France lockdown: Is hunting now banned?

Reader question: Do lockdown rules apply to hunters? I heard shots the other day.

Yes… and no, according to the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs.

As during the spring lockdown, hunting for leisure is not permitted during the second lockdown, and is not covered by the one-hour, 1km limit to individual movement.

However, hunting to regulate wildlife, such as wild boar and deer, and the controlling of species that pose a risk to agricultural crops, will be permitted, albeit under strict regulation, and hunters will be exempt from the prohibition on travel.

You will need an attestation de déplacement dérogatoire with the boxed marked "Participation à des missions d'intérêt général sur demande de l'autorité administrative" ticked. No other documentation is required, a phone operator on the Covid-19 hotline said.

The Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition has asked regional prefects to convene the Commissions Départementales de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage to impose sanitary protocols and conditions for hunters.

You can contact your local Fédérations départementales des chasseurs for specific details on what measures have been put in place.

Read more about France's lockdown:

Which shops can stay open during lockdown in France?

France lockdown: The exemption forms you need