Thread: French drive

What a neat experience, it is great to hunt in another land. Totally different style to our bush hunting but looks to be effective. Look forward to Mondays hunt.

Year Mooseman chalk and cheese!
But the guys that I talked too are all mad keen to have a go down nz way. They could not believe that we don't pay for access to public land. They did once I showed them a few choke filled supplejack bully's of the Kaimias one guy that was on the next stand on Monday also shot on Saturday wants to come to nz when I'm next there. He was good company spoke good English so he will get an invite to sample a bit of NZ, it's the lest I can do after the generosity that these guys have shown me.

Monday dawned cold and frosty.
Like the last two years, a group of the guns and beaters meet up to have brunch in a restaurant.
This is a very relaxed get together, where you have a nice meal and a glass of wine. All the talk is of shooting and hunting. The guys are of all ages.
(Please note that a glass of wine is just that, this does not mean getting drunk. You would not be allowed to shoot if intoxicated)!
Once we had had our fill, we were told to meet up to have our hunting licences checked. They also make sure that you have shoot insurance. The cost of the licences is 66.27 EUR for three days.
Then we all gathered for the safety briefing before getting into the shoot wagons to be dropped at our stands.

You are shooting in a public forest. Monday helps as most people are at work. But you still need to make sure of your firing zones as there are roads around the forest. Walkers, runners and horse riders are in the forest.
This shoot is run a little differently to the one on Saturday.
First of all the guns are all within 50 to 60 yards of one another.

Each gun is stood on a little stand so that your shot is angled into the ground. We are all lined up on forestry tracks that surround the block that is to be pushed through by the beaters.
You stand looking into the block. But under no circumstances are you to shoot into this!
You must wait till the game runs past you out of the block and then you may take a shot.
But only up to 50 yards! Past that and they must be left!
Once I was dropped at my stand I climbed up and put my electronic ear defenders on. These I turned up full and then loaded up my 8x57 double rifle. Checked my firing zone, I then turned to face into the woods from where I hoped the game would come from.
Today we could only shoot boar and hinds. No sows with piglets and no stags.
From where I was standing I could see up to a main road which had a roundabout, on which a lager bronze sculpture of a stag stood in the middle.

The horn sounded for the start of the drive.
From behind me I could hear some scuffling noises. I turned to see a young boar!
He saw me at the same time. My first shot missed, but the second hit him hard. I watched the spot where he had disappeared, making sure to mark it well in case the trackers where needed.
It was strange to see him on his own and he was very surprised to see me. I think that he would have crossed the track and walked right past my stand if I had not moved. The electronic ear defenders are really good at enhancing what you are hearing.
The drive continued and we could hear shoots coming from the beaters. They carry shot guns and are allowed to shot wood cock. These are a small brown bird with a long thin beak. They are also very challenging to shoot at and good are eating.
A long blast from a horn soon sounded the end of the drive. I unloaded and climbed down. Meeting up with my neighbouring guns, we walked to where I had last seen the boar. Casting around one of the guns found blood. So he marked this with a small tissue and we all left the area so that the trackers could come and do their thing. The edge of the track was also marked with tissue.
We all moved off to the next drive.
My wife told me latter, that she came with the tracker. He had a little dachshund which he used for this job. The boar had only run another 10 or so yards from where we had marked the blood.
The next drive was more of the same. I was at the end of the block and stood on the ground this time. Pairing into the wood and trying to guess where the game would come from.
About 20 minutes into the drive while looking to my left I could hear a dog sounding. I heard a crash and hoofs to my right! By the time I turned, I saw a large black boar disappearing out of the firing zone. He had smelt us for sure, but with the dog on his ass he had snuck as close as he could before leaping the track and bolting for it. Soon a small dog came barking along his trail. He followed him to the nearby road before breaking off the chase, to return to the beaters.
There was a little confusion to whether the drive had finished. My neighbour and I meet up before being told that it had not ended! We hurried back into our spots.
Just as well, as we once more heard the beaters and there dogs. This time we could also hear deer crashing around. They could soon be seen turning and moving along the line of guns and getting around the beaters line to escape! Even though you could see them inside the block you could not take a shot, as this was not in the firing zone!
With the drive over, one spiker had been shot. The gun, a game keeper had not seen the small horns hiding behind its ears, when he took the shot.
I was also told that my little pig had been found. My First French boar even if he was the most unlucky pig, I was more than happy! I was also ribbed for having been asleep and letting the bigger one through the line. But then some kind soul pointed out that it’s harder to hit the little ones.
For the third and final drive of the day, we were told that we would all be dropped at the head of the drive and that we had to be very quiet and walk to our stands. This was because the drive itself was on a long narrow bit of wood that had a railway line down one side. If we had been driven to our spots the game would have soon know what was up.
The horn sounded and the drive was soon underway. Within minutes I could hear a lot of animals crashing through the tight woods. I crouched down as low as I could get as I watch a herd of deer come into view and start to run straight at me. They turned and looked as though they would come out between my neighbour and me!
I thought I’ll take the fourth animal as that will give the guns either side of me a chance at the lead animals, as they cross the track. The track here is used as a training track for horses, so is very wide.
But it was not to be. A yard before coming out onto the track they all turned and headed back along the line of guns. A shot has heard from the top of the line and a hind was taken by the last gun. The herd of 15 also animals had made good there escape.
What a shame, as had they come out it would be amazing. With that many animals trying to break across the track I would have had a front row seat of the action.
The drive carried on and again the dogs sounded off. A horn sounded letting us know that boar had been seen, followed by a shot. This was the last of the day. A beater had taken a nice boar as it tried to make an escape across the railway tracks.

With the day gone, we made our way back to the club rooms. Here the deer and boar are weighed in. My unlucky little guy, weighed in at 20kg. The two deer weighed in at 105/107kg each and the last boar at around 80kg. The guys insisted on blooding my face with boar blood Indian style, as this was my first French boar.
All animals are tagged on being recovered and are recorded into a game register. There is a quota system and you are only aloud to shoot so many animals a year. They are having trouble keeping up with the numbers! If the quota is not meet, then they will use tree stands to try to make up the difference.
The animals were then butchered in a very clean small processing shed. The meat was given to who every wanted some the rest is sent to a game dealer.
We then all retired to the club rooms to have a beer and lots of gin, which the French are really into. We had a great evening and I have made a lot of new friends that are mad keen to try hunting down in NZ. So it looks like I may have to organise a trip for them.
Again another great day’s shooting and hunting in a different country.

Really sorry but Im damed if I can get these bloody photos to do what I want them to do
Anyway enjoy.
If one of you coyuld turn them around that would be great

Well done, it's interesting seeing how others hunt, quite amazing shooting in public areas but it must work ok otherwise it wouldn't be done like that.

Year the public just carry on. I've not asked if they get anties like we get here sometimes in the UK.
There having more trouble at present with the stag hunting which goes through once a week. This they do with hounds and horses.
It's pushed the boar and deer to the edgers of the forests which is closer to the roads. Which makes it a lot harder to shoot safely.
In the colder weather the boar and deer gather into very large groups. -11 in France yesterday and my host shot 4 boar and one hind whilst shooting there yesterday!

Fabulous!!!

French hunting sounds alot like french skiing, lots of breaks for wine and food....

No on both days when we finished only then would the food and wine come out.
No stopping!
Day light hours are too short in winter.
Good food and wine once the guns where away though