hunting

[monsieur kim]

As a new resident in france (all of 3 months) i am getting my first taste of the hunting season. whilst i acknowledge that hunting is a way of life over here i was under the impression that the majority of "kills" were for the family supper!

is there some regulation as to what animals/birds can be shot or is there no limit to the carnage.

i have been prompted to write this e-mail as tonight whilst walking my dogs i witnessed a "hunter" quietly sat at the edge of a wood picking off small birds as they flew over with scant regard as to whether they were injured or killed outright. i asked him what he was shooting at and having checked the dictionary it seemed to be blackbirds !!!

if this is the norm for the hunting fraternity when all the larger sport such as partridge and pheasant have been wiped out then i feel dismayed at what the french hunters are allowed to shoot at next.

has anyone any knowledge of rules or regulations (which i doubt exist) or what prey can fall into the sight of the hunters' guns!

[BJSLIV]

Here is the governement website which gives details of blackbird and blackbird hunting . It estimates that 985,000 were taken in France in the 1989 season. Thats a lot of four and twenties.

http://www.oncfs.gouv.fr/events/animois/ss_rub71.php

[Viv]

I have trouble getting my head round why people need to kill things at the best of times - but blackbirds?

I have had a mr and mrs blackbird in every garden I've ever owned and they are lovely little birds. what possible reason could anyone have for wanting to kill them other than they move?

[chris pp]

Because they eat them and in France certain other birds are eaten that might seem a bit strange if you come from a different culture, such as skylarks and all members of the thrush family.

Never easy to be objective about this type of thing. I remember being more than bit surprised when I first saw a French person fishing in a river and keeping every fish no matter what the size or the species to eat.

I would have to say, that in addition to this "killing to eat" I have witnessed a considerable amount of indiscriminate killing.

Best, Chris

[Deimos]

I did find it ironic this morning taking my dogs outside on “Armistice Day” and it sounded like the war had started again and the front line was rather close by.

Ian