Hunter, 44, killed by stray bullet in Normandy

A 44-year-old man has died during an organised hunt for wild boar in Normandy.

The hunt was organised by local hunters in the Bois de Cohardon, in the Orne department.

The man, who has not been named, died around 16:30 on Wednesday (December 27) immediately after being hit by a stray bullet.

The man was reportedly a farmer in the area.

He was struck by a stray bullet from another hunter, while acting as a rabatteur, or beater, flushing animals out of hiding and directing them towards his fellow hunters.

The Alençon public prosecutor has opened an inquiry into the man’s death, which will be handled by the Argentan gendarmes.

Are hunting accidents on the rise in France?

There has been a slew of hunting accidents since the season reopened in September. However, it is too early to know if this year will prove more deadly than 2022-2023, which saw 78 non-fatal accidents and six deaths.

One in four hunting accidents concerned a non-hunter, according to French animal protection association ASPAS.

Firearms were the cause of 83% of these accidents, rather than the animals themselves.

Read more: Hunter dies after being charged by boar in south of France

Supporters of hunting point to the vast increase in the wild boar population, which in 2022 numbered more than a million in France.

In 2022, wild boar were responsible for 30,000 car accidents and an estimated €35m of damage to farmland.

The French government has recently taken measures to reduce the number of hunting accidents in France, but have stopped short of a ban on Sunday hunting in the country, which could reduce the risk of hunting activities to non-hunters.

A study by ASPAS found that 8 out of 10 people are in favour of a Sunday hunting ban.

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Couple tell how stray hunt bullet hit car and house in south of France

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