Sologne, a natural forest region and popular hunting terrain

Sologne is a natural forest region. Lying between the Loire and the Cher rivers, the ‘Solognote’ region stretches over three départements: Cher, Loiret and Loir-et-Cher. Sologne is a forest region and a very popular area for hunting, benefiting from a rich natural heritage.

However, Sologne has not always been synonymous with prosperity. Before Napoléon III ordered its drainage, the area was a vast marsh, difficult to put to much use. Today, Sologne is an outstanding area for hunting, with abundant game species and some wonderfully diverse deciduous forests.

Presentation of the Sologne forest

Nestled between the Loire and the Cher (an affluent of the Loire), the Sologne forests are home to an array of animals including red deer, roe deer, wild boar and pheasants, much to the delight of hunting enthusiasts. True to the spirit of François 1^st, who founded a number of royal hunting estates, such as Chambord, in the 16th century, wealthy families from France and abroad have been investing in hunting estates in Sologne for almost fifty years now.

Viewed from above, the Sologne forest resembles a green island surrounded by the vast ocean of cereals grown on the plains of the Beauce and the Champagne Berrichonne. Covering some 500,000 hectares, this is France’s second largest forest massif after the forest of Les Landes, and is mainly deciduous.

The Sologne forests are home to an array of animals including red deer, roe deer, wild boar and pheasants

Oak, chestnut and birch, together with aspen and willow in the more humid areas, alternate with areas of moorland and ponds. The most extensive wetland area is known as the ‘Sologne of ponds’. There are also drier areas in Sologne, for example the vineyards that stretch from Cour Cheverny to Chateauneuf-sur-Loire, along the Loire river.

Hunting estates in Sologne 

Since the 1970s, hunting has redesigned the forest landscape in Sologne. From Salbris to La Ferté St Aubin and Lamotte-Beuvron, the area is now marked by tree stands, well-tended forest borders and plots growing cereals for game. Although the forest of Sologne is clearly focused on hunting these days, this has not always been the case: the forest has been successively cleared and replanted over the centuries. Nonetheless, hunting has clearly overtaken agriculture in the past 150 years.

The activity drives the local economy, boosted by the sale of hunting estates. Hotels, restaurants, the building trade, firearms stores, taxidermists and dog breeders have all seen their revenues increase thanks to hunting in Sologne.

Hunting has clearly overtaken agriculture in the past 150 years.