France Hunting Season 2023/2024

**Methos** · 12-12-2023, 17:17

Hi there.

We've started hunting in mid September already and and I've been on 13 driven hunts with the club in Les Alpilles and one with our home town.

In our home town we had a driven hunt between houses and orchards, you are only allowed to shoot with a shotgun and slugs. We were posted around a small forest - 100m by 100m and a small orchard. You don't move from your spot once posted and have to mark out your shooting angles very carefully. Soon after the trackers and dogs went in a boar came running out. Was about 60m away from me and then turned towards us and straight for my neighbour. Called his name but he didn't see the boar till it jumped out 3m from him. He missed it twice at 5m. I tried 2 shots at 30m but it was between trees and I missed.

We killed 4 that morning.

In the other hunts I've had very little luck - Each time I get a choice between 2 spots and choose one and the other guy shoots something and I see nothing. Just had one snap shot at a small pig that came running out at 180kmph but shot over it.

Last week Saturday we hunted and area that I know well. I've already shot a small pig there a few years ago. When we got to the club house before the hunt my name was next to the spot I usually occupy and my friends Sébastien had the spot I'm usually at. He asked me if I wanted to swap back and I just said I don't care - I'm no longer making choices because each time it back fires. He eventually said let's stay with the diagram that made by the hunt director.

We got into the mountains and parked his 4x4 and I walked the 2km to my spot. The area that we hunted was huge. I had 3 valleys to cover. I could move around to cover each one. We got to our spots around 8:30 and then at the dogs were let loose. Soon they smelled the boars and chased up a good company. My friend on my left called me on the phone to say that he saw the boars and they are coming towards us.

They came straight for me but they had to make a choice - either to my left or right as I was posted at the bottom of a huge hill with no escape. They went to my left which wasn't ideal as they would have the sun directly behind them. I moved 10m to my left and put the 308 into the tripod shooting sticks I got for my birthday.

There were 8 pigs in the group, 2 big ones and 6 smaller ones. The first one jumped over a bush and I saw a tuft of hair on the bottom of the belly what I took for a wiener. I took aim but the sun was quite distracting. Took aim again on the head at around 130m, squeezed trigger and saw the boar fall, jump up again and fall again. Tried getting another one in the cross but they were running over the crest of the hill so no safe shot. Ran 40 to 50m to my left but the rest of the sounder was already and my neighbour was already shooting at them. Turned around to check on where my boar fell and saw it stumbling down hill. I saw the teeth and heard that the dogs were getting close so knew I had to be quick. Took aim again and tried to shoot through the stomach to reach the lungs. The shot went in bit further behind than where I aimed but the boar fell down. Let my neighbours know that I was going down to make sure it was dead. Got close and saw the bushes move a bit. Got close and saw the boar was still alive.

I didn't have my big knife on me and didn't want to shoot again because of a lots of rocks and dogs and scared of ricochets so took out the cutter that I had on me that I use for skinning and pinned it down and cut the arteries in it's neck. It was a dry sow of around 80 kgs

Walked back up to my spot and sweated my butt off! Rest of the morning nothing else happened. Eventually the call came that the hunt was finished. I asked for help dragging the boar out and they said that they would send people. I started dragging the boar out to the left side and got to it up the hill to my left. My friend Sébastien eventually got there with a a rope but he couldn't help drag because he's got a sore back.

I attached the rope around the boar's head and around my middle and I dragged the boar back down and Seb helped that the head didn't get stuck in the bushes. I started back up hill and sweated buckets. Eventually a 16 year old arrived to help and his grandpa of 70 and my friend Didier. Didier also have back problems so he couldn't help much. Eventually I got to the top of the hill and after that it was peanuts to get it down to where the bakkie could pick up the boar.

Went back to the club house and I decided to skin the boar to see where the bullets went through. Skinned it and saw that the fist shot went in through the neck and broke the shoulder and blew a hole though it. A load of damage. The back leg was shot to pieces as well. Bullets was Winchester super X 180gr.

Happy to get on the scoreboard finally!

**Methos** · 12-12-2023, 17:55

Here are some pics

Sent from my 21091116UG using Tapatalk

**oafpatroll** · 12-12-2023, 18:15

Lekker! Congrats and thanks for keeping us in the loop with what happens in the hunting fields of the old continent.

**DaavG** · 13-12-2023, 09:07

Nice write-up thank you! Congratulations on the hunt, looks very different! What scope do you use to take running shots and how do the sticks work while tracking a moving target?

**Socrates** · 13-12-2023, 10:43

Waidmannsheil!

**Methos** · 14-12-2023, 11:15

Originally Posted by DaavG

Nice write-up thank you! Congratulations on the hunt, looks very different! What scope do you use to take running shots and how do the sticks work while tracking a moving target?

