ALTHOUGH the hunting season in this part of France began in the third week of September, the activity took a month to become more obvious.
Now, almost every day, the hills around the village reverberate with the sound of gunfire – not rapid or warlike, but individual shots.
The seasonal confrontation between the area’s wild boar and the machismo of men in camouflage gear and hi-viz gilets is under way, as la chasse makes its presence heard.
The camo gear is supposed to confuse the boar while the hi-viz is an attempt to reduce the seemingly inevitable casualties and fatalities – not just among walkers and ramblers who are in the wrong place at the wrong time but for those whose gardens are too close to woodland.
Guns are not the only cause of injuries or death, however.
Over the first weekend of November, an 80-year-old man received life threatening injuries from a wild boar that was found dead beside him during a private hunt near Béziers, according to Midi Libre.
When found, he had suffered cardiac arrest was well. His thigh and genitals had also been wounded.
He was taken to hospital in Montpellier while Béziers police began an investigation.
The same weekend, a second hunter, aged 65, died a few kilometres inland from Béziers after a heart attack.
Less tragic, but inconvenient, are the hunting dogs that find their way into the village. Poorly trained, but enjoying unaccustomed freedom, they can endanger traffic by wandering onto road from between parked cars and also frightening some of the village’s children and older people.