Snaring

Enthusiasts of snaring, a specific form of hunting found in France, will be interested in buying woodlands. Snaring is a highly regulated form of hunting. 

It requires specially approved equipment and the traps must be inspected every morning and placed at a certain distance from dwellings. Spotlight on this hunting technique.

Strict regulations

Anyone who uses traps must be approved to do so by the prefect of their home département. This approval takes the form of a numbered certificate and is valid for the whole country.

The hunter must keep a record of their captures in a register. Before September 30 each year, they must send a summary of their catches for the snaring campaign that ended on 30 June of that year. Woodlands for snaring can be purchased across France. It will all depend on the choice of animal to be captured, whether in the plains, lower mountain altitudes or in the mountains themselves.

Only certain mammals may be caught.

These are the weasel, raccoon dog, beech marten, wild rabbit, marten, polecat, coypu, musk rat, raccoon, fox, American mink and some birds: the rook, carrion crow, starling, jay, magpie and wood pigeon, which have been listed as pests.

The sale of forests for snaring is more common in the east of France if you are looking to trap the raccoon dog (which arrived here from Eastern Europe), and Aquitaine and the Centre in areas where there are ponds if you want to catch the coypu, raccoon or musk rat.

The weasel, beech marten, wild rabbit and fox are more often found in the lower-altitude mountain areas.

The snaring of wood pigeons and jays is more frequent in the plains of the Centre region of France up to the Atlantic.

The sale of forests for this kind of hunting addresses a specialist group of huntsmen: animals listed as ‘pests’ can be hunted, since they are seen as game.

To practice snaring, you need to own the land on which you set the snares, or have special written permission from the land-owner.

The right to destroy harmful animals is part of the right of ownership. An argument that weights heavily for the sale of forests where this form of hunting can be practiced.

Snare hunting helps contain harmful species that can be dangerous for game stocks. Therefore, forest sales linked to this hunting technique are a way of helping to look after and protect the environment.