Hi DaveG

The scope is a 3-9X40 RTI. It is not the best scope on the market - Entry level actually but I got it as a package when I bought the Marlin 308. Up until now I've never had the need to change it. It holds it's zero perfectly and we only start hunting after the sun is well up so no need for shooting in half darkness. And we understand each other ;)

As for the tripod - I got it a few weeks ago - I only tested it with the .22 to get used to it. I didn't put it at it's full height because the terrain wasn't all that flat. Since the boars were at 130m it wasn't a huge movement to follow them but it worked a charm. I just followed the boar and squeezed the trigger gently. It makes it a lot easier! Felt very confident in the shots. From now on I'll take it along every time. Obviously it won't work in every situation like thick bush but for longer shots it works a charm.

**Methos** · 14-12-2023, 11:33

We hunted yesterday afternoon in our village. 100m from a busy road and less than 2km from my house. The area that was hunted was about 300m by 300m. We are only allowed shotguns with slugs. We were posted in a line next to a bramble patch and reeds. The trackers moved in and soon the dogs were howling. Shots ran out in the area but only at the end one came running out between the guys who were posted and it was shot by one of them.

They were gathering up the dogs and the next moment the tracker heard the dog yelp and the next moment a splash. The dog fell into a bore hole about 15 m deep. Luckily there was water at the bottom. She was treading water and they tried to find enough rope to try and get too her. The borehole was to small to let anyone down in so we didn't have a lot of choices. One guy had a truck strap that was long enough but we couldn't tie a hook to it.

I yelled at the one guy that we should get drive to the co-op and he took me since I left my car at the gathering point. I ran in there and told the one sales clerk that it is an emergency and we need a long rope and a flash-light. Guy responded well. In no time I had a 25m rope and a huge spotlight. They tried to ring the stuff up but couldn't find the spotlight in the accounting system. I just left my identity card and ran for the truck. When we got back to where the dog was she was already tiring and her head was starting to go under a few times. We tied the rope to a hook and quickly lowered it. The spotlight helped a lot and in bout 10 minutes he managed to hook the dog through the GPS collar and she was dragged to safety.

Quite a relief. Guy offered to pay me back but I wanted a spotlight for a while so now I've got a €45 spotlight and a rope ;)

4 boars were killed and I went home with half of one of around 70kg. Will skin and process tonight.

**DaavG** · 14-12-2023, 12:03

Originally Posted by Methos

We hunted yesterday afternoon in our village. 100m from a busy road and less than 2km from my house. The area that was hunted was about 300m by 300m. We are only allowed shotguns with slugs. We were posted in a line next to a bramble patch and reeds. The trackers moved in and soon the dogs were howling. Shots ran out in the area but only at the end one came running out between the guys who were posted and it was shot by one of them.

They were gathering up the dogs and the next moment the tracker heard the dog yelp and the next moment a splash. The dog fell into a bore hole about 15 m deep. Luckily there was water at the bottom. She was treading water and they tried to find enough rope to try and get too her. The borehole was to small to let anyone down in so we didn't have a lot of choices. One guy had a truck strap that was long enough but we couldn't tie a hook to it.

I yelled at the one guy that we should get drive to the co-op and he took me since I left my car at the gathering point. I ran in there and told the one sales clerk that it is an emergency and we need a long rope and a flash-light. Guy responded well. In no time I had a 25m rope and a huge spotlight. They tried to ring the stuff up but couldn't find the spotlight in the accounting system. I just left my identity card and ran for the truck. When we got back to where the dog was she was already tiring and her head was starting to go under a few times. We tied the rope to a hook and quickly lowered it. The spotlight helped a lot and in bout 10 minutes he managed to hook the dog through the GPS collar and she was dragged to safety.

Quite a relief. Guy offered to pay me back but I wanted a spotlight for a while so now I've got a €45 spotlight and a rope ;)

4 boars were killed and I went home with half of one of around 70kg. Will skin and process tonight.

Good save!! Must a novelty to hunt so close to home!

**DaavG** · 14-12-2023, 12:04

Originally Posted by Methos

Hi DaveG

The scope is a 3-9X40 RTI. It is not the best scope on the market - Entry level actually but I got it as a package when I bought the Marlin 308. Up until now I've never had the need to change it. It holds it's zero perfectly and we only start hunting after the sun is well up so no need for shooting in half darkness. And we understand each other ;)

As for the tripod - I got it a few weeks ago - I only tested it with the .22 to get used to it. I didn't put it at it's full height because the terrain wasn't all that flat. Since the boars were at 130m it wasn't a huge movement to follow them but it worked a charm. I just followed the boar and squeezed the trigger gently. It makes it a lot easier! Felt very confident in the shots. From now on I'll take it along every time. Obviously it won't work in every situation like thick bush but for longer shots it works a charm.

Thank you. Never tried a moving shot with a rifle so trying to work out mechanics...

**Methos** · 14-12-2023, 12:25

Originally Posted by DaavG

Good save!! Must a novelty to hunt so close to home!

Not really ;) 90% of my hunts are within 25km of my house. Before we moved it was within 10km of my house. I hunt crows and pigeons as well in our new village. Some mornings I drop my daughter off at her high school, drive 800m and setup my decoys and shoot till 10min before work starts, pick up my decoys and get home in time for work. She can hear my shots in her class. France is different from SA ;)