First hunting death of season

A 20-year-old man has been killed by a hunter while out walking with a friend in the Isère - the first hunting death since the season opened a month ago.

The walker received a bullet in the throat and was declared dead on the scene in the commune of Revel on Saturday morning.

The hunter is reported to be suffering from shock and has yet to be questioned. Investigators are gathering evidence at the scene and Grenoble public prosecutor's office has opened a manslaughter investigation.

Each year more than a dozen people are killed in hunting accidents, with up to 200 injured, and wildlife charity Aspas says the start of the hunt season marked the “closure of nature” for the rest of the population. It has campaigned especially for Sunday hunting to be banned.