Hunting in France - a wonderful hunt in beautiful hilly terrain

Monster “Twin Bucks” from France!

Some hunting experiences are simply a little more special than others… And this trip to Southern France will without a doubt be one that twins Magnus and Lukas will remember for a very long time!

Together with their friend Mads, the three enjoyed three fantastic days of hunting in the south of France. The rut was well underway, nature showed itself from its very best side, and the hunt resulted in 11 beautiful red summer roebucks.

But among all these impressive bucks, two true dream bucks were hiding!

Two enormous and abnormal bucks that, incredibly, look almost eerily similar to each other – and as if the story couldn’t get any better, they were both taken on the very same day by the twins Magnus and Lukas!

It is not every day you return home from a hunting trip with an experience like this. A huge congratulations to all three of you on the fantastic bucks – and especially to Magnus and Lukas on your truly unique “Twin Bucks”!

The days were, of course, enjoyed to the fullest. When the rifles were put aside, there was time to relax by the pool, enjoy the great weather and recharge for the next hunting experience.

James on Buck Hunting in France

Who says France is only for lovers? It’s for hunters too!
One of the advantages of hunting in Europe is the exposure to history. I got my first taste of European hunting, served with a touch of history, when I was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army in the early 1970s. I discovered that I enjoyed it, and ever since I have regularly found myself roaming around the continent. The best times for roebuck hunting are in spring or early summer, from April to the beginning of June, and again during the rut in late July and early August.

My most recent trips have taken me to France. The first was in October, while the second was in June. Before arriving, all I really knew about French hunting was the traditional par force hunting of deer and the French passion for wild boar hunting. After all, this area was once Gaul before it became France – the land known from Asterix and Obelix! A couple of years ago, I responded to an advertisement from Diana Hunting Tours, which led to a three-day roebuck hunt near the provincial town of Auch, followed by a few days deep in the Pyrenees hunting red stag. Two years later, I returned for roebuck, hoping to take a wild boar as well.

In France, I got more history than I could possibly digest, along with some of the most memorable hunting experiences of my life. Southern France, often with the Pyrenees as a backdrop, is steeped in history. The historical mix of this area includes the Basques, the regions of Béarn, the Basque Country and Aquitaine – both before and after the Roman conquest – as well as the Kingdom of Navarre and Gascony. Add a couple of famous kings associated with Pau, the good King Henry IV of France and King Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean Bernadotte, and you have a historical “soup” almost too thick to eat. As a final topping, you can add the Mann family saga, as they fled the Nazis by crossing the Pyrenees. You now have a soup for all seasons.

On my first trip, I landed in Toulouse, home of Airbus, to hunt roebuck in the rolling farmland near Auch. It was after the grain harvest and therefore not a typical time for roebuck hunting, but the population was strong and the hunt was successful. On my second trip, I stayed near Pau, the city associated with the two kings. My guide picked me up in the morning, after which we drove a short distance through the Poudenx area to my hotel. Once again, I enjoyed great French hospitality, a clean and comfortable place to stay and excellent food.

That evening I went out stalking with Frederic, the hunting manager. We made a brief stop to fire a test shot. It landed around 10 cm too high, but I thought that was acceptable considering I had used the bonnet of the Suzuki as a rifle rest. However, when the moment came, I missed the first buck. Too high. Back to the shooting range. This time I fired two shots. They were 15 cm too high. I adjusted the scope a couple of times, and then it was spot on. Fortunately, there were no further problems.

This area had much more vegetation than the countryside around Auch. There were oak forests, small meadows and fields – perfect roe deer habitat. We saw plenty of animals, although far more does than bucks. One evening, we even spotted a group of wild boar at the edge of the forest. I shot a large animal, but unfortunately it turned out to be a sow without tusks. Luck was not with me. Sometimes fortune favours the animal, and sometimes the hunter. Until then, I had thought luck was on my side, but apparently not.

Work commitments meant Frederic had to return to his shop, and the guide Lucas took over as hunting manager. The previous day, he had seen a large buck and wanted to take me out to see if we could find it. We stalked for more than a kilometre, perhaps two, constantly uphill through the forest. Eventually, we reached a series of small meadows and small maize fields. The maize was around 30 cm high. We moved extremely carefully. In the tall meadow grass, Lucas spotted the ears of a roe deer. A doe. She saw us, but could not catch our scent and eventually settled back down. No buck appeared.

At the edge of the grain field, the forest projected out into the field almost like a peninsula. This became our “stand”, looking east. The sun had just gone down. The first time Lucas scanned the maize field with his binoculars, he suddenly became very excited and quickly set up the shooting sticks. In the meantime, I had also spotted the buck. The animal was standing between the rows of maize. I could not see its body, but there was plenty of antler visible above the crop.

I rested the rifle on the shooting sticks and said to Lucas, “OK. Get him up.”

Lucas called out. Nothing happened. He called again, louder this time. The buck’s ears moved. Lucas now called very loudly, and finally there was movement. From experience, I knew that no matter how athletic, graceful and quick a roe deer may be, it does not leap instantly to its feet from sleep. First the animal came up on its front legs, then stood upright and stretched.

This time, Lady Luck was on my side. The buck stood up. The shot was well placed, and the animal went down.

In 48 years of roebuck hunting, the buck lying in front of me was the best I had ever seen – let alone shot. An old buck with massive, thick and atypical tines. A dream buck that comes along only once in a lifetime!

– James Lowell Males

Ole & Rasmus – Roebuck Hunting in Southern France!

Once again, the journey went to beautiful Southern France, where Ole and his son Rasmus were heading out for their second roebuck hunt in the south of France!

Ole and Rasmus hunted 2:1, and the three days were filled with exciting roebuck hunting in the beautiful southern French countryside. After three days of hunting, the result was six beautiful bucks – including one very special buck that Rasmus will remember for a long time!

Rasmus succeeded in taking his first gold medal buck – a magnificent six-pointer with impressive volume and long tines.

There is always something truly special about being able to share hunting experiences between father and son.

A huge congratulations to Ole and Rasmus on their beautiful bucks – and especially to Rasmus on his very first gold medal!

Thank you very much for once again choosing Diana Hunting Tours!

Geir in France

We had a fantastic trip to France over the weekend. The weather was especially nice, with temperatures reaching almost 30°C in the afternoon. A little warm for a slightly overweight Norwegian.

I expected it might be a little difficult to find some good bucks this late in the season. The hunting areas had also been significantly reduced. However, with the excellent help of our hunting guide Christopher, I managed to take 4 bucks, one of which was a really good buck.

Best regards,
Geir

Walter Mygil on a Roebuck Hunt in France

My roebuck hunt in France was surrounded by truly beautiful scenery, with roebuck habitats that a hunter can only dream of – varied and lush countryside consisting of woodland, fields, meadows and small areas of cover.

The French hunting guide was extremely well prepared and highly skilled, both professionally and personally. He knew his hunting grounds and the individual bucks exceptionally well, despite the fact that the entire hunting area covered land connected to no fewer than 14 towns.

The rented hunting rifle and scope were of good quality. Accommodation was provided at a charming country hotel, where we had close contact with the owners and where both the service and the food were excellent.

The hunting area's location, within approximately one hour's drive of both Spain and the Atlantic coast, also makes it very easy to bring your partner along and combine the hunting trip with a holiday together.

All in all, it was an excellent hunting experience that I can highly recommend.

Best regards,
Walter Mygil