Traditional wood pigeon hunting has been criticized by the European Commission and must be abolished!
On February 12, 2025, the European Commission referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The reason? In the South of France, hunters persist in killing wood pigeons with non-selective “pantes” and “pantières” (nets), the use of which is prohibited by the Birds Directive. We are once again taking a stand and calling for the repeal of the ministerial decrees authorizing these practices in five departments.
In the Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Gers, Gironde, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques regions, wood pigeons, attracted by the cries of other wood pigeons used as decoys, find themselves trapped in nets. When the trap reopens, it is only to allow their tormentors to finish them off. This “traditional” form of hunting is, however, banned throughout the European Union. So much so that every year since 2021, we have obtained from the Council of State the cancellation of the decrees authorizing capture using “pantes” and “matoles” (cages) in the region. The court rulings are clear: these methods are not selective and there are satisfactory alternatives. There is therefore no reason for them to be exempt. The European Commission, which had already issued a formal notice to France in 2019, has just reiterated this by taking further action against wood pigeon hunting.
The State and hunters are swimming against the flow…
Hunting with glue was declared illegal by the Council of State in 2021, and the use of “tendelles” (stone traps) was definitively banned in 2023… Thanks to the dozens of legal actions we have taken, traditional hunting practices are in the hot seat more than they ever were before. Much to the chagrin of trigger-happy hunters, who never tire of crying foul. Trapping wood pigeons, at the risk of injuring other birds, whatever they may say, is “in their DNA”, no less! And their cruel hobby should take precedence over everything else… These whims are supported by the State, which prefers gun owners and their hobby to nature, to the point of inventing the most absurd pretexts to revive these practices from another time…
… against animals already in decline
Birds are threatened on all sides: pesticides, insect increasing scarcity, urbanization, habitat loss… In nearly forty years, a quarter of these animals have disappeared from Europe. In November 2024, we even learned of the first extinction of a continental bird in the geographical area covering Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia: that of the slender-billed curlew. The collapse of biodiversity has never been so tangible. And those who have only one desire, to empty the sky of its survivors, dare to proclaim themselves defenders of nature! This deadly cynicism must stop.
For wood pigeons, which are now the only birds still captured using “pantes” and “pantières” in France, we are asking the ministry to put an end to this practice. If they refuse, we will take the matter to the Council of State. Join your voice to ours by signing our petition for a radical reform of hunting!