Sunday is hunt day around here during the fall and winter months. In our area, general hunting is permitted just the one day a week and on holidays. And all that can be taken are certain game birds and wild hares. The hunting starts at 09h00, stops at noon for lunch, and resumes at 14h00 to end around dusk. Very civilized.
Poste 16 is one of several hunt stations along the vineyard road where Tasha and I walk most mornings.
But there are also periodic organized hunts to cull the populations of
chevreuil (roe deer),
renard (fox), and sometimes
sanglier (wild boar). They start a little earlier than general hunting does. I imagine the hunters gather for a briefing on how it will all go, then they spread out to stand at certain "stations" around the hunt area. In the vineyards out back, the "stations" are identified by number. When the hunt begins, a group of lead hunters will move a pack of hunting dogs through the wooded areas and blow brass horns called
cors de chasse (similar to what we would call a French horn) as communication. They scare the game out of hiding toward the guys with guns waiting at the numbered stations.
These hunts, called
battues, are extremely regulated and are run by hunters with high levels of experience and training. I hope. I don't know if today will be a general hunt day or a
battue day. Either way, Tasha and I will get out there early and try to get back home before things get under way.