HUNTING SEASON: Tips to stay safe for walkers and riders to stay safe
The hunting season is open. Advice from CODEVER (Comite Pour Le Developpement Des Loisirs Verts)
From late August to late February, depending on the department) hikers, bikers, horse riders, camper vans, off road scooters, Sunday drivers….. can quickly find themselves surrounded by men with guns if they take a wrong turn, or ignore an (often badly placed) sign
Here are 8 tips from CODEVER (Comite Pour Le Developpement Des Loisirs Verts) to stay safe during hunting season. Some of them are a bit obvious in our opinion, but ‘mieux vaut prévenir que guérir’ (better safe than sorry) and what is obvious to some is not always obvious to others!
► Tip 1- Prepare your outing by finding out as much as you can about places where hunting and ‘battues‘ are permitted/organised. What animals are being hunted, using what kind of weapons? This information is available from the Mairie and local hunting associations.
► Tip 2 – Try to adapt your itineraries as much as possible.
► Tip 3 – Wear bright and conspicuous clothing.
► Tip 4 – Stay on the roads and paths. Don’t venture into the undergrowth – you could find yourself in the middle of a hunt. (Since January 2023, unauthorised presence on private land is punishable by a fixed fine of €135. You may well be fed up about having to change your route but not worth paying a trespassing fine if you’re caught).
► Tip 5 – When you see a ‘Chasse en cours’ (Hunting in progress) sign at the entrance to a public road, it’s best to look for an alternative route, although there is no legal obligation to do so.
► Tip no. 6 – When you come across a group of hunters, stop at the first one and ask about the hunt in progress. He should be able to tell you if there’s any danger in the direction you’re heading or suggest an alternative route. Anti hunt? Stay cool. Never argue with a man with a gun!
► Tip 7 – In the event of threats, disputes or unacceptable behaviour by hunters, do not hesitate to lodge a complaint immediately with the local hunting federation. Les “cow-boys” are very much frowned upon there…in theory!
► Tip 8 – If you drive at night, in certain regions of France, you risk being mistaken for a braconnier (poachers). In some areas, patrols from the ‘Office Français de la Biodiversité) will stop and question nighttime drivers.
USEFUL TO KNOW
Hunters must take a training course and pass a theoretical and practical exam organised by the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency before they may legally obtain a licence. They do not have to pass a shooting or gun proficiency test. They must carry proof of possession of legally required hunting insurance. (Assurance obligatoire de responsabilité civile) The permits can only be used in the commune in which the hunter resides. However, it is possible to get day cards from neighbouring communes and outsiders possessing international hunting permits can also apply for a day’s shooting.
It is your right to ask to see their hunting permit and insurance, particularly if they stray onto your land! However, think twice before approaching an excited man with a gun!
The wild boar (sanglier) hunts that have turned many a peaceful Sunday walk into a nightmare for innocent ramblers are called ‘battues’, so named to describe the beating of woods and bushes to force the game to flee in the direction of waiting hunters who encircle the area. The battue is potentially dangerous! A male boar can weigh in at 150 kilos and have fearsome tusks.
MORE ABOUT HUNTING IN THE PYRENEES-ORIENTALES
The Boar Wars
Interview with member of the ‘Equipe de Chasseurs de Sanglier de Céret’
