CÔTE-D’OR: Young Hunters’ Day 2022
Invited by the departmental federation of hunters of Côte-d’Or, around twenty new holders of hunting permits discovered the forest of Chamberceau this Saturday, February 19. Emphasis was placed on safety instructions.
Early morning south of the Langres plateau. The sun gradually rises above the horizon and warms an old farmhouse. Now located on the edge of the A31 motorway, north ofselongey, between Dijon and Langres, it is the hunting meeting place of the federation of hunters of the Côte-d’Or.
“It’s the reward day for newcomers to the hunting license exam,” enthuses Pascal Secula, president of the departmental federation and the regional federation Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, opening the event this Saturday, February 19. 2022.
The tradition has been established for about fifteen years: about twenty people drawn at random from among the best results of the promotion are invited by the federation. In 2021, 350 people registered to take the hunting license, including 15% of women. Overall, the success rate was 72%.
The French Office for Biodiversity is responsible for hunting
Surrounding the president of the federation is Captain David Chou, second in command of the Is-sur-Tille gendarmerie company, and two agents from the French Office for Biodiversity to raise awareness among new hunters of security issues . Olivier Jacquand, president of the louvetiers of the Côte-d’Or, also follows this day.
Philippe Loison, head of the departmental service of Côte-d’Or for the French Office for Biodiversity, indicates “to participate in these days for young hunters in the context of hunting safety”. In Côte-d’Or, the OFB currently has twelve operational agents.
Since 2020, the OFB has resulted from the merger of the French Agency for Biodiversity (AFB) and the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS). This public establishment has administrative and judicial police jurisdiction over hunting; it organizes the examination of the hunting license.
Decline in hunting accidents since the 2000s
“Welcome to Chamberceau! In a well-organized hunt, we give safety instructions before the hunt”, recalls Pascal Secula, speaking in front of the forty people gathered in an arc in the courtyard of the old farm. Since the age of 15, Pascal Secula has been hunting in this 2,000 hectare forest which is home to deer and wild boar.
“Hunting is a passion”, he underlines while admitting that the practice arouses controversy. According to the ONCFS count, the number of hunting accidents fell from 186 in 2001 (including 23 fatalities) to 131 in 2019 (including 7 fatalities).
According to OFB reports, the main causes of these accidents are “poor handling of the weapon”, “non-respect of the 30° angle” of the shots, and “shots at head height or in the direction of dwellings and roads open to traffic”.
“The hunting license is based almost solely on safety”, defends Dominique Rigaud, vice-president of the departmental federation, in charge of training and safety, in reference to the new national formula for the hunting license activated in 2019. A formula accompanied by a gesture from the government towards hunters with a cost halved.
Fluorescent orange clothing required
The main rules are as follows: weapons empty of ammunition placed in their case when moving, waiting for the start of hunt bell to load his weapon then unload when the bell ends of hunt, no shooting in the hunt unless otherwise indicated by the line manager, immobility at the post, not controlling a possible shot during the hunt, not shooting the animals entering the hunt, not shooting in the direction of the highway…
The “rule of 30°” in relation to its neighbors is materialized by defining a rectangle of five steps out of three, the pieces of which limit the possible cone of fire in relation to the position of the posted fighter. The shooters are stationary, lined up every fifty meters for example by the line manager. The trackers accompanied by their dogs are mobile and scour the forest to bring down the game in the direction of the shooters.
It should be noted that since 2015, the wearing of a fluorescent orange waistcoat or jacket – the regulatory color – has been generalized in France. It is mandatory in Côte-d’Or for any participant in a hunting action: shooter, tracker, guide or observer.
To communicate, hunters use a trunk, the pibole. A long tap signals the start of tracking. A long blow and a short blow for the end of tracking. Two knocks to announce a fox, three knocks a roe deer, four knocks a boar, five knocks a deer, six knocks a doe or a young. In case of killed game, several court shots, it is the “rigodon”.
The Côte-d’Or, “one of the most beautiful departments in France in terms of deer”
“It’s also part of the hunt not to shoot”, reminds Dominique Rigaud, evoking security rules or the provisions of the hunting plan which determine the number of potential samples from each species during the season.
Thus, for this day, the shooting of large deer is not authorized, the quota of the season having already been reached. “The deer is emblematic of the Côte-d’Or, we want to age this population”, indicates Dominique Rigaud. “We are one of the most beautiful departments in France in terms of deer and trophies. On quality management. We have enough animals, but not too many either. We have beautiful animals that wear exceptional antlers and trophies.”
A day to hunt in new territory
The particularity of the day is that only young hunters are posted for the shots. More experienced companions being with them.
Originally from Châtillon-sur-Seine, Antoine, 24, works in Paris during the week and hunts every two weeks. He passed his hunting license in 2021. This Saturday, he chose an Express 9.3x74R rifle equipped with a telescopic sight to target big game. He is accompanied by Jean-Luc.
“It allows you to hunt in territories that we have not imposed the habit of hunting”, explains Antoine about this day organized by the federation. “It also allows you to see the wild fauna and flora that may be there in other sectors. »
Although a young hunter, Antoine has already been invited for a day to hunting clubs ranging from ten to forty people. An action in a hunting company allowing the practice during one season represents a budget oscillating between 500 and 800 euros on average.
As a result, the federation encourages membership in the association of Young and New Hunters of Côte-d’Or, led by Romain Gally, present today, in order to facilitate temporary access to hunting societies.
Baptism of blood and Burgundian ban
Traditionally taking place at the end of the day, Pascal Secula advances the report to the lunch break to highlight the already well-stocked hunting list at the end of the morning: three deer and two wild boars. Another suspected injured boar will be searched for in the forest during the afternoon.
During this report, each shooter talks about his observations and his result. Pascal Secula carries out a baptism of blood for the young hunters who have taken their first sample today. There are three of them in the middle of the day to receive traces of the very blood of their killed animal on their faces. Punctuated by a Burgundian ban, the report ends with two bells: deer and wild boar.
The deer season will end at the end of February and at the end of March for wild boars. The Young Hunters Day is therefore one of the last events of the hunting season for the federation. A time taken at the beginning of March, a national demonstration to defend the claims of the hunters was called off. The federations preferring to wait for the result of the presidential election to bring their voice to the new elected President of the Republic.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon