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For me it was the 1st February. For my cousin (distant from 150 km) it'll the 15th March.

The season was the highest in history. We broke the record last year and this year was far better.

On our territory 2006 145 boars, 2007 195, 2008 260.
My neighbours ,in Neuwiller, 2008 240, 2009 360 boars.

In every region of France the boar is striving and causing unbearable depredations. In the past 1000 0000 boars were shot per year, I suppose the count is around 1.3 M this year.

Boar depredations make the headlines of newspaper and we were threatened of Administrative driven hunts. State employees and helpers suddenly land on your area and will shoot any boar, be they piglets or sows. They don't care. They also think nothing about not blood tracking the wounded?

Consequently we decided to shoot all the animals we see, but shooting first the smallest and preferably no sows when dealing with a herd. But any single animal has to be shot, be it a sow, what isn't our rule at all.

We have depleted our stock, no doubt and now we wonder whether the shooting of sows will have worrying consequences? We are so used with plenty of boars that it's hard to consider having less opportunities when hunting.

With regards to our hunting area, I remain optimistic. Our driven hunts were often shambolic. Woodcutters and loggers played havoc and moved the population, resulting in few cornerings of herds during the driven hunts. We also opted for large drives letting plenty of room for the boars to scamper unscathed. All the season we badly lack good hounds. When it's raining or the wind is blowing the boar are likely to flee just 100 m and lay doggo. If no mean hound is handy they'll survive. Some of our guests were real poor shots. On the last driven hunt, I have one guy almost blind and I discovered it at the end of the drive when other hunters told me that he let 23 pigs out, passing barely at 10 m from him???, Another fucker was braying "Attention cochon" (Careful, boar) when pigs were approaching the shooting line, having the pigs double backed.???? Another idiot feeling cold made a fire to heat his hands. the smoke prevented boars from crossing the line?????? Another had only 3 rounds and was hapless in 10 minutes. And many were almost troden on by herds of boars and not capable to shoot any when their job was only to shoot and prevent them from crossing the hunting line?????

Next year, we'll rent outstanding hounds, hunt smaller drives and thoroughly choose the shots and the places where we'll set them.

Good luck
jb

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"I don't want to create an encyclopedic atmosphere here when we might be having a beer instead" P H Capstick in "Safari the last adventure."