have rabbits and our place - so migration is slow, 2 bridges to go over and foxes to evade etc.

I've seen deer 2km from our hunting area but never in it. Also for deer you need a 'bracelet' - tag- every club only get a certain number of bracelets per year for deer. You are only allowed to shoot that many - when a deer is shot by that club the bracelet is put on the back leg and the date is cut out into it so that you can't reuse them. I went hunting on last week Sunday - I sent a message on the group - Saw a deer within shooting range but we were asked not to shoot them because they only have 2 tags left for the season.

As for boar. In some areas there are too many, in other areas there are very few. It depends on the area, the farming practices and hunter pressure and lately wolf pressure.

France has a National Hunting Federation - Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs (FNC).

Then below that there are 94 Departmental Hunting Federations. I live in the Bouches Du Rhone department - That is Dept no 13 - So I fall under FDC13. They handle the validation of hunting permits that must be renewed every year. Costs around €200. This money is used to pay farmers for damages inflicted by boars/deer and other wildlife.

Everyone of those departments set their own dates for season openings, quotas of birds, animals, hunting times etc. Even the use of night scopes and night hunting that is completely forbidden in my area is allowed in Moselle - close to the German border.

Below the FDC - Federal department there are hunting clubs or hunting associations. Mostly a village or a collection of villages. If you live and hunt in that village the price can be as low as €20 to €150 depending on the village. If you are an "Actionaire" - ie you don't live in that area but still want to hunt there the price can go up a lot. For me it is €390 per year on top of the €200. Some of the hunting club money also goes to the FDC to pay for the area that is hunted.

Hunting clubs get targets that they must reach during the season. If you are drastically below your target you will get fined for it. Boars and other animals must be controlled, otherwise crop damage and car/motorcycle accidents spiral out of control.

The area next to us is very difficult to hunt since it is very dense - you can mostly only shoot in pathways - they only did 45 boars last year - In that commune they had 27 accidents between cars and boars in the same year.

As for wild life - There have never been more wild animals in France. The system works by trying to keep a balance between the damage wild life creates and the preservation of the species.

Here is a list of animals that are hunted in France:

Boar
Red deer
Fallow deer
Roe deer

Mouflon,
Chamois
Isard
Ibex

There is also foxes, badgers, Hares, cane rats etc. Also as mentioned now we have wolves which are protected. Every year between 800 000 and a million boars are shot in France.

We have over a million hunters in France - Making it the second biggest sport after soccer. Not all hunters hunt boar. A lot of hunters only hunt small game and birds. The area where I hunt is considered a national park. It is not fenced at all so animals migrate to where they want.

Close to me there is an area that is in private hands - around 3000 hectares - a group of hunters hire the hunting rights from a old noble family. They pay €30 000 every season for the privilege. To hunt with them costs €1500 per year. A lot of the old guys in my hunting club hunts there. They are mostly guys that are in retirement so they hunt between 4 and 5 times per week.

For the hunts at our club we pay an additional €10 per day - the money goes for breakfast (baguette, patés and hams), an aperitif after the hunt and the rest of the money goes into a fund for the dogs - inevitably some dogs gets injured during boar hunts and that money is used to cover the Vet bills. Sometimes we are asked for more money if the injury is serious. It has only happened once or twice since I started hunting with them.

The guys from my club also have hunting rights in the Camargue - a wetland area. There the hunting cost €50 per day if you are lucky enough to be invited. But 50 to 70 boar days are not unheard of there.

There are guides that propose hunting days in the Camargue - they start at €1500 per day and go up from there. There are also guys in my club that hunt waterfowl in the Camargue - half action - ie you can hunt half of the days of the week is around €4000 per year.

Hunting is a huge part of rural France. Every morning during hunting season you hear shots being fired - guys that hunt migrating birds, pigeons, rabbits etc.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Regards

How many hunting accidents do they have per year?

(I guess very little, simply because the hunting clubs are well regulated and the stabfatds very high).

Dominie

Around 100 Total accidents last year - with 11 fatal - all victims were hunters. Every year over the last 20 years the statistics show a downward curve.

While I agree that 1 accident is to many a huge effort is being made by all the Federations. We will soon be required to pass a hunting security course every few years.

But let us compare it to other popular sports:

Fishing - 80–120 deaths per year
Skiing - 30–50 deaths per year
Hiking - 40–60 deaths per year
Mountaineering -90–120 deaths per year
Cycling - 220–260 deaths per year
Soccer - 5–15 deaths per year

When we hunt every entrance to the hunting are is clearly marked by a sign telling people that a hunt is underway and that they take a risk going into the area - But they simply ignore it and go jogging or hiking or cycling anyway.

Before every hunt the security rules are read and at some clubs they even make you sign a a document to acknowledge that the rules have been read. Every hunter is also legally required to have hunting assurance.

As for driven hunts, the hunt organizers as well as the person responsible for the accident are legally liable.

That is why dangerous people is not tolerated by hunting clubs - you need to be sponsored by another person to join a hunting club, and if the organizers feel that you are dangerous they will refuse to accept or renew your membership.

Regards

Dominie

Around 100 Total accidents last year - with 11 fatal - all victims were hunters. Every year over the last 20 years the statistics show a downward curve.

While I agree that 1 accident is to many a huge effort is being made by all the Federations. We will soon be required to pass a hunting security course every few years.

But let us compare it to other popular sports:

Fishing - 80–120 deaths per year
Skiing - 30–50 deaths per year
Hiking - 40–60 deaths per year
Mountaineering -90–120 deaths per year
Cycling - 220–260 deaths per year
Soccer - 5–15 deaths per year

When we hunt every entrance to the hunting are is clearly marked by a sign telling people that a hunt is underway and that they take a risk going into the area - But they simply ignore it and go jogging or hiking or cycling anyway.

Before every hunt the security rules are read and at some clubs they even make you sign a a document to acknowledge that the rules have been read. Every hunter is also legally required to have hunting assurance.

As for driven hunts, the hunt organizers as well as the person responsible for the accident are legally liable.

That is why dangerous people is not tolerated by hunting clubs - you need to be sponsored by another person to join a hunting club, and if the organizers feel that you are dangerous they will refuse to accept or renew your membership.

Regards

Blame it on the guns, as well as the general low IQ of the backwards Folks who become hunters ;)

Seriously though, thanks for clearing that. It makes hunting one of the safer sports.