The hunting of the woodcock and its future.
Analysis of the 2017/2018 season.
Despite a reproduction announced in October as bad to mediocre by the Bécasse de l'Oncfs * network, the hunting managers have taken no measures to reduce the 2017/2018 harvest.
By the end of November the values of the Age / Hunting Ratio clearly showed that something was wrong. Abnormally low level of young people in the eastern half, particularly high in the western half. The first reaction of the hunting world was to do nothing, and to wait to find out more.
The Woodcock Oncfs network, always ready to assert that the Woodcock is in good health with stable numbers, has remained completely silent over this period. He could have at least communicated the trend of his Age / Banding Ratio, to help make the right decisions. ; but not nothing.
Time has passed ... It was not until the end of December, when 80% of the samples are taken, to hear the President of the National Bécassiers Club ask his delegates to propose a reduction in the daily and weekly PMAs, in each of their department. . Nothing at national level !
Very quickly " tackle »By the President of the National Federation of Hunters who opposed it, everyone fell into line and almost nothing happened.
.
No political will displayed ; the precautionary principle not applied ; the finding is clear. Even today the world of hunting managers is not able or does not want to protect the Woodcock. Of which act !
That said, let's talk about the 2017/2018 season.
France benefited from the good weather conditions in Europe during the autumn migration, mainly from winds well oriented East, North-East and good cold snaps which boosted the birds here. The western coastal areas have therefore received their contingent of migrants, the vast majority of which are young, whereas, on the contrary, the entire eastern half has received very few juveniles.
The drought of the biotopes more marked in the south of the Loire, in particular the south-eastern quarter, provoked the phenomenon of packets as expected. Lots of Woodcock in some areas, few or none in most of the others. For the Southeast quarter it is a catastrophic season.
Taking into account the conditions of cold, frost and snow in the large breeding countries (Russia and Scandinavia) then in the transit countries, we can consider that almost all of the European migratory numbers of the Woodcock joined the wintering countries.
To get to know the Scandinavian countries and the harshness of their winters, it is possible to that there remain a significant number of woodcock even in the South every year. Yet this is what Yves Ferrand claims in certain specialist magazines. It is a "judgment" which can be wrong. It is therefore not a scientific process.
France has therefore received this season a contingent of migrating women who have spread over the territory according to the weather conditions, the direction of the winds, the potential of the biotopes and the level of hunting pressure of the past seasons. .
Beyond the phenomena of packets (not new) but which have persisted throughout the season, a trend is developing which changes the distribution and attendance of birds season after season.
On the occasional territories which do not cease increasing one hardly meets any more Woodcock.
In the growing secondary territories and even in the main ones, the trend is downward in numbers.
Only the privileged territories best placed geographically, the richest in food and often less hunted, have globally an identical number of birds, with some exceptions.
These observations, which appear to be lasting and irreversible, are for us confirmation that the European woodcock population is on a downward trend. !
The shift of the center of gravity of the wintering area of European Woodcock to the North-East (mentioned by Yves Ferrand in La Mordorée in April 2017, then in November in Gironde), would eventually lead the South of France to see fewer and fewer birds, is from our point of view neither proven nor realistic. for the moment.
First of all because Woodcock equipped with Argos beacons are always faithful to their wintering sites.
Then, because it has not yet been able to affect France, for the simple reason that Woodcock wintering further south (North Africa, Portugal and especially Spain) should have under these conditions slipped first towards the North East, supplying France, in particular the South, in passing, and compensating for the shortage.
Unless there is information that there is a strong downward trend in Woodcock in these countries. Unless I'm mistaken, he didn't mention it.
When we know the Ica, Ian, Age / Ratio, Sex / Ratio, mass will be said. The samples in France will have been carried out without any restriction, despite the bad to poor reproduction announced.
We do not believe that the Woodcock is healthy. On the other hand once again, because of our behavior she has a headache ...
We do not know and do not want to protect the Woodcock and by extension its hunting with our dogs.
2017/2018 is a fiasco !
Philippe Vignac, Franck Ricaud
February 24 2018
Mordorée d'Avril 2017, review of the Club National des Bécassiers.
Woodcock Network of the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife,
Dire ction of research and expertise, Unit migrating birds
Yves ferrand Kevin Le Rest