Tinker

It is compulsory to take a guide from the organisation when hunting in France with the 'Office National des Forêts' (ONF - French Forestry Commission); prices change slightly per region but for the Central Pyrénées region where I usually hunt, ONF guides are usually charged €350 per day (c. USD 390).

Tag fees for game are usually based on the CIC value of the harvested trophy; fees change also slightly per region but remain however within the same ball park figure. For the ONF in the Central Pyrénées this year, fees are:
- Roe buck: €200 (c.$225); this is the only game charged for a flat fee, whatever the size of the trophy is.
- Red deer, stag: from €600 ($675) for a young one to €3,500 ($3,900) for a CIC gold medal in the lower end.
- Mouflon, ram: from €630 ($700) for a young ram to $2,670 ($3,000) for a CIC gold medal in the lower end.
- Isard, buck or goat: from €950 ($1,050) to $2,700 ($3,000) for a CIC gold medal in the lower end.
I assume such fees are in line with prices charged for similar game by commercial organisations in Western Europe.

This game is wild game, not park game, so one cannot really plan to harvest any specific trophy level when getting out to the field; of course guides know their territories, but in France as anywhere else in the world the chance to be at the right place at the right time is always the key factor when big game hunting!

In most cases with the ONF, the hunter can keep the venison for roe deer, mouflon, isard/chamois and wild boar, but the ONF usually keeps red deer venison as they tend to sell if to local butchers.

I hope that this will give you a clearer picture of this situation.

Louis