Boar.

[dedee]

You're in Calvados, Andy? Anywhere near the Parc Regional de Normandie? .....

Not really Dick, we're north east of Caen, eastern extremes of the Pays D'Auge. Close to the marais of the Dives. We see a lot of deer too and even a weasel, or stoat, it moved too darn quick to e sure.

As for the hunters around here, if it moves it's shot! including the odd jogger!

Andy

 

[CHJ]

The guys at my sons gun club in Bavaria that hold a Jäger licence use high powered Rifles, they also carry .44 calibre hand weapon if specifically out for Boar as it is the only thing that will stop them at close quarters.
Jägers are required to carry a hand weapon to ensure speedy kill of game if not a clean hit with shotgun or rifle.

 

[Smudger]

You're in Calvados, Andy? Anywhere near the Parc Regional de Normandie? .....

Not really Dick, we're north east of Caen, eastern extremes of the Pays D'Auge. Close to the marais of the Dives. We see a lot of deer too and even a weasel, or stoat, it moved too darn quick to e sure.

As for the hunters around here, if it moves it's shot! including the odd jogger!

Andy

Same here.
Saw a fouine

running round our garden last year, beautiful sight. Then it got into our loft and died... very nasty indeed!
I like the Pays d'Auges - do you know the Mesnil de Bavent pottery?

It must be very close to you.

 

[Green]

Yebbut French hunters use 12 bores on songbirds!

Nope, for songbirds they just paint the tree branches with glue then tear the birds off their legs later. True.

 

[Smudger]

A French hunter recently shot dead another hunter under the impression he was a sanglier, despite the fact he was wearing a fluorescent hi-vis jacket...
The problem is made worse by the tendency of hunters to drink copiously at the same time.
They do, however, serve a purpose (in Normandy) of keeping down the coypu population and (out of self-interest) keeping down the fouines. And, of course, each other...

 

[bugbear]

Yebbut French hunters use 12 bores on songbirds!

Nope, for songbirds they just paint the tree branches with glue then tear the birds off their legs later. True.

I stand corrected, and apologise for my false accusation.

BugBear

 

[dedee]

do you know the Mesnil de Bavent pottery?

It must be very close to you.

Yep it's just around the corner. I've only been once, some fascinating stuff in there but a wee bit too arty for me. If I ever get the barn to workshop conversion done I will have one of their finials (epi de faîtage) to put on the roof.

cheers

Andy

 

[softtop]

There is a chap near me who farms them and sells them. We've had a few whole ones over the past few years, which we then butcher up and make into sausages, salami, air-dried ham, bacon etc. etc. Really tasty and I'd definitely recommend them!

They are slaughtered at the local abbatoir though just like pigs (unless they get a bit frisky then occasionally he has to shoot one in the field and you can then do a good deal on it, as long as you don't mind skinning it yourself...)

Henry

 

[Max Power]

Whats the meat like Henry. I raised a couple of tamworth pigs in my woodland next to the house and the meat off those was delicious =P~ totally different to the rubbish you get in the shops . Apparently they also cross tamworths with wild boar to recreate iron age pigs.

 

[softtop]

I reckon the meat is great - much darker and gamier than pig, but the animal is very similar in structure. I've also had the Iron Age cross and that was good too, but not quite as full-flavoured as the boar. The other thing is that you can cook the meat rarer so the fillet makes a delicious treat.

Nowadays we tend to make bacon and boiled ham (and the odd joint) from pigs but make all our sausages and salami and air-dried ham from boar as we reckon that's the best mix. My kids love sausages so we get through an awful lot!

Henry