1.3 million euros for hunters

The regional council leader Carole Delga met representatives of the "chasse" and fishing groups and agreed to grant 1.3 million euros to help with their conservation activities. About half goes on fishing clubs to help with river and lake conservation and stocking. For the hunters they regret that none of the cash will go towards their training, safety and compensation to agriculteurs whose crops are damaged by wild animals. Ironically they say some will aid their programme to "reintroduce" local animals - presumably excluding bears and wolves.
We imagine establishing populations of pheasant, pigeon and partridge may figure on their list - or is that just cynicism?

Birds under threat after 40 years

In 1979 agreement was reached by EU countries to restrict hunting of various species of wild birds. Yet the French LPO (bird protection league) says that forty years later in several instances France has yet to comply with the directive.
Some 68 species deemed at risk are still hunted in France, including 20 on the international endangered list. This is against an average of 20-30 in the rest of Europe.
The LPO also wants to put a stop to some "traditional" methods of trapping birds, such as the use of "glu" as we reported here a couple of months ago. The method has already been banned in Italy, Spain and Malta, but not yet in the French departments where it still goes on.
Thirdly the league wants to prevent the hunting of migratory birds beyond the end of January, whereas chasseurs want the season to include February. The league claims to have asked the state to ban this some 12 times and have now exhausted all internal avenues. Consequently they are to ask the EU commission to remind France of its obligations under the EU directive. It is no use, they say, to preach France's leading position in pursuit of bio-diversity and fail to set a good example on this measure of protection of wild life.

Counting sheep

Chasseurs in the area around St-Enimie (Lozere) have begun an annual census of wild sheep - known as "mouflons" - in the Tarn valley. There are reckoned to be around 300 beasts, a fairly stable population. Chasseurs have a permit to cull 140 annually so this time of year when lambs are being born is a good time to make the count. The area available to the sheep is some 20000 hectares, but it is thought that they are sticking to the valley as there may be a new natural predator, wolves.
Because wolves dont much distinguish between wild and domestic sheep, shepherds and chasseurs want more freedom to hunt the predators. If presumably the wolves are controlled there will be more wild sheep to be hunted. A "win/win" for the hunters. Not so good for the wild life.
Perhaps the chasseurs will fall asleep counting all those sheep.

Is this form of shooting defensible?

A nuthatch coming to feed at Mas del Sol

Each day we watch the wild birds coming to eat from our bird feeders, though these are mainly small seed eating varieties such as tits, finches, nuthatches and the odd robin, not larger birds such as blackbirds or thrushes. We get immense pleasure from these observations, but it seems that there are chasseurs who like to shoot thrushes and blackbirds, presumably purely for sport as the days of "four and twenty" blackbirds baked in pies are well past.
But in some departments, mainly in the south east of France, a system of luring birds to the gun is to catch some alive by putting glue on the branches of trees, then caging the captured birds so their song will attract others to be shot. The species and numbers of birds allowed to be captured are defined by the prefectures in accordance with records kept by the hunters; other birds accidentally attracted by the glue must be cleaned and released.
The LPO (Ligue Protection Oiseaux) asked the courts to outlaw a practice which is in principle contrary to an EU regulation, though derogations are allowed. But the court of appeal dismissed the case, arguing that the practice is not illegal and is closely regulated by the prefectures. The chasseurs, in their official journal, rejoiced that the court had thrown out the complaints of the "Ayatollahs, politically correct extremists" who were trying to ban a "traditional" sport.
Pretty much the same arguments have always been made to defend fox hunting in the UK and hunting of deer and sanglier here. At least the deer and wild boar can be eaten and crops are defended by controlling the numbers, but gluing thrushes to trees to shoot blackbirds? On this we are glad to classed as "ayatollahs" and are sad that that the "sportsmen" cannot find something more worthwhile to do in their spare time.

We are at risk from chasseurs

Hunting with guns is part of the countryside culture of France and we are used to seeing the "chasse en cours" signs warning us that the hunters are about with their guns and dogs. There have been several fatal injuries this season, and one MP called for a ban on VTT cycling in the hunting season after a cyclist was shot and killed in the Alps. To the contrary there is an increasing call to ban hunting on Sunday to protect walkers and others enjoying the country and woods. But last week a father playing in his home with his children was shocked when a bullet smashed through the window.
A hunter taking part in a sanglier battue had fired the shot, in contravention of the rules banning shooting near to houses.
Despite the entrenched rights of the chasseurs, many readers of Taglines consider that the rights of the general public not to have their lives unnecessarily endangered is paramount.

But they cannot bear these new inhabitants

In the same part of the Pyrenees from which the two hunters escaped the mad cow, their colleagues were yesterday embarking on a "battue" to frighten away two bears which were released into the region last week. Fiercely opposed to the re-introduction of wild life species such as bears and wolves, the shepherds and hunters set out to try to chase the bears who were released last week into high mountain areas. Both females, the Slovenian bears are thought to be pregnant and join a population of 43 ursine residents in the mountains.
The protesters hope to chase the bears into Spain where there is apparently less pasturing of sheep and fewer attacks on flocks by bears and wolves. A local mayor insisted that the groups were not organising an illegal hunt and that many were just out for a walk in the mountains and were unlikely to see a bear in any case.

