In France, the wild boar problem is very difficult to manage despite agreements made between all the stakeholders concerned. The management of this species raises a lot of questions and if on the one hand hunters would sometimes like to be able to do more to help farmers, the authorities do not always allow potential solutions to be applied. In Belgium, the approach seems different because the possibility of thermal vision glasses is currently being studied.
Measures to “destroy” the wild boar.
If in France, we have authorized the use of sound suppressors and the dates of wild boar hunting are sometimes so close to closing that it is possible to hunt them all year round, suidae remain relatively numerous in our territory .
Today, there are devices to ensure more samples during night shooting, such as thermal vision goggles.
These optics make it possible to “see in the night” by identifying the thermal signatures of animals and therefore make it possible to see their shapes with a certain precision.
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Today, the use of these optics remains relatively confidential and is only permitted to certain hunting actors who practice destruction.
However, other countries are now considering authorizing this equipment.
Thermal vision and sound suppressors soon to be authorized in Belgium?
For the moment, the use of sound suppressors and thermal vision glasses is not authorized in Belgium but things could change in the coming months.
Like us, our Belgian neighbors are victims of the damage caused by wild boars and are looking for solutions to hinder their expansion.
The closing date for wild boar hunting has already been postponed but the question arises of opening night shooting to hunters.
To carry out this mission, Belgian deputies will ask that the law evolve to allow hunters to use sound suppressors and thermal-type night vision goggles.
These night shots are subject to authorization and would therefore remain supervised by the authorities, but there are voices opposing this equipment.
On the side of Belgian justice, we fear that criminals will use this equipment to improve their arsenal. An argument which is quickly put aside since they are currently on sale over the counter in many European countries although they cannot be used by hunters.
On the other hand, it is the environmental associations which are questioning and taking advantage of this approach to assert that the equipment will not change anything and that hunters must stop maintaining “wild boar farms in the forest” through feeding.
In the world of Belgian hunting, this measure is widely supported. However, we will have to wait for the proposal to be studied by the competent authorities before knowing whether or not Belgian hunters will be able to use this equipment in the coming months.
