Something is wrong!

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To date, around 80% of the 2017/2018 woodcock samples have been taken. No proactive measures by those responsible for hunting have been taken except  ! The FDC of Doubs after joint reflection with the National Club of Bécassiers of the department fixed the withdrawals on January at 1 Bécasse day per hunter (not too restrictive).

Isère reduced its weekly levy to 2 per hunter from 12/15 to 01/14, Ardèche and Drôme only made recommendations. This is little...

However, for a species that we are told as the most studied, watched, protected; something is wrong  !

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Because if the woodcock world believes the 2017/2018 predictions of the Woodcock network of the Oncfs announcing a mediocre reproduction, as it believes their statements on the state of the herd  (Woodcock in good health, stable numbers)  ; from the start of the season, he had to take measures to reduce the harvest. This is what we were offering from November on our site  :

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www.lachassedelabecassedesbois.com/ou-sont-elles-en-2017

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As he did not do so, he must take drastic measures on the samples from January 01, 2018, in order to maintain a sufficient potential of adults, who, moreover, faithful to his wintering sites will be there for the next one. season. (including young survivors).

Either the woodcock world only believes what suits it, ignores what bothers it and lets it happen, unable to anticipate and act  !

Meanwhile what's going on in the woods  ?

This season the countries affected by migratory flows have  benefited from favorable weather conditions during the fall migration, favoring the arrival in France of a good number of migrants. No excuses on that side to justify a lack of birds.

Not surprisingly, attendance is heterogeneous. Taking into account the dryness of the biotopes, especially in the south of the Loire, the phenomenon of bundles is confirmed (good concentrations in a few sectors, almost deserts in most of the others). We see disparate Age / Ratio  ; very high (many young people) on the western half, abnormally low on the eastern half.

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A Sex / Ratio that seems normal.

The Ica of Cnb * which remains one of the benchmarks continues to be high (1.64 in autumn migration) higher than that of last season (1.62) with a rather good reproduction. It contradicts the Oncfs predictions about the quality of reproduction (poor). This contradiction is not without its problems  ! Who can we trust  ?

We are at the end of December, nothing shows and does not yet prove that the reproduction was bad  !

The FANBPO, also relies on the Oncfs study which has no counterpart in Europe, it should think about it.

In the field, the majority of woodcock hunters observe a low presence and a minority a good attendance, confirming that the heterogeneous quality of the biotopes generates the (not new) phenomenon of packets. .

However, nothing proves that the national migratory workforce is stable. If reproduction is not at all involved, it is because the downward trend in the European breeding population  is indeed!

This season there are many doubts. These doubts should benefit the Woodcock still remaining on French territory. This is our opinion.

In the woods, the concert of bells which, as if they are suffering from frenzy, stop less often, signals one more season ...

That something is wrong  !

                                                  Philippe Vignac   Franck Ricaud

* Sources  : Club National des Bécassiers, Bécanotes December 2017.

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