Hunters hunted - by cows

Those of us who do not approve of the activities of the chasseurs who race about our lanes in pursuit of deer and sanglier always feel schadenfreude when accidents befall the hunters themselves. The fact that they shoot each other on a fairly regular basis is a warning to the rest of us posed by gun toting hunters and when the deer or wild boar turn the tables we afford ourselves a wry smile.
But surely the most embarrassing story this week was the news that two chasseurs had to be helicoptered from the mountains after being attacked by a cow. Described as "seriously shaken" the two men were flown to hospital in Tarbes by a gendarme helicopter. No news is forthcoming about the condition of the cow.
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Get your Hi-vis jackets out

Pic MaxPPP

As you walk through the woods today, musing over your past participles you are likely to be disturbed bu gun shots: the season for hunting "petit gibier" opens today, 9th September. Hares, pheasants, partridge and deer and sanglier are legitimate targets. You, your children or dogs are not legitimate targets (though chasseurs shooting each other seems quite common). But accidents can happen, so be aware of the "Chasse en Cours" panels and make sure you can be seen if you are about in the countryside. Most hunting seasons close on 28 February 2019, though for ducks and most birds it is 31st January 2019.
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La Chasse Presidentielle

Ever since the time of French kings there have been symbolic hunting parties in the royal palaces such as Rambouillet or Chambord. They continued under the republican presidents until being officially abolished by Jacques Chirac. Foreign dignitaries were invited to spend the weekend, at state expense, and take part in the President's Hunt.
President Macron has suggested re-introducing the event as it "fascinates foreigners; it is part of our culture". In practice the Chambord hunts still exist as part of the normal chasse season, though with some state privileges and attracting overseas visitors to the prestigious event.
We imagine that several members of the British Royal family would sympathise, organising as they do their own events at Balmoral. But the Queen crashing through the New Forest in pursuit of deer seems an unlikely echo of our culture. It seems that President Macron sees himself in the role of Francois I - beware of republican revolutionaries!
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Palombieres still in use

A couple of weeks ago we published a picture of a notice warning walkers to whistle as there was a "palombiere" nearby. This provoked a lot of discussion about the use of these towers in the woods to shoot wood pigeons. It seems that there is not so much of this form of hunting practised in this area, but further west it is still in evidence, presumably because the migration routes of the birds are nearer the coast.
A 75 year old chasseur in Mirande, Gers, was indulging this passion when he fell 18 metres climbing the ladder to the platform of the palombiere. Sadly he died from his injuries. There was a "balltrap" nearby and we cannot help thinking that clay-pigeon shooting is less dangerous all round.
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Nous sommes le lundi seize octobre

Lots of talk about the terrible chasse incident on facebook.

Naomi Westbury who raises pigs near Caylus is off to the Marie to complain, worried about her children and the pigs in her local countryside.

Discussion seems to want the shooter charged for manslaughter and I agree with that.

Lots of discussion about the chasse drinking alcohol at lunch and if this is a factor in " wild shooting."

Sadly this year already with many deaths, most have been killing each other, but much more shock when a woman aged either 60 or 69 depending on which paper you read, is killed in her own garden. The shooter taking the shot through a dense hedge,( so he must have heard rather than saw, could have been anything a dog, donkey but it was an elderly lady)

I see the old hunters on our road, they are all elderly but they can certainly put their foot on the accelerater when the hunting horn sounds to tell of a kill. The speed they drive those white vans up our little rutted tarmaced road has to be seen to be believed.

Are they a law unto themselves?

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Now the chasse is open..

should stronger health rules be introduced? Several associations for  the protection of wild animals are calling the government to introduce annual medical checks for licensed hunters and motorist style alcohol limits. They claim it is perfectly legal to go hunting with levels of alcohol so high that accidents are sure to happen: and the number of deaths due to hunting accidents seems to climb each year.
On the other hand since there are no annual check-ups for motorists, who kill far more people, it seems unlikely that such measures be introduced for hunters. But a level of alcohol could be defined which might reduced fatal shootings.
Our experience of chasseurs here at Mas del Sol is that they are very inconsiderate of people living in the proximity. Putting up signs urging us to be "prudent ensemble" then racing up and down the narrow country lanes in convoys of white vans and 4x4s presents far more risks to us and our pets that the actual discharge of firearms.
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Teddy bears protest

Readers may have seen pictures last week of masked anti-bear protestors threatening to initiate bear hunts in the Pyrenees. Now pro-bear organisations have hit back making an almost identical video, but replacing masked people with masked teddy bears. The "International Group for Bear Liberation" posted their tongue in cheek film to call attention to the fact that bears have rights as residents of the mountains as well as men and their flocks.

