Boar Hunting

Crops under high surveillance A season hunting for wild boar with the brave Gauls The wild boar, myths and realities

This year, wild boar populations have exploded in the Camargue again and the damage to crops will be extensive if the animal is not hunted effectively. Farmers, with the support of hunters, are doing everything they can: beating or stalking, Marc Monnet is in demand all over Provence to help protect the rice and maize crops.

Boar beating, as practised by the hunters of Valleraugue, a village in the Cevennes nestled at the foot of Mount Aigoual. It’s often said that wild boar hunters are a clan. Bound by hunting, and a mountain-dwelling and farming solidarity, these Valleraugue hunters give the film a special tone. Theirs is a little corner of France in which life flows with the seasons, where hunters rub shoulders with hikers and mushroom pickers. In this film, the Valleraugois team shows to what extent the beauty of their hunting style is part of the French cultural heritage.

The proliferation of wild boars is posing serious problems, including damage to crops, road collisions and health risks. This film alternates between spectacular hunting scenes and interviews with scientists in order to take stock of current and future issues, such as the reasons for this population explosion and how to contain it. Could politicians take the management of wild boar populations out of the hunters’ hands?