Hunting season set to open in france: key information and calendar

IT STARTS THIS SUNDAY IN MANY DEPARTMENTS, WITH OTHERS TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS The 2024-25 hunting season opens in many departments of France this Sunday September 8 at 7:00, with

most other areas set to follow within the month. Here are key points to know. HOW MANY HUNTERS ARE THERE IN FRANCE? Hunting is a popular - albeit controversial - rural activity in France

that regularly involves around one million participants according to government figures.  HOW TO KEEP HUNTERS OUT OF YOUR GARDEN IN FRANCE HOW ARE THEY ORGANISED? Hunters must be members of

an association that is part of the departmental federation, which in turn receives state funding due to the hunters work in managing animal populations and protecting farmland. In case

animals cause damage to farmland, farmers can be receive compensation that is paid by the departmental hunting federation, which gives the hunting associations an incentive to fulfil their

role . WHAT CAN THEY HUNT? They hunt deer, hares and rabbits, however, hunters' time is increasingly monopolised by hunting boar, which cause millions of euros of damage to farmland as

well as thousands of car accidents each year. Read more: Why are there more boars in France in 2024 - and will it continue? WHO SETS THE DATES? The hunting season in France is set by

departmental prefectures according to local requirements. Some, such as the metropolitan Ile-de-France department, have no need for a hunting season, however, most allow for a regular

hunting season that lasts around five months, between September and February. In some situations, this season can be extended, as was the case for the 2023-24 hunting season in Lot. WHAT

DAYS CAN HUNTS TAKE PLACE? Organised hunts are set locally, however Sundays tend to be the busiest day. Departmental prefectures can set a ‘hunt-free day’ each week, but this is not

mandatory and intended for the protection of animals rather than hikers. You can check the rules in your department on the website of your prefecture, the local hunting federation or the

Office Français de la Biodiversité here. There is also a smartphone app called  Chassé & Croisé that promises to inform users when hunts are taking place, however this depends on local

hunting groups registering their plans in the app. Read more: Farmers plead for help over increase in boars in south-west France RULES FOR HUNT DAYS Hunts in France are subject to relatively

strict rules and regulations, including holding valid gun licences, zero alcohol consumption, wearing hi-vis vests and putting out signs indicating “Chasse en cours” to warn people that a

hunt is underway. Nonetheless, a number of fatal hunting accidents happen over the course of each hunting season, some of which are inevitably firearm related.  In 2023-24, there were six

fatal and 97 non-fatal hunting accidents. While the vast majority of victims are the hunters themselves, some are bystanders. In particular, this was the case of Morgan Keane, a 25-year-old

Franco-British man who was shot dead while chopping wood in his garden in 2020. Read more: Dismay as court lowers payout over Franco-British man shot dead by hunter FRENCH 2024-25 HUNTING

SEASON START DATES BY DEPARTMENT: Ain (01) September 8 Marne (51) September 15 Aisne (02) September 15 Haute-Marne (52) September 15 Allier (03) September 15 Mayenne (53) September 15

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) September 8 Meurthe-et-Moselle (54) September 15 Hautes-Alpes (05) September 8 Meuse (55) September 15 Alpes-Maritimes (06) September 8 Morbihan (56) September

15 Ardèche (07) September 8 Moselle (57) August 23 Ardennes (08) September 15 Nièvre (58) September 15 Ariège (09) September 8 (lowlands) - September 15 (mountain areas) Nord (59) September

15 Aube (10) September 15 Oise (60) September 15 Aude (11) September 8 Orne (61) September 22 Aveyron (12) September 8 Pas-de-Calais (62) September 15 Bouches-du-Rhône (13) September 8

Puy-de-Dôme (63) September 8 Calvados (14) September 15 Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64) September 8 Cantal (15) September 8 Hautes-Pyrénées (65) September 8 Charente (16) September 8

Pyrénées-Orientales (66) September 8 Charente-Maritime (17) September 8 (Except Ile d'Aix) - September 15 (Only Ile d'Aix) Bas-Rhin (67) August 23 Cher (18) September 22 Haut-Rhin

(68) August 23 Corrèze (19) September 8 Rhône (69) September 8 Corse-du-Sud (2A) September 1 Haute-Saône (70) September 8 Haute-Corse (2B) September 1 Saône-et-Loire (71) September 15

Côte-d'Or September 15 Sarthe (72) 29 September 2024 Côtes-d'Armor (22) September 15 Savoie (73) September 8 Creuse (23) September 8 Haute-Savoie (74) September 8 Dordogne (24)

September 8 Paris (75) (/) Doubs (25) September 8 Seine-Maritime (76) September 15 Drôme (26) September 8 Seine-et-Marne (77) September 15 Eure (27) September 15 Yvelines (78) September 15

Eure-et-Loir (28) September 15 Deux-Sèvres (79) - September 8 (Except Niort) - September 22 (Only Niort) Finistère (29) September 15 Somme (80) September 15 Gard (30) September 8 Tarn (81)

September 8 Haute-Garonne (31) September 8 Tarn-et-Garonne (82) September 8 Gers (32) September 8 Var (83) September 8 Gironde (33) September 8 Vaucluse (84) September 8 Hérault (34)

September 8 Vendée (85) September 15 Ille-et-Vilaine (35) September 15 Vienne (86) September 8 Indre (36) September 22 Haute-Vienne (87) September 8 Indre-et-Loire (37) September 22 Vosges

(88) September 15 Isère (38) September 8 Yonne (89) September 15 Jura (39) September 8 Belfort (90) September 8 Landes (40) September 8 Essonne (91) September 15 Loir-et-Cher (41) September

22 Hauts-de-Seine (92) September 15 Loire (42) September 8 Seine-Saint-Denis (93) September 15 Haute-Loire (43) September 8 Val-de-Marne (94) September 15 Loire-Atlantique (44) September 15

Val-d'Oise (95) September 15 Loiret (45) September 15 Lot (46) September 8 Lot-et-Garonne (47) September 8 Lozère (48) September 8 Maine-et-Loire (49) September 15 Manche (50) September

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