Armed and ready.

Fiesta Tolosa

It is normal that some residents of south west France want to celebrate their Catalan and Spanish heritage - and bull fights are still a part of that in places such as Nimes and Beziers. But when organisers of the Fiesta Tolosa planned a Pamplona style spectacle of bulls running through the streets of suburban Toulouse they were met with understandable opposition from the local residents.
Manifestations against bull fights are regular occurrences but the tradition carries on. Indeed France 3 TV Occitanie has a regular tauromachie magazine called "Signes du toro", which seems in no way to denigrate the "sport".
Many of us (and our French friends) deplore the influence the chasse has on our daily lives in the country; perhaps just our British squeamishness, but these traditional torturing of animals in the name of sport surely have no place in civilised society?
At least the people of Sept Deniers have managed to ensure no bulls running through their streets next year.
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A "mad deer" killed

In the Dordogne village of Augignac several people were attacked by a chevreuil (deer), including one woman who had to be taken to hospital with wounds to her legs and back.Villagers report coming face to face with the animal, which seemed calm and even posed for photos, but as soon as they turned their back it attacked them with its horns.
The head of the local chasse got permission to shoot it out of season and after spending a morning tracking it finally managed to kill it.
He thought the reason for its behaviour could have been that it is the rutting season making it over-excited or possibly it was intoxicated after eating too much "la bourdaine" (we cannot find a translation for this - anybody know?).
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Readers reply:

Hello Val,

I think Bourdaine, also known as 'Frangula alnus' or 'Rhamnus frangula' is alder buckthorn.

All the best,

Jacynth

Dear Val,

My 'Collins Robert' dictionary translates La Bourdaine as  : - alder buckthorn.

Unfortunately I have no idea what it is or what it looks like !!

Deirdre

Thank you all; should have used our reference books not the internet! Though there are pictures on Google and apparently the bark is a laxative and can be poisonous.

Two chasseurs killed this weekend

Sanglier hunts can be dangerous not just for the wild boar. In Ariege on Saturday a young hunter was shot and killed by one of his colleagues and yesterday a 68 year old appears to have shot himself in the head near Montclar de Quercy (T&G). In each case they were taking part in a "battue" and the incidents are under the investigation by the relevant gendarmes.
We are used to chasseurs charging around our lanes, packs of dogs howling across the fields and gunshots echoing in the valleys, but it is worrying when even they themselves are at risk of being shot.
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Ready, steady.....chasse!

The 2016/17 hunting season opens on Monday, 15th August. The jour férié is no celebration for the wild boar (sanglier) in the local departments. In Tarn and Garonne more than 5000 chasseurs have taken out a licence for big game, which is essentially sanglier and deer. The boar are responsible for major damage to crops, mainly maize, with the federation of chasseurs (ACCA) obliged to pay out 61000 euros in compensation to farmers last year. The hunters killed 2341 sangliers last winter in T&G and consider that the population is stable.
The chasse for duck opens on 21 August, quail on 27th August and the rest of the categories on 11th September and the season closes on 28th February 2017.
The battue for sanglier must be under the control of a trained leader, with warning notices put out and hunters wearing hi-visibility clothing. The ACCA for the department assures us that a battue en cours is no reason to prevent walkers or cyclists enjoying the countryside - but we would not really want to take the risk....
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T&G chasseurs positive report

The official chasse (hunting) season closed on Monday evening and the association president says that a satisfactory season was had. Some 2600 sanglier were killed (up from 2200) and 6300 chevreuil (deer), a stable total. The federation has 7880 members and holds training courses at Realville, which he says accounts for their steady membership. Most of the cases for which they paid compensation involved damage by sanglier, though this was well under control in most areas (still some problems around Lomagne).
The federation hopes to purchase a lake in Castelferrus (near Montauban) to create a bird migration observation centre.
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Chasseurs dont understand the ban

A grand tétras. Picture MaxPPP

In Haute Pyrenees the court has forbidden the hunt of the grand tétras (capercaille), a large  type of grouse, similar to a turkey. Local chasseurs say that it is unfair and illogical to prevent this chasse in their department when in neighbouring Ariege the hunt is still legal. They claim that their efforts in clearing the undergrowth actually helps preserve the birds, otherwise the growth of scrub and trees would destroy their habitat. Generally only about a dozen birds are taken each year, a poor return one would think for the 150000 euros the chasse federation claims to have spent in environmental management.
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He shot a red kite

A chasseur (hunter) in the Pyrenees shot and killed a red kite (milan royal) , a bird which is in decline in France and is protected. He was seen by wardens and charged. In court in Tarbes he was fined 2500 euros (1900 suspended for 5 years), had his chasse licence revoked for 12 months and ordered to pay 500 euros compensation to the LPO (French equivalent of the RSPB) and Nature Midi Pyrenees who both brought cases against him.
Hunters and their associations are always justifying what they do as being pest control but it is hard to see these magnificent birds as pests in the high mountains.
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