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Hunter shoots walker dead in Occitanie after reportedly mistaking him for wild boar
It is the first fatal accident involving non-hunter since 2022
A 65-year old man has died in southern France after being shot by a hunter while out on a walk, local media reports.
The man was walking in Cassagnas (Lozère) on Sunday when he was shot by a hunter taking part in a nearby wild boar drive.
The hunter reportedly mistook the hiker for a wild boar after seeing something move between ferns. He reportedly shot in the direction of the ferns, hitting the man.
A helicopter was scrambled for the victim, who suffered two cardiac arrests. However, emergency services were unable to resuscitate him.
The hunter, 50, was taken into custody, and the local public prosecutor has opened an investigation into “involuntary manslaughter during a hunting activity, resulting from a failure to observe a duty of care or safety,” reported media outlet Actu.
He faces up to five years in prison.
First fatal shooting of non-hunter since 2022
It is the first fatal hunting accident involving a non-hunter since 2022 in France, when a woman hiking along a marked trail in the Cantal was shot by a 17-year-old hunter.
In the 2025/2026 season only four deaths were recorded due to hunting, reported the Office français de la biodiversité (French biodiversity agency, OFB).
All of these deaths were hunters, with three of them being ‘auto-accidents’ where the hunter killed themselves with their weapons.
However, the number of fatal and non-fatal injuries reported, including hunters and passersby, was 92. This is largely stable, with figures across recent seasons falling between 80 - 100.
More information about France’s hunting season can be found in our article here.
For walkers, sticking to marked trails is the best way to reduce the risk of danger during hunting season, and they can check for major hunts or drives on the local hunting federation website.
