Are they allowed on my land?

[Dotty0]

I live in dept 79 just outside a rural village.  Monday's and Thursday's are for the local hunt.  Sometimes I can hear the dogs and bugals, (if that's what they are called).  Today I had a pack of dogs tearing up the grass as they ran across the field in front of my house.  In the process, my 5 month old kitten, scared out of his wits, jumped up into my arms, then decided he would make a run for it, so proceeded to scratch my hand to pieces.  I don't really like hunting, but I like it even less when a pack of dogs come onto my land. 

Can anyone tell me if this is allowed.  We have alot of cows in the adjacent fields, I'm sure the farmer wouldn't be very happy, would he?

Cheers

Dotty

[chris pp]

Hi Dotty,  The simple answer is yes, there's not much that you can do about the dogs on your land. How big is your garden and did the hunters come with them?

Chris

[Dotty0]

Hello Chris

No, the hunters were nowhere to be seen, only heard.  We have about a hectare, in several fields around us, it used to be a farm house.  I was oustside when I heard a commotion and spotted the dogs running across the front field.  There were about 6 dogs, they were quite long bodied with short legs and they all had flurescent collars.  The fields next to us have cattle in them and the field the dogs ran into usually has, but have rently been moved.

Something else new to experience in France I guess.

Dotty

[chris pp]

It's not unusual for the dog(s) to get separated from their owners, they quite often go of on their own and frequently get lost. I think it's part of the hunters pastime spending a large part of the day looking for them, I often see them just running along the road or across fields with no one in sight. If you should have a problem in the future with hunters, please feel free to contact me.

Chris

[Dotty0]

Chris

Thanks for the offer.  I don't want to cause a fuss, its just I have 3 children and my youngest (6)  is scared of dogs, particularly when unleashed.  Thankfully they are at school and I think the season finishes in March (can anyone confirm the season) so hopefully won't come into contact with them.

Dotty

[daniel]

Yes they are allowed on your land. As far as I remember they can even shoot from as close as 150 m from builings. There is a recent law however, which states that you can claim for philosophical opposition. Buts the laws on hunting are complex (http://www.oncfs.gouv.fr/) and I would rather try to talk to the hunters and ask them for not allowing their dogs to ruin your garden. Remember you can alway build a fence around your property.

[Opalienne]

They are not alllowed within a certain distance of fields with livestock.   And the season ends around the end of January, as far as I recall

[chris pp]

Very briefly, season ends 28th Feb this year.  Also, it is not complicated to make your land hunt free, but it is a legal process - just a couple of pieces of paper to the Sous Prefecture. Certainly having a word with your local ACCA (hunt asso) President can help where group hunting takes place, the catch with this is that individual hunters sometimes don't get the message.

I have to say that around here there has been an improvement in respecting the regulations and giving peoples gardens a wider berth in the last couple of years, a lot of which is due to a tightening up by the ONCFS and a greater safety campaign, hence the red collars for the dogs.

Chris